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In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. Still, other sources like the New York Times claim the number of Vietnam veterans is actually somewhere around 9.2 million. I give a silent prayer of thanks for all of you, every time I hear a chopper going by, even now. He arrived on Yankee Station, Vietnam in early May, 1972 when he was still 17 years of age. they did not get metals. Its possible that the youngest living Vietnam Veteran may be 61 years old. I knew I was dying, but I struggled with all my might to stay alive. I bounced all around and slowed almost to a stop, and I downshifted and ground to first gear while checking my watch. How many soldiers died on their first day in Vietnam? Each averaged 2500-3000 personnel on a yearly rotating bases, groaning and shrinking based on the missions being conducted. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. I think 9+ million total in US military service during the peak years of the Vietnam War and 2.6 2.7 million in Nam and its waters and air space is right. Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska. I realized what control I had in the cosmos. I know what I did while there in 1975, protecting USAF resources and aiding in the support of many end of the war mission. Age: 75. After Tet it was quiet. give me a date between June 25, 1968 thru June 25 1969 and I can tell you where I was in country. 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website, Ive also created a poll to help identify my website audience before leaving, can you please click, Vietnam: The War that killed Trust (GuestPost), Gold Star Families Memorial Monument DedicationCeremony. But that number will probably go down by at least 50,000 to 75,000 per year. I and other merchant marine did. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. Wiki User. Plane had 4 engines and rarely got shot up although we did have a pilot get a 50 in the leg. they sucked. 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. Had several replies over the years that this was not a cause. Since you were with an aviation Battalion do you remember our flight pay as Army Aircrew ? Good disxussiin. I have lived with the 2.7 million number having served in Vietnam all along and believe the Times estimate refers to Era vets having served around the world during those war years. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? There is a bird in India that says Did you Do it? Bien Hoa & Phu Bai, two badly polluted areas! He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. This is a reasonable number but you get very different notions of the death rate when you compare 800,000 to 2.7 million versus 800,000 out of 9.2 million. My name is Ananda. Based on them, and allowing for a couple of intervening years, there appear to be about 600,000 veterans still living who actually set foot in Vietnam or flew in the skies above it. in only 6-10 years.. . Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. To my understanding, Army aviation unitsAssault Companies, Cav Troops, ARA units etc., had the highest casualty rates of any TO & E unit in Vietnam. Without fanfare or much recognition. of the 1st cav div. I have one, but I fought a ferocious battle at FSB Gold at the beginning of Operation Junction II March 21, 1967, the artillery guys in Vietnam were every bit an infantryman as well, they suffered mortar & rocket attacks, enemy probes and attacks They were lucky in some ways that they did not have to crawl through the shit every day. State-Level Veteran Suicide Data: 2020 Update It's estimated that tens of thousands of veterans have returned to Vietnam since the 1990s, mostly for short visits to the places where they once served. Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? A veteran who served in the Vietnam War would be in their early 70s to late 90s today, depending on their birth year. I agree with the rest of your post, and so did the Army. An AK found its target in my thigh. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. Was I counted each time or once? Every grunt I know would say no. Every single day 22 veterans commit themselves to death. I made a mistake !!!!! I also had assisted the FAA in 3 fatal Aircraft accidents. Does receiving a few mortar rounds inside the wire of our compound count? Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . The list of cancers gets longer with each passing year. For the are all Vietnam Vetersns.I was stationed. i agree with many who feel that a private who served his time in new jersey is not a vietnam vet. I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. Therefore there are a lot fewer combat veterans from Vietnam. so if you wore chinos instead of camo you are not a veteran? If I got in the ring with Cassius clay later known as Mohamed Ali. I had a Swedish citizen in AIT, with orders to go to Vietnam. Could they be considered Vietnam veterans then? Posted in these groups: Vietnam War American History Posted >1 y ago Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) Was back at LZ Bayonet the last part of my tour after being medevaced off of Professional and in the hospital at Chu Lai. I have read that One in Seven that went to Vietnam were in actual combat CIB. I was there in 1964-1965 then 1967-1968 then my last tour was 1971-1972. The only good thing was 22 days off my tour. It seems like you are looking at a very narrow view of the division of experiences of those who served in Vietnam. Mark Stanley was gone. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. Having studied the war for years, I believe that the correct figure for those on the ground in South Vietnam is 2.6 million. Granted, most of them were deployed for the durationa WWII vet I knew was gone 4 years without coming back to the states. Porier was firing from the north, while the three Cobras choppers were engaged the sappers trying to kill me. Vietnam IS a Vietnam veteran. I heard them offen. Please do all you can to inform our fellow vets that the VA presumes Agent Orange exposure if you were in-country. The first US advisors that I can find evidence of arrived in country in 1955. Guys like me know the difference. Does anyone else remember ? There is a MOUNTAIN of difference in each s experience, combat veterans, those of us who lived and died in the jungle muck, snippers, booby traps, mortar attacks, and the battles with dozens killed and scores wounded. This situation has been an issue for years longer than any of us has been around. good stuff !!!!! The Vietnam Nam Veteran and the Vietnam Era Veteran is defined by law ,, am I correct???? Why cant you be just a proud Veteran. But the bad news is that Charlie knew exactly where they were . I was shot up more than a dozen times and shot down once. serveved in nam 67 to 68 and 69 to 70. both tours in the 1st cav. it is pointless to debate whether a supply corporal was a veteran. when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. Past history shows ALL Veterans of previous Wars were classified as Vets of those wars regardless of where they served. Finally got all the right stuff together; received benefits couple months ago. I could never guess the number of actual Vietnam Vets there are, nor the % still alive. I agree, 10% in combat, sounds right! 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. And yes I was sprayed with Agent Orange. Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. What numbers do the VA have? it is much easier to say who was not. I saw the truck bounce towards the trees. Check out this post and see if you can figure this > out. 109, 000 died in the service during this period. I don't know about you guys, but it kind of gives me the chills. If you served in country on a ship in the gulf or dropped 2000 pound bombs you are a vietnam vet. for myself, being bored sometimes, and anxious to see and do more, i volunteered and went on a number of supply missions to the fire bases. No one paid any attention to them and this non-controversy continues. A few times Id meet a group of guys claiming they were all Nam Vets. Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? Got the scars to prove it too, both physical and mental. As I moved my right hand to change gears, it just blew apart, as red blood and parts of my hand flew everywhere instantaneously, but in slow motion I seemingly was catapulted onto some parallel universe. off the ship i went out with airforce on resupply, went out with troops through rubber plantations, ran from gunfire in saigon and chulon. I flew several hundred sorties in a gunship. BTW, Why would this conservative believe anything the New York Times says anyway! First and most important who is a Vietnam veteran? Lets ask somebody on Facebook where we can get all the correct true data and facts. Pop, POP POP. I stomped the gas and the engine roared- the truck jumped forward and bounced crazily and so did, garbing the steering tightly. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I was driving the OPs 3/4-ton, 4X4 truck down the main dirt highway from Camp Enari entering the Ville and Mark Stanley was a passenger in the cab. as soon as it was ammo or arms, we were machine gunned where ever we went. Quite a story. i know what a combat veteran is. When were the last Vietnam POWs released? We all bleed red. am i two Vietnam veterans or one. it eas a very loud high pitched, not human and the sound was fuck you. 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. Bullets were flying everywhere, and the noise was tremendous. 101st Airborne 25th Infantry 82nd Airborne 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He was 18 years, 2 months and 1 day old. I can somewhat understand your position since you experienced actual combat. Just come up with two lists and leave it at that. As stated in the previous post I too can spot a fake in 10 seconds. Should be simple enough but not, Not all ships are blue water ships. My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. I meant any one that stepped foot in They used the same aircraft, and there was anything left in the aircraft, whatever the spray for the day was added, so you got both. It only had the National Defense ribbon on the cap. They're generally in their 90s and about 245 die each day according to the VA. At 95 Army veteran Lincoln "Linc" Harner still remembers the war. 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. There are 500,000 Korean War veterans still living, but about 600 of those die every day, according to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation. 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. my point is that they were shot at and in country. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as thgatr uis hgow many died in WWIU, Sorry my spell check went nuts 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. We had a 10,000 gal balloon full of gas while we watched for someone shooting at us or placing a bomb on the bottom of our boat. Dave V. 1st Battalion, 14 th FA, Americal Division, VN, I Corps. I always felt this was the maximal danger of the trip. ******************************************************* Believe it or not, I still have every pay voucher..and in 1967 Hazard Duty Pay was $65. Merchant Marine officers or crew are not wearing the uniform of the USAs Armed Forces. Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com Over 8.7 million Americans served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era from 1964 to 1973 (1). We who were in Vietnam know who we are and dont need anyone telling us what they think. There were approx. His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. (How Convenient), Hi. and for the most part, we had no weapons. We were sprayed every 2 weeks with Melithon (Insecticide) that was 96 percent pure. https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I was on merchant ships for three years in viet nam. 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. I,m getting older bot I remember combat pay and jump pay were both $55 dollars. guy next to me was shoot dead I think that counts. Born: 04/07/1937. after spending 1968 with 3/25 0f 2nd field forces and 1970 with the 1/12 cav. I only spent one overnighter. Nov.62 I got off a PanAm flight at Tan Son Nhut with a US passport, wearing civilian clothes and colorful floral leis around my neck after a stop in Hawaii. 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.