My number one issue is running into a FAKE. 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.. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? Ive seen start dates for the VN war as 1954, 1959, 1961, 1964 and 1965. When we DEROSed we were given 6-8 pills to continue taking them every week. Today is Sun 22 Aug 2021 but the actual date HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED as the US is SENDING GIs BACK! Nor, do they know about what is referred to as the last battle of the Vietnam war, which occurred on 15 May 1975, eight days after the legally defined end date of the Vietnam era; 7 May 1975. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. I went on about 500 missions. . 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. How were WWII veterans & Korean War Veterans accounted for? It took about 30 years for the government to acknowledge we were even there. I had a Swedish citizen in AIT, with orders to go to Vietnam. Pop, POP POP. You can sleep in it. The first impact of a rocket was twenty meters to the left and ten meters behind as the rocket flew over its target. Without a doubt Helicopter Crews are COMBAT VETS, to fly so low & slow over the most hidden turf below.. On landing at LZ Gold March 19, 1967 we lost 6 Hueys and 7 pilots. I knew place names like War Zone C, Filijo (rubber Plantation), Iron triangle, Bo Lo woods?, I was wounded on the Laos border near a fire base with the 101st. There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the specific situation and the individual's age, health, and military experience. It is an all-too-common misunderstanding that to be affected by Agent Orange you had to have been sprayed, and/or you are required to prove that to the VA. Im a 1967-68 Vietnam combat veteran. Born: 04/07/1937. I and other merchant marine did. Again, I see a jumbled view of jungle and sky, and vaguely see a solitary soldier standing over me. Active duty 70-71, Quang Tri, Khe Sahn, Danny. He was a Private First Class who was killed in action in the Second World War. 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. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? Age: 78. 1 How many American soldiers died in Vietnam in 1975? Born: 01/29/1945. It has a life of its own. Got home after the war, never spoke about my service, never went hunting again, never cut my feeling back on! Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. earned their stripe. the man ahead of me had been in rome for a religious tour. How many ww2 vets left 2021? Why all this devisiveness. Things that they did not tell you. My cousin was with the 82nd and was there when the TET offensive happened. Now 69 years/old. 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! Our 2003 NJAOC Desk Guide to the unique health issue of Nam vets and our children is still the Gold Standard. I have read that One in Seven that went to Vietnam were in actual combat CIB. On this Memorial Day 2021, VA honors their service and recommits itself to . I am an Era vet, and the closest I got was R&R in Thailand. After Tet it was quiet. 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 . I saw the truck bounce towards the trees. In my book, they are all Vietnam Vets, just like the guys back home who never went overseas are WWII or WWI veterans. But having spent a little time thinking about it, I go with the 2m figure. NO, some who got to sleep in the same bed night after night, yet were low slow flying targets by day are NOT REMF. Combat Vet, Vet on ships that never touched country, military who were passing through and were on airport tarmac? Data Appendix Methods Report Report FAQs. That is exactly what I was going to post. Not sure where we were. https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. I was on LZ Bayonet during 1970 and experienced many of the things you described. My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. 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. Ah. 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. The funny thing,(not so funny) is that when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. Got a nice break the last 5 months, got to drive a bird colonel around Chu Lai as he delivered classified info all over the base !!!!! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Additionally, the American War Library approximated that around 164,000 Americans who served at sea in Vietnam waters during the same time are still alive today. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. all of the participants in this thread are veterans. . Rear echelon? It was what it was. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. When were the last Vietnam POWs released? But if the 800,000 number is right then it has to be out of the 9,000,000 and not out of the 2.6 million. I have VSM on my DD215 which deleted the AFEM on my DD214. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. The group in my AIT Class were all happy about this. In country Vietnam Vets are the only Vietnam Vets. Approximately 7,500 women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. A veteran of the Vietnam War is a person who PARTICIPATED in the Vietnam War. My performance as Dante Michael Anthony Puccetti was at its close, and resembling the theater, I was ready to take my curtain call. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Just because some idiot politician or people want to say you were not a war vet unless you saw combat dont feel bad most of those people found ways to evade even getting drafted. How many Vietnam veterans are dying each day? The military stopped the. I concur with the 610,000 as the 850,000 remaining vets have been used for years and would be much lower by now. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. 1st cav div. Or did you spend 24/7 365 days in the boat? 8,113,000 are still alive (May 2000) Post navigation War is Heck!!! That was our regimen along the Cambodian border, too. The amount of compensation a Vietnam War veteran can receive varies depending on their individual circumstances, such as their disability rating and the number of dependents they have. I was there in 69-71 also sprayed Im 74, inlisted 1968 spent 2 tours in Vietnam Im now 73, Comments left by my fellow Vietnam vets are very useful. i thank every soldier for their service, i do not exaggerate my actions. We saved many a guy after you brought him to us from the boonies. one of the ships i sailed on had a captain that was drunk for 5 months. i spent three years to and fro, with about 2-3 months in vietnam on every trip. 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. 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. waited and waited for our slot in port. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. There are still a lot of us left by some miracle! The roar was deafening; through the shattered windshield, I saw the truck go out of control. Operation Homecoming was completed on March 29, 1973, when the last of 591 U.S. prisoners were released and returned to the United States. i was a merchant marine officer, technically a civilian. I can assure you there will be those of us alive longer than 10 years from now. Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? Been there, seen it, did it. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. as soon as it was ammo or arms, we were machine gunned where ever we went. I do not, however, have a CIB. You would think the services would know how many were assigned to RVN and direct support of RVN, wouldnt you?? The jungle sat still except for the dirt road with my truck speeding along. The last three I knew had lost a lot of weight, two had each lost a lung. when we carried ordnance we had to accept 50 cal fire from the shore on the way to saigon. i think the definition should not be restricted by whether you wore khakis or como. Tough and crazy. Those of us on the battlefield who bled and many died would take issue with your opinion. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. There were 7 RoyalThai Air Force bases used during the war, from 1961-1975, three closed between 1972 to 1973. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. Exiting the jungle, still at the foot of the mountain opposite from my defenses; the mountains bulk acted as a radio barrier between help from S3 at Enari or the SFs at the Ville. How many Korean War veterans are still alive? (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) We were near AF ranch hand ops and many of my buds still alive from then have the cancers, diabetes, amputations and such. 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? Just a minor clarification, not all of us were on the groundJust being picky. just an aside.I was at dinner the other night with my wife and at the next table was an honest Veteran. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. DamnIll be 76 in March. was i a veteran by the numbers? The number of people who are Vietnam veterans in the first place is a number that is widely debated. Their is a new book about to be released by Bill Comeau that tells a similar story of the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Duel with the Dragon about the Battle of Soui Tre that I fought in. yep I wonder also. I saw plenty of people providing direct combat support to the effort in. Most of the time as a grunt without a map. I did a short extra tour with the 97th Trans in Cam Rahn Bay, they had 30 or so LCUs that hauled artillery projectiles and other stuff including fuel up many of those rivers. Mekong Delta US Army 1969. Mean 69 maybe? 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . This answer is: this exclusiveness does no one any credit. To my understanding, Army aviation unitsAssault Companies, Cav Troops, ARA units etc., had the highest casualty rates of any TO & E unit in Vietnam. Heres my article about Canadians who fought in Vietnam: https://cherrieswriter.com/2015/11/13/lost-to-history-the-canadians-who-fought-in-vietnam/. I dont know why we have to make this simple arithmetic drill so difficult. i do not denigrate their service or define them as inferior. It is called the Stolen Valor Act., Dau Tieng A Co. 3/22 Inf. We who were in Vietnam know who we are and dont need anyone telling us what they think. in any event, i went as soon as i was contacted by the draft board. Apparently, its been agreed upon that 800,000 Vietnam veterans had passed away by the year 2000. How many Vietnam vets are still alive today? I do not doubt that it occurred, but can anyone cite a reliable source for this? Hometown: New York City. Born in 1953, he joined the US Marine Corps at the age of 15 and was sent to Vietnam where he served as a machine gunner. We all figured it was a Combat death. 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 all bleed red. He was carrying a BAR, killed fighting an infantry action, and the desk jockeys decided he did not meet requirements for a CIB. I read a statistic somewhere that one in seven where in actual combat. go to the top of this article and choose the magnifying glass and search for Canadians in Vietnam to read an article on this website about them. Spent a year in training and ended up a buck Sargent airborne ranger. Even in this age of computers and accountability just goes to show ya ,people still cant Add or do Math . But as to how many of us have died since then, I havent a clue. I think I know the answer but like youjust being picky. That number stands around 306,000 killed by agent Orange (and other colors). Check out this post and see if you can figure this out. Still, other sources like the New York Times claim the number of Vietnam veterans is actually somewhere around 9.2 million. 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. The remaining 6.5 million were serving either at-home or abroad but not in Vietnam. This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. Combat Veterans know who they are, pretenders know that they are not.. I needed the rest! Wiki User. 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. Please do your own due diligence on the American War Library before citing them on ANYTHING, ever. I was a REMF but was on my 4th pair of boots. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. A few days later I was in fatigues on a C-123 to Da Nang, and a month later driving Hai Van Pass to Phu Bai with 3rdRRU Mobile Det (ASA). Combat was what we did. 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. We and they generally slept in the same bunks in the same tent if we werent up on call during the night. Not affiliated with any government agencies.All Rights Reserved. Served until April 28, 1968 !!!!!! At this rate there will be only a few of us alive in 2015. I believe we were all there doing our duty and deserve to be called a Vietnam Veteran. It is difficult to say how many Vietnam veterans have been affected by Agent Orange. Ive also created a poll to help identify my website audience before leaving, can you please click HERE and choose the one item that best describes you. you tell me. 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! Why do the vets who served during the Vietnam War era have to be so devisive? But to me, Nam is my whole universe i.e. Dave V. 1st Battalion, 14 th FA, Americal Division, VN, I Corps. Waiting for a slight pause in the clamor in my ear, I decided to escape towards the cover of the Bush. https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htm How many Vietnam Vets die per day? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! Has every CIB wearer actually done that? question. Frantically searching to find that one resource in my spirit to survive. 499 days, and 10 days in Sydney, Australia !!!!! I could type and did all the reports. I was ASA, 1960-1963, Ft Dix, Vint Hill Farm, DaNang and PhuBai. Can You Join the Military With Depression? Suddenly, I was in front of the truck near the grill. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? The truth is that until Vietnam veterans can agree amongst themselves what constitutes a real Vietnam vet, the debate may continue. The truth is that until Vietnam veterans can agree amongst themselves what constitutes a real Vietnam vet, the debate may continue. How Many B 52S Were Shot Down During The Vietnam War? It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. It seems to be all about syntax. Tom, to me, the CIB says everything; the wearer is a soldier who has earned the right to it and deserves respect. 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 served a second tour and know quite a few Marines that did also. but i was happy to serve. The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. I signed up for it in 2018 at the VA Hospital in Buffalo. Look up the military definition of combat. I appreciate the fact that I Sam in the combat group that won the war against the communist rabble during their Tet Offensive in 1968. The article states that The youngest Vietnam Veteran is aged in the late 60s today. On Sat, Jun 19, 2021 at 4:22 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: This is a controversial post. So the vets that actually saw combat numbers are swelled by the rear echelon members to 600,000. yet there were millions that signed up or were drafted. In fact, the first two advisors (MAJ Dale Buis and MSG Chester Ovnand) killed by the enemy died in an attack on their base near Bien Hoa on July 8, 1959. We did what we felt needed doing. All the millions of other Vietnam Era Veterans are Cold War Veterans. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It caused extreme political unrest and was widely protested. For US Vietnam Veterans it's about 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets. Home Kent State University How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? We all started getting heart attacks around the same time. they sucked. Had several replies over the years that this was not a cause. RVN. 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. If you are a pretender go stand in front of the mirror and tell that lie one more time so you can watch yourself steal the respect from an actual COMBAT VETERAN A/3/22 3rd Brigade 4th ID Dau Tieng 12/66 to 1/68. Please respond! young men and woman who were there and did get fired on, or were in danger, should be recognized . We, the U.S. have lost over 158,000 American lives to the Vietnam war and that count is still rising. Tell it like it is. How many Vietnam veterans are dying . 997 guys died the first day they stepped in Nam. 610,000 figure is more accurate., NYT was referring to VN Era Veterans. 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. Hazardous duty pay was $65 and overseas pay varied by rank $8 to $ 16. Served at Quang Tri Combat Base )QTCB) 71-72) Same here. 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. Interestingly, the research concludes that Vietnam veterans seem to be dying at a similar rate to World War II veterans. The VA researchers analyzed the death certificates of 21 states to create the 2010 national estimate for veterans from all age groups. How many Vietnam veterans are still missing? Over 8.7 million Americans served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era from 1964 to 1973 (1). 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. I was on the initial invasion into Cambodia, that battle was 15 REMFS against 300 NVA> The next day we went in with the 25th infantry. He was 18 years, 2 months and 1 day old. So, nearly 300,000 over the 14 years of their operations, a far cry above the 2500-3000 referenced in the article. I give a silent prayer of thanks for all of you, every time I hear a chopper going by, even now. There were 7000 Canadians that joined the US military to fight in Vietnam. Should be simple enough but not, Not all ships are blue water ships. To not count us is disrespecting us who also answered the call. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. My body, accompanied by my mind, was pitched out the right-side door, sliding between the seat and under the dashboard to land on the shoulder of the dirt road alone. 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. Mike. One good way to detect a phony is to ask him what his MOS was. It could be a Yard, Don Porier, or a sapper. I went into shock and lost conscienceless. i am not better, but i am not worse. It takes military personnel to support the troops on ground or ships in war territory waters. Then we went back to the Boonies. Vietnam Veterans are dieing faster than World War Two veterans do to Agent Orange contamination . 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. 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. 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. The total number of is estimated at 2.8 million US veterans who were exposed to the poisonous chemical while serving and later died. I wonder how many vets died of one of the cancers on the list before it made the list? His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. The VA sent out a news release on March 29th, 2022, entitled DISABILITY COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO VIETNAM WAR VETERANS. It included the following line, which should put this question to rest. My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). I PULL GUARD DUTY THE FIRST NIGHT ANY ONE EVERY STAYED THERE. I also had assisted the FAA in 3 fatal Aircraft accidents. I served in Quang Tri (70-71) and took two types of Malaria pills. Then I down shifted entered the worst section of massive ruts and the broken-up roadbed threw the truck all about its grooves. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. so in 2190 days.from today, lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive. Oliver Stone. During the Vietnam War, Air Force C-123 planes sprayed millions of gallons of herbicides over the jungles of Southeast Asia to destroy enemy crops and tree cover. When he first got out we roomed together, and I came home from school one day s clss was canceled. Antonia Leonard is an education expert who has dedicated her life to helping students achieve their academic goals.
