As you did not disclose what position you did or did not fill in Vietnam, or did not set foot in Vietnam, I will assume you are not a combat veteran, maybe not a Vietnam Veteran either. If my math is correct, are you going on 68 years old ? I will have to disagree with the CIB being the only combat veterans The Battle of Soui Tre 3-21-1967 at Fire Support Base Gold Operation Junction City, the 2/77 Artillery 18 105s and the 3/22 Infantry A & B Cos the enemy lost 881 KIA and UNK WIAs, we lost counting the landing in the 19th 55 KIA & 287 WIA, within an hours Westmorland and other Stars were there claiming this Victory (14 Stars on the battlefield) The Artillery are every bit combat veterans with the infantry and many other FSB battles as well I have a CIB and did 22 months in country late including TET. Most of those who flew had Air Medals which are a combat medal. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. 2025. Were you at Saigon firebase when guys set off grenade in APC ? I know full well it takes many, many hands to make the infantry function but like you saidclaim your time. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. As a retired Green Beret, his assessment and stats of the war are accurate. Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. SFC Chester D Carpenter, I liked it very much this war was up close and personal to me I first thought if the French were there for over twenty years what could we do from the beginning this was a war about money and troops paying the high price in blood I will not name names but Agt Orange was used in Korea they knew how harmful it was I had two personal losses my Navy pilot and my best friend a Marine he came home but never could come to terms with life again, John, I need to talk to you about this article. Bill, If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. Having studied the war for years, I believe that the correct figure for those on the ground in South Vietnam is 2.6 million. Separate war. Thats what we did in Vietnam we left and am glad we did. State-Level Veteran Suicide Data: 2020 Update So, when we talk about Vietnam vets who are living or dead, we should be talking STRICTLY about Vets who participated in the Vietnam War. I have done lots of research, read a bunch of historical history, and met and talked to well over 1000 NAM VETS !!!!! But having said that, here are some sources: I dont see how there can be any dispute about this. Same aircraft were used and were not cleaned before spraying anything else. Does anyone else remember ? He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. In the highlands we had to take one every day in addition to the once a week pill. Almost 1500 died their last day. Which Statement Best Describes How Americans In The 1960S Felt About The Vietnam War? Number who served in country and number who served DURING the Vietnam War regardless of where they were deployed. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. (Mar 1969-Sep 70) 2/23, 196 LIB & 1/23 MP Co, 11 LIB, AMERICAL DIV. I went on about 500 missions. How Many World War 2 Veterans Die Each Day? - Thelma Thinks Some where along the way after returning home & towards, if not after the end of involvement, the number Id heard/read was 5 million US military served. One sapper shot off a whole magazine of armor piercing bullets at the drivers side windshield of the truck, and glass was flying in all directions. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? Scavenger said you had to be fired on in viet nam to be a veteran. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! 2.8 million tour because some guys just couldnt get enough! The Vietnam War was an undeclared war between the US and Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. And your comment about Agent Orange shows that you have no understanding of how the chemical poisoned everyone who set foot in Vietnam. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. Overall, the death rate of Vietnam veterans seems to be rather consistent if not better than other people their same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vietnam era vets are not the same as Vietnam vets, but they are important. He never did ,Thank god ,because I ended up marrying a beautiful woman and we have the most precious and beautiful daughter. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? He was 18 years, 2 months and 1 day old. I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. Excellent questions. Really, very easy to say if your were able to sleep at night, so being anonymous means you stand up for those words All members of the team are NOT COMBAT VETERANS, My husbands boots werent on the groundthey were in the air and he was definitely a Combat vet. I know I was there and have several cancers! I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. We dont respect the combat Vets and they shouldnt disrespect us. Thanks for your responses. Me? The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Helicopter crewmen did not receive the CIB, but they fought every day. If they reply that they do not talk about their experiences They are not Combat Veterans maybe not even Vietnam Veterans. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? Tom, to me, the CIB says everything; the wearer is a soldier who has earned the right to it and deserves respect. And, if you think 75% of actual Vietnam Vets (especially after Covid, and more than 50 years of time) are still alive, youre kidding yourself. It takes military personnel to support the troops on ground or ships in war territory waters. But the bad news is that Charlie knew exactly where they were . Every grunt I know would say no. While every GI serving around the world was important to securing our Cold War victory over Communism just as the Vietnam conflict was also, those who served in uniform in the SEA War Theater are the true veterans of the Vietnam War. Age: 75. 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. In WWII and the Korean War, anyone who served in the military was considered a veteran of that war. 11B20 and proud of it. Very devisive infighting among all the service members who served at a time when it was not popular. I,m getting older bot I remember combat pay and jump pay were both $55 dollars. And i can tell you , we made a lot of money. Straining to regain my feet again, I staggered a few strides to my right and throe myself forward, with all I was worth, collapsing finely into the vegetation face up. The first impact of a rocket was twenty meters to the left and ten meters behind as the rocket flew over its target. My body was throne backwards into the seat and rebounded forwards; bent over at a 90-degree angle from my waist. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. I was ASA, 1960-1963, Ft Dix, Vint Hill Farm, DaNang and PhuBai. Dec. 5, 1967 to April 28, 1968 is 144 days. How Many World War 2 Veterans Die Each Day? I was in Nam in 1968 and 1969 as a combat Marine. What percentage of Vietnamese died in the Vietnam War? - 2023 How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? Other sappers were shooting their AKs at any targets. According to the Department of Defense, infantry soldiers had the highest casualties during the Vietnam War, making infantry the deadliest job in Vietnam. Thats sad and should stop. These numbers were not included since these service members were far removed from combat experience and did not spend any amount of time in harms way.. He was killed in action just a few months later. I was in 1st Battalion 26 th Infantry HMP 1st Infantry Division in 68 November 68 to January 69. I served a second tour and know quite a few Marines that did also. All I know is that Im a Vietnam Combat Vet. Tough and crazy. About the same number of draft dodgers.or so I was told. But serving in any capacity in Vietnam makes that service person a War vet. it is much easier to say who was not. Everyone that served and was in combat which means they were in the line of fire (received it and returned it in some form or fashion) deal with their dark side in various ways. We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. Vietnam Veterans are dieing faster than World War Two veterans do to Agent Orange contamination . i said once if you walked , you worked. My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. Music That Moves the Military. Nebraska Farm Boy, that had to go to County Agent Classes before buying any chemicals. Bob Kerrey. These numbers were not included since these service members were far removed from combat experience and did not spend any amount of time in harms way. In country Vietnam Vets are the only Vietnam Vets. They wouldnt know the truth even if they tripped over it. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. I know from my time with the 3/25 that you dont need to be a ground pounder to see more then your share of combat. I was also at LZ Bayonet. Im 75 and served in South Vietnam (30 Dec 1967-68) A/504th MP Bn. Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. Their lives should be given importance. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I PULL GUARD DUTY THE FIRST NIGHT ANY ONE EVERY STAYED THERE. Age: 77. Those an in the Era the we were in Vietnam but they are not Vietnam Vets by any stretch of you imagination. Reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs say about 240 300 World War II veterans are still alive in 2021. 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. C 3/17 Air Cav. Makes it worse, they were all wheelchair bound. USA, (Ret.). Those experiences vs the ones of the rear echelons are grossly different. Waiting for a slight pause in the clamor in my ear, I decided to escape towards the cover of the Bush. One count should be those Vietnam Veterans who had feet on the ground. I heard them offen. Got the scars to prove it too, both physical and mental. 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. There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the specific situation and the individual's age, health, and military experience. Regardless of their MOS or the details of their service, veterans have more in common with each other than they have differences, and ALL deserve to be honored. There were approx. How many Vietnamese citizens died in the Vietnam War? Having spent a year all over Thailand in support of Communist Suppression Operations Center along the Laotian border, and training Thai infantry to deploy in RVN. When we DEROSed we were given 6-8 pills to continue taking them every week. I was C 3/17 air cav. Besides, who says anyone can claim this status or that status just because. If you are diagnosed with a condition that they know is caused by exposure to the chemical, they will presume that condition is service-connected. I was in Vinh Long in 1965, Mekong delta area. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. Overall, the death rate of Vietnam veterans seems to be rather consistent if not better than other people their same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What that included Im not sure today but understood it to be in naval & in country. This part of Pleiku Province is a combination of mountains, triple to single canopy jungle and/or open valleys. 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. I used this experience and we cut down the Helicopter replacement time from about 2 1/2 weeks to 2 to 4 days. One of the things that really bothers me is the statement that we lost in Vietnam? I could never guess the number of actual Vietnam Vets there are, nor the % still alive. 4-39th, 9th Div. earned their stripe. I know . Please do all you can to inform our fellow vets that the VA presumes Agent Orange exposure if you were in-country. If we arent able to determine WHO is a Vietnam Vet, then how can one determine how many of us are still alive today? The way many of us were treated on returning from that war, but in truth it was only a war for very few of those who served there. young men and woman who were there and did get fired on, or were in danger, should be recognized . About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year. How many Nam Vets die per day is what??? - Leatherneck.com The leading cause of preventable death among US military casualties in the Vietnam War was exsanguination from extremity wounds. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. Combat Veterans know who they are, pretenders know that they are not.. i do not denigrate their service or define them as inferior. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. Everyone knows this. Born: 08/27/1943. Do I count as one or three Vietnam Veterans? Or is this a total number of vets with all the other countries that supported us . They term era should be shit canned. Even more telling is how many Vietnam combat veterans are still alive today? Did your foot ever touch the ground? We were sprayed every 2 weeks with Melithon (Insecticide) that was 96 percent pure.
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