Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict. The average education level of the enlisted man in Vietnam was 13 years, equivalent to one year of college. General Dung's Great Spring Victory was supported by a total of 700 (maneuverable) Soviet tanks, i.e. It should not matter if you are firing or helping others fire. Peak troop strength in Vietnam was 543,482, on 30 April 1969. Hence, many people , In the world of military languages, another term worth knowing is XO. Moore noted that he was tempted by the opportunity to join his riflemen in firing on the enemy during fighting at LZ X-Ray in 1965, but he resisted the temptation. Not surprisingly, American units (and the French before them) suffered their largest numbers of casualties during these late winter and spring months. He chose not to carry a weapon during his tour. The question was whether there might be an existing problem in the U.S. armed forces. 7 What were the odds of dying in Vietnam? 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved Sometimes what appeared to be fear was really common sense, based on an accurate assessment of the situation. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It depends on how you define action. About ten percent of us were grunts (combat infantrymen) out wading through the rice paddies and pounding the bush, There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. If you are having nightmares about combat as you prepare to enlist, you can now sleep soundly. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. In the Philippines, Army Generals Jonathan Wainwright and Edward King surrendered themselves and their troops to the Japanese. The complete description of this North Vietnamese Army (NVA) classical military victory is best expressed in the words of the NVA general who commanded it. Do not let the movies fool you. The toll among those who. Time likewise played its part. What were the odds of dying in Vietnam? The answer is simple. How to Make Sap Gloves Out of an Ordinary Pair? Had to drive through a river to get the stuff out of my tracks. He also writes After a while I could tell the difference between mud and bodies, logs and bodies. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. Given the difficulty of inserting a patrol in many instances, preserving secrecy could easily outweigh the immediate benefit of a few enemy taken under fire. The people did rise, but in revulsion and resistance to the invaders. The Vietnam War was a conflict of the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies, the Viet Cong, in South Vietnam versus the government of the South Vietnam government and the United States, its principal ally.The war lasted from 1954 to 1975 with the United States entering the war in 1965. "We called it the Mattel 16 because it was made of plastic," said Marine veteran Jim Wodecki in the video below. It Didnt End Well. The percentage of soldiers seeing combat depends on a variety of factors. The likelihood that a man survived to return home alive dramatically increased if he lived long enough to discover the lessons of war. 90 to 95 percentThe Army then changed its combat training to desensitize soldiers to the humanity of the enemy. In Vietnam the comparable average was 5 per 1,000 troops. In Vietnam no US Military units were overrun and no US Military infantry units or tank outfits were captured. KIA in Vietnam = 20,460, US Army Helicopter Crewmen KIA in Vietnam = 3,007, US Army Tankers KIA in Vietnam = 725 (equals 27% of all tankers ever assigned to Vietnam), US Marines Killed In Action in Vietnam = 14,836, More US Army Infantrymen died than Marines of all MOSes, The highest loss-rate for any MOS was 11E (Armor Crewman) 27% KIA. He showed little hesitation to use a rifle, pistol, shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher or whatever other weapon he carried. Montana 32,361 2,933 All of them shared borders with Laos. The best tactical binoculars can give you full details of the , My old Hatch sap gloves got ruined, so I was looking for a way to make one without buying a new pair due to economic reasons. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. What Does Landline Mean in the Military? A soldier at the tail of a column winding through the dense foliage of a Southeast Asian jungle might hear an engagement to his front, yet be unable to see where his comrades were located. Despite Marshalls fall from grace, there were those who had agreed with him. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. A high percentage of Vietnam vets (perhaps 40%?) IN HARM'S WAYHow many REAL Vietnam vetsare alive today? volunteered or even re-enlisted to remain in or return to the combat zone. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? But, Vietnam is catching up. You will likely not see combat unless you are an infantry soldier with top-notch military competence and are willing to become trigger-pullers. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. The remaining 34 provinces accounted for just 21% of US KIA. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Last man drafted: June 30, 1973. . In addition, at the height of the War, the Soviet Union had some 55,000 Advisors in North Vietnam. Either way, you are serving your country. Men in well-trained units knew when to detonate a Claymore mine, call for mortar or artillery support, or throw a grenade instead of using a rifle, pistol, machine gun or grenade launcher. The Agence France Presse (French Press Agency) news release of 4 April 1995 concerning the Vietnamese Government's release of official figures of dead and wounded during the Vietnam War.HANOI (AP) - April 4. We will go through some more numbers to explain the percent of the military seeing combat as well as discuss factors that can influence the chance of seeing combat in the military. A total of 5,086 choppers, about 42%, were destroyed by enemy fire, bad weather, mechanical snafus and the other bad hands war routinely deals those sent to fight it. CACCF Record Counts by Casualty Type (as of 12/98), CACCF Record Counts by Country of Casualty, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Marital Status, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Military Pay Grade, as of 12/98, CACCF Record Counts by Race (as of 12/98)Racial category titles are those used in the documentation created at the genesis of the file, ca. There are 5 main branches in the military: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Also, do not forget to share this with others! Likewise, men quickly learned where the chances of enemy contact were greater. The most common military personnel are mechanics. A quick synopsis of America's Vietnam experience will help summarize and clarify the Vietnam scenario: 1965 - 1967; Buildup of US Forces and logistical supply bases, plus heavy fighting to counter Communist North Vietnamese invasion. Note 1: there were an additional 10,824 non-hostile deaths for a total of 58,202Note 2: of the 304,704 WIA, 153,329 required hospitalizationNote 3: this number decreases as remains are recovered and identifiedNote 4: 114 died in captivityNote 5: Does not include 101,511 Hoi Chanh, Legend: KIA = Killed In Action WIA = Wounded In Action MIA = Missing In Action CIA = Captured In Action, Note 1: there were an additional 1,045 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,053, Note 1: there were an additional 1,680 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,058, Note 1: there were an additional 1,919 non-hostile deaths for a total of 16,511, Note 1: there were an additional 2,113 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,527, Note 1: there were an additional 1,844 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,065, Note 1: there were an additional 968 non-hostile deaths for a total of 2,348, Note 1: there were an additional 261 non-hostile deaths for a total of 561. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? and 10 to 15 adults survived, including the pilot. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? This widget requries the Arqam Lite Plugin, You can install it from the Theme settings menu > Install Plugins. In the Sorrow of War, author and NVA veteran Bao Ninh writes of this battle: Remember when we chased Division 18 southern soldiers all over Xuan Loc? Some 10,786 American soldiers died of non-combat causes, including 9,107 by accidents and 938 due to illness. Seventeen North Vietnamese conventional divisions (more divisions than the US Army has had on duty at any time since WW II) were formed into four conventional army corps (This was the entire North Vietnamese army. During the WW II Battle of the Bulge in Europe two regiments of the US Army's 106th Division surrendered to the Germans. . SMEs represent the best that market economies have to offer. Yet these respondents noted at the same time that fear was generally a passing condition; a man not engaging on one occasion could be expected to use his weapon later in the same engagement, or during subsequent battles. 3. If not, a replacement weapon had to be found either during or after the firefight. Jim Hadley, a medical technician from Sacramento, Calif recalled later that oxygen masks dropped down automatically, but the children were sitting two to a seat and there weren't enough masks to go around. During the entire period of the American involvement in Vietnam only 2,594,000 US Military actual served inside the country. friend and your looking at well in excess of 50,000,000 Americans with a need to rationalize away their draft-dodging cowardice and to, in some way, vilify Vietnam the very source of their shame and guilt. At that time black males of military age constituted 13.5 percent of the American population. "We had to keep moving them from kid to kid. What month is the cheapest to fly to vietnam? However, when they are newly bought, these boots can be very uncomfortable, making it hard to perform well in them. New men were too frequently overwhelmed by the sudden roar of a contact, the flying debris of dust, leaves and wood. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) What was the worst battle of Vietnam? This was true despite the fact that the parent divisions reported being at, or slightly over, authorized strength. The following is a guest post by Andrew Huber, Liaison Specialist for the Veterans History Project (VHP). 40% of service members do NOT see combat, and of the remaining 60%, only 10% to 20% are deployed into the combat premise. 7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam. What Not to Say to a Military Recruiter & Other Tips? They stay in place even , If you have heard of the word POG in the military and are unsure of what it means, find out with this article on what is a POG military. According to 2019 statistics, only 10% of the entire military force engage in battle. Even as supporting units, there is always a possibility that you will be attacked and fall into situations very similar to the bullet-dodging that infantry soldiers go through. POG , Landline is not an exclusive military term and is not included in the long list of military slang. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia . It was also true at the province level. Once the draft dodging gang's numbers reached critical mass, the media and politicians started playing to the numbers. Contents1 What percentage of soldiers actually see combat?2 What percentage of soldiers fired their weapons in Vietnam?3 Which branch saw [] We already know that duty position had such an effect, but the likelihood that someone engaged varied even among those whose primary job was to shoot to kill. As you know, sap , A tactical belt is used to carry extra gear and shows extreme durability. That the American experience in Vietnam was painful and ended in long lasting (albeit self-inflicted) grief and misery cannot be disputed. He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. # 6: The 1st Brigade-5th Infantry Division. Mar 1975; North Vietnam mounts full-scale invasion. Given that everybody in a unit rarely faced such focused attention, men would wait until the enemy pointed their weapons elsewhere before engaging. During this fight, the ARVN 18th had 5,000 soldiers at Xuan Loc. It is not normal behavior for Americans to idolize mass murdering despots, to champion the cause of slavery, to abandon friends and allies, or to cut and run in the face of adversity. 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