4322 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4E412331B845E54EBDFDC79FA0627A18>]/Index[4314 16]/Info 4313 0 R/Length 65/Prev 560501/Root 4315 0 R/Size 4330/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Then he said youre on a FB, the enemy always knows your location, can pretty much attack at will, and you really dont have the capability to retreat. Found NVA bunker complex. The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. C Co, 1st-12th 66-67. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. That was supposed to be 58, 220. but wait, there are more numbers for the same story. Suddenly I realized that my platoon sergeant was screaming at me to stop firing. I did worry about the strength of my flax vest. Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. To an, open area. I do remember when I got short I thought about it a lot more. 1 Gun had registered its first kill. However, it was the discretion of the individual crewmen if they wanted to carry personal weapons or not. 1 Gun, I jumped into a small dry streambed with Domke, my assistant gunner. Nobody attacked, where we were. There were also wounded. It was one of my most memorable tours in the Navy I later went to a carrier and was bored silly because I had about 1% of the responsibilities I had as an O-2. Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia, a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war.. He then said that they were generally on patrol moving through their area, both attacking and being attacked depending if the VC knew their location. Rules may have changed, I was in the Delta region. They were great patriots fighting for their families and their homeland. 1 gun and was hoping it would stay that way. Had multiple Ks and Ws. Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. When I popped back up to put out some automatic fire, a bullet whizzed by my earno more than an inch from my headand slammed into the tree next to me, shattering the bark. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. Every single . While traveling through the boonies the first few men were usually always shot first. Re: Helicopter Crews (Medevac & Dustoff): To my knowledge, only the 1st Cav Medevac had M60s for protection. I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. Our home base was Quang Tri fire Base, But I spent about 6 months out at Mai Loc with the rig. I was an FO back in the day. It was a chaotic nightmare. Of the eight who remained, seven were wounded. I traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained there for 10 months before deploying to Vietnam as specialist 4. The average age of the 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. Can I use this word like this: The addressal by the C.E.O. Dap, Hope this helps. I packed my own radio and got a Thank you from his Mom. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. I always was told that the life expectancy of a LT was 14 seconds in INITIAL combat versus 9 seconds for an RTO. When Apache Snow began, I was an RTO, after Airborne, and before the CA on Dong Ap Bia, I became the AG for Roeski. They were held in special regard after the Normandy landings, when 225 Rangers scaled cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc on June 6, 1944 under intense enemy fire. 2 Gun.. No. May they rest in peace. I was also told that the Radio did put a target on my back. TONY DISAGREED> hE SAID TAKE A 19 YEAR OLD, WHO HAS JUST TAKEN TWO ROUNDS TO HIS BODY, And IS watching his best friend die from multiple, bleeding wounds he wont give a shit about the Geneva Convention. Comments were more interesting than the article it self. So I guess i lasted longer than I was supposed to. Im laying behind a rice paddie dike.I put my whole body as far down in the muck while the bullets were over my head. hbbd```b`` ,&Iw sA '#o Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. Thanks for posting! 79% had a high school education or better. .. 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, Les Scates, U.S. Army (Ret.) Knowing I had a 100-round belt in my M60, I opened up on that hillside, my gun getting so hot that the barrel smoked. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is four hours, a Marine said. I wasnt aware that they kept life expectancy statistics. Two points: 1) at least in Army units, Medevacs (dust offs) flew unarmed aircraft. He retired in 2012 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida. By mid-April 1967 I was pleading with the captain to get a replacement gunner for my M60 in 4th Platoon. Originally I went to the 543d TC. As an infantry platoon Sgt of a platoon made up of all draftees my age 21 plus or minus a year We fought the largest single one day battle of the war March 21, 1967 known as the Battle of Soui Tre, fire support base Gold operation Junction City, that base was commanded by LtCol John Vessey of the 2/77 FA Vessey was a 25 year veteran of WWII fame with a DSC at Anzio, and on this day he was looking at the end of his career after that tour in Vietnam. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- Cause-specific . Es ridculo que t ______ (tener) un resfriado en verano. Thats my experience. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. Units would send a thorough report of their KIA and WIA, battle action coordinates, estimated enemy troop strength, enemy unit KIA/captured and any known direction heading. Then one hot, sunny day, while walking across rice paddies, we suddenly received small-arms fire from Viet Cong in some distant hills. During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served was: 9,492,958. EACH OF US CARRIES OUR OWN MEMORIES AND THEY RUN THE GAMUT. One was holding a carbine. That was a hell of a responsibility to take on. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. And yes, please God, bless America. What unit lost the most soldiers in Vietnam? We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. I was stationed on 2 FSBs (8 & 175mm guns) west of Tay Ninh on the Cambodian boarder in the Ho Chi Minh trail and was wounded but nothing as bad as he was. The machine guns were numbered within each platoon. Please do not send samples. I assisted Vessey and Capt Cartwright by helping prepare the Bee Hive Rounds (first time they were ever used), firing 4 rounds at proximity 0 range into a human wave attack on or weak side after 5 hours of relentless attacks on the opposite side of the perimeter Those 4 rounds killed @ 400 enemy soldiers, of the 881 total enemy losss John Vessey later became a 4 Star general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs appointed by Reagan 1983, and at retirement became Chair of the POW MIA Commission for 14 years, Passing away in August 2016 just 6 months before our 50th Reunion. I remember hearing a Lieutenant (Kennedy) say to one of his two platoon RTOs My RTO is Foxtrot Uniform. We did interdictions, blocks and other fun things on the river. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. The trailer for that video can be seen by googling the title, and it might still be sold on Amazon. The two platoons were to advance no more than 200 yards from the main body of the company. A soldier or Marine in Vietnam had a 98% chance of survival if he was evacuated within the first hour of being injured the best odds in the history of American warfare up to that time. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. We soon learned that the NVA troops were very different from the local guerrillas we had fought around Tuy Hoa. Tony told me that either he or I would greet all incoming troops and we did- and here is the speech we gave to them. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. I kept the radio because I understood the power of having the first communication with the support mechanisms of the military. I was an Artillery Forward Observer 13F20 E-5 at that time. We gathered the casualties and set out for Company A. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. Proudly holding my M60 over my head, I screamed at the top of my lungs, No. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. I applaud your courage as I know an RTOs job is essential, difficult (carrying the weight of his radio transmitter, his rifle, his ammo, and his rucksack), and dangerous as the enemy surely wanted to knock out any communications for support. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. To my surprise, I qualified as an expert with the M60 machine gun, nicknamed the pig because of the size, weight and sound of the weapon. Helicopters, F4 fighters. They also had a 12 gauge, and a M 79 grenade launcher and M 16. 2 Gun to Ranallo. Your Dad and I had the same job. Shortly before 11 a.m. on May 18, the point squad in Company Bs 2nd Platoon spotted three NVA soldiers walking on a trail near the Cambodian border and attempted to capture them, but the NVA dashed off into the jungle. 4 Answers aaja Come. Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. A battery of big 155 mm howitzers blasted the tiny platoon perimeter, tearing trees out of the ground and hurling chunks of red-hot shell splinters through the air. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. Overrun and utterly destroyed, the 30-man 4th Platoon had suffered 21 killed and one missing. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). When the Company B units that landed on the opposite side of the river got to the bank, some troops reached in and pulled the enemy from the water. Lt lost a finger, same time. US Wings is a veteran-owned business and an official supplier to the US Military. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. I was a 2nd Lt. Infantry platoon Leader. aND, mAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! They were all up there scanning the terrain and looking for signs. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. How old are Vietnam vets now? Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. I never understood why they didnt put M60s on Medevacs (once the VC shot them down) but then, we now know they never intended to win that war in the first place. Company B had seven dead, Grandstaff announced, and I was to take No. Unable to reach Company A, my company pulled back, formed a perimeter and called in air and artillery support. At this time- senior Army leadership ordered us all to read the Geneva Convention to our troops because of the My Lai debachle. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. to the empployees was very informative. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. Here is an 18 I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Shea's gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon . Back in 1965, I was a door gunner on Medevac recovery operations. Really? I got shot on a mission with 45 days left. Hurrying forward with No. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). It was on the Job Training ! 82nd 2/505th. Your email address will not be published. They were located, next to us, in/on Long Bhin Post. Ordered to reinforce the unit, the Company B commander put our four platoons abreast of each other, and we marched west. A "Sapper" is a combat engineer soldier who is with the front line infantry troops. endstream endobj startxref Artillery, and ground forces. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address: 9241 13th Ave SW African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War. Address: 561 E Hines Hill Road Hudson, Ohio 44236 Phone: 1-800-650-0659 / 330-655-5050 Fax: 330-653-3750 Email: [emailprotected], Retail Store Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am - 5pm EST Saturdays: 10am -3pm (Oct-Jan) Sundays: Closed. Around 3 p.m., when Grandstaff realized we were about to be overrun, he called in artillery right on top of our location. An NVA soldier had evidently spotted the gun and waited patiently for me to stick my head up. My second tour was as the S3 for LTC Anthony Herbertone of Americas greatest leaders and WARRIORS OF ALL TIME. maybe your question i vauge. I was sitting on the ground one day trying to dry out my gear and better configure my ruck when my squad leader came walking over to me and said, Gow, youve got the radio. As he turned and walked away! The Regiment traces its lineage back to World War II. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions.
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