@Dea KellyWere you on the ground when this happened? we had a building where the company stored our property. My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). I agree with the conclusion taken by the Website Admin. That makes more sense. In the highlands we had to take one every day in addition to the once a week pill. Which Statement Best Describes How Americans In The 1960S Felt About The Vietnam War? I shipped to RVN on the USNS Geiger, manned by Merchant Marines, leaving Tacoma, WA on June 30, 1967 and arriving in Vung Tau on July 21, 1967. Anyone who says you guys werent there will have to fight me. The 30 September 2007 Veterans Administration estimate places the daily deaths of WWII US veterans at 1,000 per day. The Vietnam Nam Veteran and the Vietnam Era Veteran is defined by law ,, am I correct???? i sailed with some in vn at the end of the work lives. And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. so if you wore chinos instead of camo you are not a veteran? Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? By the time I got to vin long the nva was gone and Charlie was pretty much non existent, he new we had snakes, the closest I got to him was when I was on the perimeter waiting for him to crawl thru the wire. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Okay.Ill be the one to tell it like it is, even though everyone here, as well as everyone else, knows the truth already! How Many Vietnam Veterans are Alive Today? - CherriesWriter 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. 997 guys died the first day they stepped in Nam. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. a few years ago i was flying from rome to possibly germany or holland on the way back to montreal. The dashboard gauges and the gearshift lever approached, as I hit the dashboard with my left side and my head crashed to the floor; My spirit rejoined and I was protected by the firewall. Where do they thinly get Ella enemys came from? According to the American War Library, as of February 28, 2019, it is estimated that approximately 610,000 Americans who served in land forces during the Vietnam War or in air missions over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are still alive to this day. I always ask those who claim to be Compare yourself to the Marines at Fallujah, if they are a 10, what number are you, Thanks for your comment! And though did not serve in actual combat, as you describe it, we were shot at & mortared on occasion. 400 hundred days of always being ready to fight and protect our 40 Huey helicopters, flew as door gunner a lot. I actually vollenteered to go to NAM. he was wearing his VIETNAM ERA VETERAN cover. I knew I was dying, but I struggled with all my might to stay alive. Sobering Statistics Concerning Vietnam Vets As of April 2016 . 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. So I was in the Army National Guard during the Iraq War, So I guess I am An Iraq War Veteran. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. Past history shows ALL Veterans of previous Wars were classified as Vets of those wars regardless of where they served. 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. You go, brother! Still, the American War Library continues to verify their accounts and come to more concrete conclusions. As I started to slowly stagger upright towards the opposite side of the road, trying with all my might to gain my balance, I went down hard. The roar was deafening; through the shattered windshield, I saw the truck go out of control. No, Wildaboro was gone, and AK-47s and B-40 rockets were sapper armaments Later, I read in a letter that Sp.4 Donnon F. Porier grabbed the M-60 machinegun, risking his life, and ran down the hillside rushing to the ambush site. I believe the aircrews flying out of those places were take issue with not in harms way. In 11 days of December 1973, 16 B-52s were lost over North Vietnam during Linebacker II. But the 23 months I spent doing my duty as outlined our government to assure you had a way to be resupplied means I, and those like me, am a Vietnam Veteran. no problem with the spell checking. I can smell a fake and phony 10 seconds after we meet !!!!! Scavenger1, I agree with you. BTW, Marys father was a Marine in Nam and died when she was only a few years old. It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. Help train personnel from many different Companies to do the same. How Many B 52S Were Shot Down During The Vietnam War? young men and woman who were there and did get fired on, or were in danger, should be recognized . Although my time had come, my death brought a realization that, I WOULD NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO DYE IN THAT JUNGLE. I discovered a conviction, antithesis to my beliefs, that it was not the North Vietnamese Army that sealed my fate, nor the soldier that touched off the RPG that distorted my body; I had the power from GOD to go to the next phase in my journey. If the ratio of approximately 10% remains the same about 314. The report is based on national death certificate data currently available through 2020. Does anyone else remember ? they deserve that recognition. 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. I believe we were all there doing our duty and deserve to be called a Vietnam Veteran. Next determined those Veterans who were awarded the Vietnam Service ribbon. I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. Our medic gave them out every Monday. How many US Army died in Vietnam War? - 2023 in only 6-10 years.. . How many veterans die each day? RVN. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? 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 . As of 2015, more than 1,600 of those were still unaccounted-for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) of the U.S. Department of Defense lists 687 U.S. POWs as having returned alive from the Vietnam War. I pulled up to the local tailor shop to fix some of my fatigue pants. I was confused. serveved in nam 67 to 68 and 69 to 70. both tours in the 1st cav. Dont know about the MM but everyone got the same combat pay whether a grunt or clerk. I knew I had to stand up again, even though I made a better target; my staying in the open road would be a death sentence. give me a date between June 25, 1968 thru June 25 1969 and I can tell you where I was in country. what i am saying is that there were all kinds of service, and if you think the definition is being in country and being shot at, then i qualify and so did my shipmates. My name is Ananda. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. For a mile or so the road cut through the jungle like a tunnel; the vegetation brushing against the sides and roof hid what lurked in the shadows. I can somewhat understand your position since you experienced actual combat. The now call them Vietnam era veterans. Waiting for a slight pause in the clamor in my ear, I decided to escape towards the cover of the Bush. So Huey pilots and crew were REMFs. He showed me his DD214 and low and behold it says he was in Vietnam. Age: 77. We were sprayed every 2 weeks with Melithon (Insecticide) that was 96 percent pure. 1968, 69. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. About the same number of draft dodgers.or so I was told. i would like to confuse the issue a bit more. DamnIll be 76 in March. Clearly, the New York Times is referring to Vietnam-era veterans, not Vietnam veterans. Presently, I approached the road to the top of PDL hill, and I was thinking what a beautiful day this would have been if this were some other place in some other world. Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. 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. 2.8 million tour because some guys just couldnt get enough! I don't know about you guys, but it kind of gives me the chills. 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. no disrespect here. 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . So it only makes sense that for those very few of the 9+ million in the service during those years so be able to distinguish themselves. Veteran Suicide Data and Reporting - Mental Health how would you define a clerk typist who stayed in saigon and never went into the field. 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. Home Kent State University How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? Oliver Stone. Vietnam War Veterans, and honoring all who served: Memorial Day 2021 Bob, It was 3:30pm when I entered the slowest aspect of the trip. Over 100,000 US Vietnam Vet Suicides To Date! - Rense It seems to be all about syntax. Sorry for your loss of your loved one. The oldest living Vietnam War veteran is believed to be a man named Larrivee Ronald A, who was born in Feb, 24, 1935. I knew what my death would mean to my mother, my father, and the rest of my family and friends. They dont include forces in Guam or Thailand. remember) there will likely be a debate as to how A veteran who served in the Vietnam War would be in their early 70s to late 90s today, depending on their birth year. According to DCAS Vietnam casualty files, the following casualty were sustained outside of S. Vietnam: 728 in Laos, 523 in Cambodia, 1,120 in N. Vietnam and 10 in China. These numbers do not include the Americans who served in Vietnam during World War II. These numbers do not include the Americans who served in Vietnam during World War II. 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. We hauled cargo to the bases and for a few months I hauled hitest gas to the airbase at DongHa. Arrived in country March 1969, subsequently assigned to B Battery 1/14 Arty. I agree, 10% in combat, sounds right! Era vets are important but dont count. Look up the military definition of combat. USA, (Ret.). I was a merchant marine officer on cargo ships, american export lines, for three years, back and forth to viet nam. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2023? as far as who is a vietnam vet is simple. 3rd Brigade 4th ID attached to the 25th ID 111.40 & 112.40 later these became 11B.40 & 11C.40. RVN. This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. There were approx. in one way or another. Awakening, I was the only person there, so the enemy was concentrated on me. I am trying to see if the NJ Adjutant Generals Office still has a couple copies around. Numbers can always be manipulated. And a number of Navy in ships, bombing communist. I then did a 12 month tour in RVN in 5th SFG. Does having your ramp down and touching a river bank count as boots on ground while we were not allowed to go off the boat when we were pumping gas to the airbase? It was what it was. I turned left into the open valley dirt road that lead to the OP, crossed the blue line (river or stream on a map) and raced through the dense, triple canopy jungle to the open valley floor. The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. I have always rounded up to 3,000,000 served in Vietnam..and I read someplace where of that number, only 10% were actually in combat. What is the life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting. And yes I was sprayed with Agent Orange. Also, some do not consider those who served in Thailand as Vietnam Vets. Check out this post and see if you can figure this out. I find it best not to remember that time. Once I was threatened with death if I mentioned NAM again. I was out of my earthly shell. It could be a Yard, Don Porier, or a sapper. I went into shock and lost conscienceless. Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. Then upon returning I would be stationed in Camp Enari, away from most of the intense fighting, and protected by the whole 4th. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive? - The New York Times Still, other sources like the New York Times claim the number of Vietnam veterans is actually somewhere around 9.2 million. Our 2003 NJAOC Desk Guide to the unique health issue of Nam vets and our children is still the Gold Standard. 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. 35th CBSG, 315th CAMS Working on C-123,s. The number of Viet Nam veterans, those who served in combat and combat related services (such those flyboys from outside the territory/waters of Viet Nam is about 2.7 million. Where is this one in twelve figure from? But I didnt beat him he just left. they did not get metals. Lol. It seems like you are looking at a very narrow view of the division of experiences of those who served in Vietnam. Dave, we both served and i think that is what distinguishes us from draft dodgers or people that claimed bone spurs or kept getting deferments those are the people i despise. My government murdered me. I have been working with Dr. Mary Lynn Reed, Chair of Math and Statistics at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). Was I counted each time or once? Does Ohio State University Allow Pets In Dorms? 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. 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. Mike. 11B20 and proud of it. It too bad that guys that never fought think for some reason they deserve credit for being in Vietnam when they werent. I saw plenty of people providing direct combat support to the effort in. For the are all Vietnam Vetersns.I was stationed. John, Im a 1967-68 Vietnam combat veteran. How Many Vietnam Vets Die Each Day? - Answers The stroke wasnt assumed until after 2000 & heart not until 2010. When he first got out we roomed together, and I came home from school one day s clss was canceled. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. How many Vietnam veterans have died from Agent Orange? https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. Operation Homecoming was completed on March 29, 1973, when the last of 591 U.S. prisoners were released and returned to the United States. Agent Orange catching up to Vietnam veterans decades later When we find that number we can start to determine those of us still standing. Approximately 7,500 women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. Age: 84. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. The New York Times reported that claims like those of the American War Library are false and that, instead of only one-third of Vietnam vets remaining, the number points to more like 75 percent of Vietnam veterans still living and breathing today. if you slept in the same bed more than 4 nights a week you were a REMF doesnt make you a abad guy but you are a remf. Lots of people say they served in Nam, but dont remember their unit, where they were at in country or any buddies or officers names, since I served with D 2/1 196th LIB as a Combat Medic in 1968, I carried a company Roster and had to give each EM a malaria pill each day, I learned everyones name, dont remember them all after 53 yrs but go to reunion when I can. One count should be those Vietnam Veterans who had feet on the ground. 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. Luck of the draw my twin that received a silver star got the luck of the draw made it home. Leave your thoughts below in the comment section. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. Though Thailand was not designated a combat zone. Les, in IMHO being a Vietnam Veteran has nothing to do with combat. I entered an L shaped ambush. How many Vietnam veterans are dying everyday? I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. I knew that I was gravely wounded, and bullets were kicking up dust clouds as they were landing around my feet. C 3/17 Air Cav. This situation has been an issue for years longer than any of us has been around. to 1984 approx. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? Reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs say about 240 300 World War II veterans are still alive in 2021. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. Vietnam 2/722/73. To that we can add those who served in adjacent waters and countries, but 2.6 is likely the closest figure to those in country. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska. Likewise, drafted Sep 66, Vietnam Aug 67-Aug 68, and Im 75. In the enormity of the cosmos, Vietnam is inconsequential, covered over by days dust! One other thing I would like to know, when Jane Fonda was sitting on that anti aircraft gun in Hanoi did they let her try to use it. Same aircraft were used and were not cleaned before spraying anything else. i went to dong ha several times. I think its just a generalization but should be cleared. I know . i am not saying i was a hero, but i am saying that i did the job and i did not argue. The insistence to include Vietnam-ErA vets with those who served in-country results in a ridiculous skew to any meaningful stats. Pop, POP POP. 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. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. Check out this post and see if you can figure this > out. Should be simple enough but not, Not all ships are blue water ships. Vietnam Veterans are dieing faster than World War Two veterans do to Agent Orange contamination . I read a statistic somewhere that one in seven where in actual combat. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? Separate war. Somewhat confusing. 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. for the sake being more realistic, I served from June 1962 to April 20 1970, and was always told it will vary from 1 in 7 to 1 in 10. 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