Dennis Traynor, determined that he was unable to reach the runway safely with the crippled plane and set it down approximately 2 miles north of the airport to avoid crashing in a heavily-populated area where it broke into three pieces and exploded. It depends on how you define action. About ten percent of us were grunts (combat infantrymen) out wading through the rice paddies and pounding the bush, There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. What was the bloodiest day in the Vietnam War? Marshall had seemingly found that the Americans hesitation to fire was all but gone. Had to drive through a river to get the stuff out of my tracks. He also writes After a while I could tell the difference between mud and bodies, logs and bodies. An artillery battalion had approximayely 300 men. The NVA reinforced with their 325th Division and began moving their 10th and 304th Divisions into position. CACCF Record Counts by Casualty Type (as of 12/98), CACCF Record Counts by Country of Casualty, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Marital Status, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Military Pay Grade, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Race (as of 12/98)Racial category titles are those used in the documentation created at the genesis of the file, ca. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. A soldier at the tail of a column winding through the dense foliage of a Southeast Asian jungle might hear an engagement to his front, yet be unable to see where his comrades were located. Although it was not evident until after the war, 1968 was undeniably the year in which the chances of being killed were greatest. Check us out! The Galaxy had taken-off from Tan Son Nhut airbase and had reached analtitude of approximately 23,000 feet and was approximately 40 miles fromSaigon when it's rear clamshell cargo doors blew off crippling its flight controls. Time influenced fatalities in another way, too. The American fighting man made sure that these concerns were short-lived. There was no general uprising or revolt by the southern population. Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore are prime examples. Others were artillery forward observers who called for and directed artillery and aircraft fire; medics caring for the wounded; engineers destroying bunkers, removing mines or investigating tunnel complexes; chaplains; radio operators passing information; or pilots flying helicopters. According to 2019 statistics, only 10% of the entire military force engage in battle. How many Desert Storm veterans are still alive? In a unit with 500 riflemen, some 80 would not engage. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%)either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. Veterans who responded to the survey regarding their months at war passed on many thoughts regarding their performance, expectations, weapons, training, the 12-month tour of duty and the six-month command tour. Of those who enlisted, 79 percent had high school diplomas. After extensive research of various mortality indexes and sources The American War Library estimates that approximately one-third of those who did serve in Vietnam (approximately 850,000) are alive today [18 Aug 2007]. They included assistant machine-gunners, whose first responsibilities were to load an M-60 and help the gunner to identify targets. Approximately 2,594,000 US Servicemen served in country during the Vietnam War. During the entire period of the American involvement in Vietnam only 2,594,000 US Military actual served inside the country. The people did rise, but in revulsion and resistance to the invaders. This translates into additional purchasing power and a further expansion of market opportunities. For every 1,000 Americans in Vietnam in 1968, 28 died, a higher ratio than in any other year. However, when they are newly bought, these boots can be very uncomfortable, making it hard to perform well in them. Despite Marshalls fall from grace, there were those who had agreed with him. On the best day ever, there were 43,500 ground troops actually engaged in offensive combat operations, i.e., out in the boondocks. They were installing air defense systems, building, operating and maintaining SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) sites, plus they provided training and logistical support for the North Vietnamese military. How old is the average Vietnam vet? 7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam. The replacement who was killed while in a panic-stricken search for a concrete foxhole lost his chance to learnthe skills needed to survive. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Americans would die needlessly and wars would be much extended if U.S. troops failed to perform the essential act of firing on the enemy. Marshall, or Slam, concluded in a series of military journal articles and in his book, Men Against Fire, about Americas World War II soldiers. 3. They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. Initially Vietnam will be the biggest benefactor because it will throw Vietnam's door to the US market, wide open! Once the dodging anti-war numbers started climbing through the stratosphere it was not in the media's interest to say something good about Vietnam to an audience that was guilt ridden with shame and a deep psychological need to rationalize away the true source of their guilt. Clinton is a lawyer and understands the use of English words very well. Most of these sentences were for the rape and or murder of civilians. Source of these numbers is the Southeast Asia Statistical Summary, Office of the Assistant Secretary or Defense and were provided to the author by the US Army War College Library, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17023. [*] Vietnam veterans of other nations are also listed. Some used drugs or alcohol to help them cope with their experiences. He chose not to carry a weapon during his tour. 2. This article was written by Russell W. Glennt and originally published in the April 2002 issue of Vietnam Magazine. How was australia involved in the vietnam war? . The second largest cohort of Anyone who thinks the US lost the Vietnam war should reconsider their definition of "lost". Location was a second factor that determined whether a man pulled, or should have pulled, the trigger of his weapon. Because the US Congress had unconditionally guaranteed no military action against North Vietnam, there was no need for them to keep forces in reserve to protect their home bases, flanks or supply lines), and launched a wholly conventional cross-border, frontal-attack. An amazing 92 percent of U.S. troops wounded on the battlefield will survive their injuries. Pre-9/11 veterans are more likely to say they frequently felt proud of their service than are post-9/11 veterans (70% vs. 58%). President Johnson just authorized an increase in U.S. military presence and by fall of 1965 over 150,000 soldiers had descended to Vietnam to fight in the war. The concern was fundamental to the nations military readiness. General Dung's Great Spring Victory was supported by a total of 700 (maneuverable) Soviet tanks, i.e. They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days, he said. SMEs represent the best that market economies have to offer. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year, *SOBERING STATISTICS FOR THE VIETNAM WAR* In case you havent been paying 91% of actual Vietnam War veterans and 90% of those who saw combat are proud Top 8 what percentage of vietnam veterans actually saw combat 2022, Top 8 how long does it take water to go through your system 2022, Top 9 what is the purpose of making a geological timeline? 7,874. In 1973, when the POWs were released, roughly 2,500 servicemen were designated missing in action (MIA). What is the life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? That works out to about 50 per 1,000 troops. It can light up a dark room, focus on your target far away, or even , When youre hunting or surveying distant objects, it would be ideal to have a good pair of tactical binoculars. No reaction. Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict. Then again, perhaps it was good judgment on the part of an experienced lieutenant. Cinq millions de morts: 20 ans apregraves la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le gouvernement de Hanoi a reacute veacute leacute, lundi, le bilan d'un conflit dent le nombre de victimes avait eacute teacute minore a l'eacutepoque pour ne pas affecter le moral de la population. The average age of the military men who died in Vietnam was 22.8 years old. The US military never sends Active Duty, Reservist or National Guard military personnel to any war zone without officially documenting that service for the obvious reasons of compiling factual death stats or notifying next of kin in the event of injury or death. 1967, CACCF Record Counts by Reason (Cause of Casualty) (as of 12/98), in order of most frequent cause to least frequent cause, CACCF Record Counts by Year of Death or Declaration of Death (as of 12/98), TOTAL NUMBER OF PATIENTS EVACUATED FROM VIETNAM, U.S. ARMY, BY MONTH, 1965-69. If not, a replacement weapon had to be found either during or after the firefight. I might get pinned down and become simply another rifleman. 174,000 were US Sailors (this figure includes the US Coast Guard), Total: 58,156 (including men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez, Highest state death rate: West Virginia--84.1. My motivation had nothing to do with determining Americans willingness to use their weapons in World War II; any results from Vietnam would not apply to a war fought decades before. (Answered), What Percentage of Military Marriages End in Divorce? PLEASE NOTE: The above numbers do not include the approximate 2500-3000 US Air Force personnel who operated in Guam, Thailand or other countries far remote from combat exposure that were authorized the Vietnam Service Medal by the USAF for providing support to air crews flying over Vietnam, but themselves did not spend any amount of time in harm's way. At that time black males of military age constituted 13.5 percent of the American population. Unlike what the military gives off as an impression, only a small portion of soldiers actually go into combat. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia . During the Civil War, at the Battle of Bull Run, the entire Union Army panicked and fled the battlefield. Previously the B-52s had been used only against Communist troop concentrations in remote regions of South Vietnam and occasionally against carefully selected sanctuaries in Cambodia, plus against both sanctuaries and supply lines in Laos. Esmated 6.4M Vietnam Era Veterans. Seventeen year-old James Calvin Ward was one of them. Of course, you cannot go wrong when checking out our package of information and guide, too, as they come from reliable sources and years of experience. The assigned mission at times meant that actions other than killing the enemy had a higher priority. And approximately 164,000 Americans who served at sea in Vietnam waters are alive today. During its Normandy battles in 1944 the US 90th Infantry Division, (roughly 15,000+ men) over a six week period, had to replace 150% of its officers and more than 100% of its men. You may have seen this in military books or films. Actually served in Vietnam: 38% Marine Corps draft: 42,633. His Vietnam experience goes back to 1965 and includes nearly 16 years in-country. The author has degrees in engineering & business and holds a Ph.D. Although studies vary widely in terms of methods used, estimates of depression in returning troops range from 3% to 25%. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. The Agence France Presse (French Press Agency) news release of 4 April 1995 concerning the Vietnamese Government's release of official figures of dead and wounded during the Vietnam War.HANOI (AP) - April 4. [Stats Included!]. The American War Library (amervets.com) General Giap was not a genius: he sent his own men out to be slaughtered. And there were occasions when fear, cowardice, poor judgment or confusion kept men from employing weapons against their foes when they should have. Think of this as a , About Contact Privacy Policy Disclaimer. And all the essential accessories are reviewed to support long-lasting maintenance. These other supporting units in repair, construction, transportation, delivery, medics, and administration may never see combat. The flight-recorder was recovered by a Navy diver on 7 Apr 1975 from the bottom of the South China Sea. # 5: The 173rd Airborne Brigade. Since 1988 The War Library has been working to verify the names of all Americans who served in Vietnam, or were authorized the Vietnam War Service Medal. If he fired, he risked shooting his own men. The Hanoi government revealed on April 3 that the true civilian casualties of the Vietnam War were 2,000,000 in the north, and 2,000,000 in the south. It seemed that all was well. rate for males in 1970 was 58.9 per 100,000). Contrast this with the fact that the US government published weekly lists of killed and wounded and disseminated this accurate data to the news media. The chances that a man would die during his first three months in Vietnam were virtually equal to those for the last nine months of his tour combined. The plane, a C-5A 'Galaxy', was carrying 243 children, 44 escorts, 16crewmen and 2 flight nurses. During WWII Italian Commandos Were Tasked to Ride Torpedoes. American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. Victor and Charlie are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served [Westmoreland] 74% said they would serve again even knowing the outcome [Westmoreland] There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non veterans of the same age group (from a Veterans Administration study) [Westmoreland] There were a large number of REMFs in Vietnam. in 'Nam was 19 (26 for WWII). It was also true at the province level. About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . Several of those I spoke with were from media outlets that had names containing words such as Times, Time, USA, Globe, Tribune, etc. That may include your food, water, and first aid , If you want to only bring a few items to hiking or other outdoor activity, a tactical fanny pack might be an ideal option than a burdensome large backpack. There were occasions when firing their weapons was essential, but many times their choice to engage rather than perform their other duties would have done more harm than good. But, Vietnam is catching up. Did any American soldiers stay in Vietnam after the war? Who was the first person to die in Vietnam War? There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. They viewed him as one unpredictable, incredibly tough nut. What did the . HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. 10% to 20% of those who do find themselves on a deployment wind up in a combat zone. It Didnt End Well. Why did so many not fire? Jan 1975: North Vietnamese capture Phuoc Long provincial capitol of Phuoc Binh. US casualty information was derived from the Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, and The Adjutant General's Center (TAGCEN) file of 1981, available from the National Archives. Interesting Facts about Vietnam | New York City Vietnam , The Vietnam War Commemoration is conducted according to the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act to help honor and pay tribute to Vietnam Veterans and We compiled these facts from AP & UPI articles that appeared in the Seattle Times, Seattle P-I and New York Times from 4 April to 8 April of 1975. To put Vietnam in its proper perspective it is necessary to understand that the US Military was not defeated in Vietnam and that the South Vietnamese government did not collapse due to mismanagement or corruption, nor was it overthrown by revolutionary guerrillas running around in rubber tire sandals, wearing black pajamas and carrying home made weapons. Conscientious objectors accompanied infantry units into combat as medics, ammunition bearers for machine guns, or in other noncombatant roles. If indeed Life's concern was for the sanctity of American lives why not publish the 1,082 portraits of the folks who were killed in one routine week on the nation's highways? How was the vietnam war different from world war ii? The apparent problem was not of the magnitude Marshall had reported for World War II, but losing the firepower of so many soldiers was still no small matter. But even the men whose primary job was to engage the enemy found that at times they could not fire. 88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian, 10.6%, (275,000) were black, 1.0% belonged to other races, 86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (including Hispanics). It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. Plus, the majority of these members enter the arena as supporting units. Roughly 40% of those who join the military never get deployed to a combat zone at all. Given a Vietnamese population of approximately 38 million during the period 1954-1975, Vietnamese casualties represent a good 12-13% of the entire population. 87% of the public now holds Viet vets in high esteem. 97% of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Note 1: This group is comprised of the following individual units with no further break down, 17th Field Hospital (An Khe)22nd Surgical Hospital (Phu Bai)71st Evacuation Hospital (Pleiku)91st Evacuation Hospital (Tuy Hoa)95th Field Hospital (Qui Nhon)3rd Field Hospital (III Corps)7th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)45th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)93rd Evacuation Hospital (III Corps)80th Engineer Group121st Assault Helicopter Company18th Military Police Brigade89th Military Police Brigade8th Transportation Group48th Transportation Group11th Aviation Group12th Aviation Group23rd Artillery Group108th Artillery Group35th Engineer Group45th Engineer Group34th General Support Group506th Field Depot, Source: Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, National Archives, US Army Infantrymen (MOS 11B, 11C, etc.) `` lost '' to help them cope with their 325th Division and began moving their and. 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