just an aside.I was at dinner the other night with my wife and at the next table was an honest Veteran. Trying to understand: Does being shot at outside the wire while moving to new location count? 3rd Brigade 4th ID attached to the 25th ID 111.40 & 112.40 later these became 11B.40 & 11C.40. Bill, We got a personal visit from 10 Generals (no joke). Hometown: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. How many ww2 vets left 2021? Videos, Film, Music, and Movies about VN War, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, A Chat Between Three Veterans [live video with author], Lest We Forget Meet the Authors & Book Signing April 4th: Cherries and Donut Dolly, Interview with author John Podlaski in Examiner Magazine, American Heroes Radio interviews author of Cherries A Vietnam War Novel, Cherries Author Interviewed on British Website, U.K. Blogspot posts interviews author, John Podlaski, More Book Reviews and author interviews about Cherries, https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/, https://cherrieswriter.com/2015/11/13/lost-to-history-the-canadians-who-fought-in-vietnam/, Three maps remind us of the horror of the Vietnam War WebInvestigator.KK.org by F. Kaskais, Three maps remind us of the horror of the Vietnam War | Self Improvement Life Hacks, Three maps remind us of the horror of the Vietnam War | Top Pin Answers, A Day in the Life of an Infantry Point Man in Vietnam. I know I was there and have several cancers! 58,184 died in the combat zone or from combat wounds. Some idiot in DC decided to do this. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 8,113,000 are still alive (May 2000) Post navigation The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. A veteran who served in the Vietnam War would be in their early 70s to late 90s today, depending on their birth year. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . Id like to know what the 1 in 14 men figure is based on. The trucks grill was a few feet away should I crawl underneath or try to hide in the nearby jungle? Vietnam was very different, it was not supported by our Nation, the draft of so many young men to fight in a country that few could ever find on a map, let alone now anything about. We havent forgotten that time of our lives, and remember full well, that most of these ERA Vets joined these other branches in a desperate attempt to avoid service in Vietnam. He objected, and was assigned as an interpreter attached to the American Embassy in Sweden. Born: 08/27/1943. There are still a lot of us left by some miracle! The average annual payment was $18,100. He got a letter from his wife telling him she was divorcing him and marrying his best friend. I have spoken at many VETS EVENTS, and done interviews with the media .. Never get tired of people telling me Thank You for your service, and absolutely love hearing WELCOME HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we were all on the same side of the aisle. DamnIll be 76 in March. It is a deeply troubling statistic and has. He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. I,m getting older bot I remember combat pay and jump pay were both $55 dollars. It was difficult for me to move. We dont respect the combat Vets and they shouldnt disrespect us. If you served in any other places you are a Veteran, ERA is an embellishment of your service. Approx 58,000 in Vietnam. My time stands still. It makes a big difference because stating that only one-third of Vietnam veterans are still alive today is much harsher than stating that three-quarters of Vietnam veterans are still alive and well. A few times Id meet a group of guys claiming they were all Nam Vets. These Veterans are now in or about to reach their 80's. How many Vietnam vets . Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. Just a minor clarification, not all of us were on the groundJust being picky. How many Vietnamese citizens died in the Vietnam War? There are no foolproof questions. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? Then later we were transferred to Camp Red Ball. There is no definitive answer to this question as the number of World War 2 veterans who die each day varies depending on the specific situation. If you were shot at, in an incoming rocket attack, had to protect during a ground attack, you could bleed and die, you were in Combat. I recall combat pay (Hazard DutyPay) at $60 dollars a month. 11B20 and proud of it. 35th CBSG, 315th CAMS Working on C-123,s. Today, the state with highest number of Vietnam veterans is California, with 596,130, followed by Florida with 519,224. I was all over in 7 years. How old is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? ahead of me in the next row was a man conversing with another man about two rows ahead of him. wounded evaced) then Am 3/21 196th LIB. 2 tours I volunteered and my 3rd I re-enlisted. Even if his job depended on them doing theirs well. Floyd James ThompsonHe was one of the longest-held American prisoner of war in U.S. history that was returned or captured by troops, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the forests and mountains of South Vietnam and Laos, and in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Then I down shifted entered the worst section of massive ruts and the broken-up roadbed threw the truck all about its grooves. He was drafted and qualified for Helicopter pilot school. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting. I am not sure how it can be calculated, how to distinguish actual combat veterans, as that reality is a risk factor for contact with an enemy force. We who were in Vietnam know who we are and dont need anyone telling us what they think. If my math is correct, are you going on 68 years old ? we had a building where the company stored our property. Still, other sources like the New York Times claim the number of Vietnam veterans is actually somewhere around 9.2 million. With an estimated 6 million Vietnam Veterans currently living in the U.S. or abroad, VA remains dedicated to serving all Veterans of the Vietnam Era., All troops were sent home in April 1973. I stomped the gas and the engine roared- the truck jumped forward and bounced crazily and so did, garbing the steering tightly. he and the other gentleman did not seem to know about each other , but they ended up speaking about the tours in country, both had served some time at dong ha. Dave V. 1st Battalion, 14 th FA, Americal Division, VN, I Corps. Why the Shame? According to the Pentagons Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, there are currently 83,204 unaccounted for U.S. personnel, including 73,547 from World War II, 7,883 from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, 1,642 from the Vietnam War, and six from Iraq and other recent conflicts, including three Defense. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. all of the participants in this thread are veterans. in any event, i went as soon as i was contacted by the draft board. Every single day 22 veterans commit themselves to death. Vietnam IS a Vietnam veteran. My brother was stationed in the Air Force in 1975 and flew missions over Vietnam. I will never forget the pop pop pop, pop pop of an AK-47 in rapid-fire, but I heard the far off rattle of a M-60 machine-gun through the roar; Why I thought of PFC Wildaboro and his escapade with the machine gun that OTHER sun-drenched afternoon! David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as that is how so many died in WWII. These numbers are probably as good as any well ever find and are from 2019 and 2021 respectively. for most of it i listened but not wanting to interfere. Assuming were talking solely about U.S. Vietnam veterans, all I would add is that anyone who served in the military and entered the war zone is technically a Vietnam veteran. Besides, who says anyone can claim this status or that status just because. I have had stage III melanoma, stage III squamous cell throat cancer and now stage II bladder cancer. These Veterans are now in or about to reach . Number who served in country and number who served DURING the Vietnam War regardless of where they were deployed. Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. I agree with the rest of your post, and so did the Army. This included Westmorland and Abrahms. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. References:https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htmhttps://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/science/how-many-vietnam-veterans-are-still-alive.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War, The Armys FY 2023 budget request is ~$177.5 Billion. To my understanding, Army aviation unitsAssault Companies, Cav Troops, ARA units etc., had the highest casualty rates of any TO & E unit in Vietnam. Yes. When he first got out we roomed together, and I came home from school one day s clss was canceled. Systematically, a surveyor from the Plei Do Lim (PDL) flash Out Post (OP) had too physically exchanged the old for the new code-book and radio frequencies for the facility. I knew that I was gravely wounded, and bullets were kicking up dust clouds as they were landing around my feet. the man ahead of me had been in rome for a religious tour. Learn something new everyday. My new Iraq War novel, Three Wise Men should ne out sometime next year, I was at Camp Eagle, and worked in Production Control. He signaled a repeat, and the second rocket impacted on target. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Age: 77. REAL Vietnam War veterans are all those who are officially authorized the Vietnam Service medal and possess official military-issued documentation to confirm their medal authorization. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. I do appreciate what they did, from the hero medevacs to those gun ships who flew into madness to help save our asses knowing that mortar rounds fall from above, RPGs & macjine gun rounds were in mass supply with the moniker attached To whom it may concern. Alternatively, to transfigure my destiny. All five of the CIDGs we dropped off that morning filed into the back of the truck, but unlike the cab the back had a canvas top and sides. I got angry at him even saying that he was a vet of the war. (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. If you have any doubts, take a closer look at your DD-214. Just like ALL Vets who served DURING WWII are classified as WWll Vets regardless of where they served. I was a grunt and shotgunner on convoys !!! I was drafted in May of 1966 specifically for the reactivation of the 9th Infantry..so B Co., 4/47th/9th Inf. Our med company was on 6 different LZs during the year I was with them, supporting the 3rd Bde 4th ID. Enjoy today's Memorial Day and please take time to "Remember". How Many World War 2 Veterans Die Each Day? - Thelma Thinks and for the most part, we had no weapons. These are numbers never heard before & I would not include those before the advisers were sent over in the early/mid 60s. I believe we were all there doing our duty and deserve to be called a Vietnam Veteran. How many US Army died in Vietnam War? - 2023 A Vietnam Era Veteran is everyone who was serving in the military while the Vietnam War was going on. In the highlands we had to take one every day in addition to the once a week pill. It was what it was. Statistics on PTSD in Veterans | US News That's 390 per day. he was wearing his VIETNAM ERA VETERAN cover. So that means probably from 700,000 to 800,000 of us are still alive. You were in Combat!!! Posted in these groups: Vietnam War American History Posted >1 y ago Nevertheless, if my name was Tom, Dick, or Harry I would have perished, but I could not put my parents through the same ordeal as Aunt Palma and Uncle Frank. i was not a supporter of the war but i did my job. I had several Canadians in our Company in Vietnam. The Korean War was not supported by the ENTIRE nation, actually that is why it is known as the Forgotten War. I was thinking that in 10 days I would be on R&R in Taipei, Formosa. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. Do not consider yourself a 10, unless you are a 10. Later, and Welcome Home to all Vietnam Veterans!!! John, I began to think that was the excuse for NOT being in combat. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). I remember lots of the names Evana, Eagle, Bastone, Granite, Ripcord, Maryanne. Certainly leaves some doubt about the numbers because why are we including the years from 1954 to when the actual American forces entered hostile missions? That is your opinion and youre entitled to it, I disagree very strongly. I served in Vietnam from Jul 68 to Jul 69. I left this Sunday, as other mornings, to make a supply run and a code book and frequency transfer to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB); to gather C-Rations, mail, and most importantly to acquire our new radio codes of the confidential frequencies for this period. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. My 2.6 million figure refers to American vets. It was 3:30pm when I entered the slowest aspect of the trip. A few people were killed. 1 in 14 men pulled a trigger in Nam. we got one daily the other one weekly. That means bullets where flying at me and I killed people in combat. at DaNang If we came in they set up tents to sleep in and had a big blivet bag for a shower. Id like to ask a question. Only believing what Fox & Friends has to say is really what you need to question Most things in the NYT does get critical peer review and push back when questionable Fox NOT SO, look at the crap coming out of Tucker Carlson, now that is scary extreme BS, The picture tells far more than a Thousand Words, it is that thousand yard stare, and any veteran who was out there can fill in the blanks of what they were thinking at that moment Offshore ocean sailing is a lot like being out trucking thru the jungle Minutes , hours day upon day of monotony and boredom, interrupted by moments of fright & terror I know that thousand yard stare, and many a time since I have found myself back there in my mind, staring at whatever and seeing nothing but what was in my mind. As a Combat Infantry Veteran those who allow people to assume that they experienced actual combat because they refer to themselves as a Vietnam Vet. The total number of is estimated at 2.8 million US veterans who were exposed to the poisonous chemical while serving and later died. Why cant you be just a proud Veteran. The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. Perhaps the reason for guys is that there were times we had to drink out of bomb craters that were in areas sprayed with Agent Orange. 100,000 or more to suicide and most of those occurred after the men came home. Other than guard duty i was not in combat but the perimeter at Long Binh was regular defoliated and we experienced rocket and mortar attacks. Nebraska Farm Boy, that had to go to County Agent Classes before buying any chemicals. The artillery, Helo crews, combat engineers, in Vietnam are also considered Combat Vets, Well, I guess it just did not count for us Huey Teams (Sky Angels) supporting infantry/artillery units by flying in to lay down suppression fire, flying you into hot LZs, taking you out of the boonies, bringing you ammo and supplies, flying the wounded and dead back to base camp, not to mention Huey night Hawk missions to rectify an enemy ambush for our infantry that would be pinned down with no hope of survival. **********************************************************. A Co. 2/8th, First Cavalry, 1968-69. Even more telling is how many Vietnam combat veterans are still alive today? even when i went out with the airforce on resupply to fire bases. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. However, like it or not, the U.S. government makes the final decisions on who is officially considered a war veteran and thats really the way it HAS to be. An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. So, here well dive a little bit deeper into how many Vietnam veterans are estimated to still be alive based on various approximations and predictions. Age: 75. Age 20y 11mo. Since you were with an aviation Battalion do you remember our flight pay as Army Aircrew ? Splitting out the numbers of combat and era vets are separate questions. I agree Vietnam vets are fewer. You go, brother! When all was done and the Army was cleaning up the details of the action, they decided to award CIBs to the officers and not to enlisted. All who served In Country and the those outlying areas in support should be considered Vietnam Vets. Dave, This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. My brother claims he is a Vietnam veteran. The VA conducts the largest national analysis of Veteran suicide rates each year. 15 of us REMFs were surrounded by the 33rd NVA June 13 1970. Born: 01/29/1945. Yep we got briefings then helloed into some ridge in who knows where. The Vietnam Veterans of America have cited that they will remain an organization until last man standing. Air crews who flew over Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam had no Fox hole or ditch yo hid behind while delivering payload after payload to help destroy supplies heading towards those in the bush, while avoid withering anti-aircraft fire and missiles. eventually i commented that i had flown into dong ha on resupply missions , having become bored with my mates work on merchant ships that spent long weeks at da nang. How many Vietnam Vets die per day? My number one issue is running into a FAKE. And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. As stated in the previous post I too can spot a fake in 10 seconds. Perfect. Great article! I was with the 1st Inf Division from July 67 to June 68 and we received $15 overseas pay and $65 combat pay a month. How old is the youngest Vietnam veteran still alive? Vietnam War Veterans, and honoring all who served: Memorial Day 2021 We all figured it was a Combat death. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. Combat Veterans know who they are, pretenders know that they are not.. and US, 7 Valuable Life Lessons My Navy Dad Taught Me, Understanding The Five Branches of The Military, 3 Things That Could Happen To the Military in a Recession. I Never got to Korea but I have friends who got a medal for service in Korea. How many WWII veterans die each day? 4 Carl Dodd Former Police Officer Author has 18.5K answers and 25.3M answer views 10 mo remember) there will likely be a debate as to how Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (Mit), Missouri University Of Science And Technology, State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn, Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, The University Of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences, University At Buffalo Suny School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, University Of California, Los Angeles (Ucla), University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, University Of Maryland Baltimore County (Umbc), University Of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. i am not saying i was a hero, but i am saying that i did the job and i did not argue. GREAT How many Vietnam vets are still alive today? Can You Join the Military With Depression? Has every CIB wearer actually done that? My mom had all three sons in the war my twin brother and i were drafted he got combat I got artillery the younger one joined the air force . Okay.Ill be the one to tell it like it is, even though everyone here, as well as everyone else, knows the truth already! We grunts do hold chopper crews in the highest regard! Antonia is a gifted educator, and she is widely respected within the education community. Im sure that you all know that claiming to be a VFWar when you are not is a federal crime with severe legal penalties. Could they be considered Vietnam veterans then? Combat Vets served in country. My government murdered me. if you were effected by the first or second tour, or as i did, three years back and forth , then you were , are are a veteran. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I flew with the 220th Aviation Company (Cat Killers) in 1968. FEAR Part of the SOP on the Plei Do Lim (PDL) Flash Outpost (OP) was to make a supply run every four days back to the survey section at HHB. More than 3.4 million deployed to Southeast Asia (1) and approximately 2.7 million of those served in the Republic of Vietnam (2). They term era should be shit canned. Exhausted! As soon as I was wounded, I was thrown into a world that I was alone! We just hoped the pilot put us where we were supposed to be. If we dont include forces in Thailand or Guam why are we including anyone except Navy pilots, because I dont remember any deep water people who were subjected to enemy hostilities. We are working on a feature article How Many Of Us Are Still Alive: that will show a complete Actuarial Model that shows the likely number of us still alive (725,000 to 750,000 out of 2.4 million) and the likely progression of our deaths. While I honor those who served worldwide, it comes across as yet another slap in the face to those of us who faced enemy fire. i never saw them again, but i knew we had shared something that was filled with pride, sadness, and the passage of time. As a child I knew several WWII veterans. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. but i was happy to serve. This situation has been an issue for years longer than any of us has been around. Today is Sun 22 Aug 2021 but the actual date HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED as the US is SENDING GIs BACK! We certainly were in close combat often during my tour in 69-70. So, with the lower estimate of 610,000, over 2.1 million VN vets have died since 1975 thats an average of 44,000/year. The total goes up every day. Defining Combat Veterans, tell us what number you give yourself, we have a controversy here with a candidate for Governor, he claims now that he is a combat veteran, but he told me in his campaign for the House seat he presently holds, that he was NOT a combat veteran. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. I heard them offen. The book by Hal Moore & Joe Galloway We were soldiers once, and young describe what many of us experienced. I don't know about you guys, but it kind of gives me the chills. More Veterans Die By Suicide Than In Combat. But It's Preventable - WBUR I was in Vinh Long in 1965, Mekong delta area. Data Appendix Methods Report Report FAQs. I remember reading in the Stars and Stripes there were 500,000 plus in Vietnam at the time. The term I like to use is Together We Served. You can sleep in it. i would like to confuse the issue a bit more. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? Served until April 28, 1968 !!!!!! War is Heck!!! 1st cav div. How many soldiers died on their first day in Vietnam? Age: 84. I got the disability benefits at age 79.
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