David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as that is how so many died in WWII. 2.4 million man who served in Nam approx. CIB. Kenneth, your definition of combat veteran is so wrong on so many levels that it would be funny if it did not besmirch the service of so many good men, alive and dead. I remember reading in the Stars and Stripes there were 500,000 plus in Vietnam at the time. good stuff !!!!! I made a mistake !!!!! In addition, the US lost two F-111As, three F-4s, two A-7s, two A-6s, one EB-66, one HH-53, and one RA-5C. (LogOut/ Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. I WOULD SURVIVE! We all started getting heart attacks around the same time. @Dea KellyWere you on the ground when this happened? How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2023? A lot of guys broke out with rashes every time that sprayed for mosquitos, using Melithon, which was every 2 weeks over all Base Camps. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. Im sorry I did. 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. How Many World War 2 Veterans Die Each Day? I wonder how many vets died of one of the cancers on the list before it made the list? 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. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive? - The New York Times Aint this fun? Born: 08/27/1943. The 30 September 2007 Veterans Administration estimate places the daily deaths of WWII US veterans at 1,000 per day. The term I like to use is Together We Served. There was a huge difference between the merchant ships i sailed on, no passengers, and vessels like usns geiger. Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? You would think the services would know how many were assigned to RVN and direct support of RVN, wouldnt you?? The VA researchers analyzed the death certificates of 21 states to create the 2010 national estimate for veterans from all age groups. The Vietnam Nam Veteran and the Vietnam Era Veteran is defined by law ,, am I correct???? I got angry at him even saying that he was a vet of the war. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? Damn it, government could have sent anyone serving at any time to Vietnam. They are NOT Veterans. 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. At 73 years, I plan on beating that date. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? we had a building where the company stored our property. when we carried ordnance we had to accept 50 cal fire from the shore on the way to saigon. Bob Kerrey. Interesting and certainly thought-provoking. 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. My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). next with 1st of 12th cav. How many Vietnam vets are dying each day? - Quick-Advice.com Serious danger along those river banks. Ive reached the age of truth telling, and have grown sick of pretending, and giving trophies to the undeserving I saw good men die, and their loved ones dont deserve this dishonor any longer. 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. I went on about 500 missions. we got one daily the other one weekly. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. i am not better, but i am not worse. Our medic gave them out every Monday. Bill, How many Vietnam veterans are dying everyday? He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. Hometown: New York City. Approximately 7,500 women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. 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. Vietnam Veteran ages range from 55 to 97 years old. I signed up for it in 2018 at the VA Hospital in Buffalo. My sister found enough info to get her husbands ship re-classified to a Brown Water ship due to his operation of a river boat and also medical evac of Marines, while he was assigned to the flagship, the Newport News, Prior to that any sailor who served aboard the Newport News, that applied for disability connected with Agent Orange, was denied. I started this post a year ago, it was a simple question. But serving in any capacity in Vietnam makes that service person a War vet. Lol. He got a letter from his wife telling him she was divorcing him and marrying his best friend. 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. (LogOut/ The wheels were bouncing crazily as the tires encounter deep furrows dug in the hard dirt from the last monsoon. According to the American War Library website, it was concluded by the Department of Defense that their best estimate is that between 2,709,918 and 3,173,845 GIs served in Vietnam and its surrounding waters between the years 1954 and 1975. 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. Peter my husband is now deceased but he was a door gunner with the 191 st AHC Bounty Hunters (gunships), Very good. I and other merchant marine did. 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. There were approx. Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. . What Major Is Kent State University Known For? 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. Check out this post and see if you can figure this out. There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. 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. I agree, 10% in combat, sounds right! 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! A Vietnam Era Veteran is everyone who was serving in the military while the Vietnam War was going on. Nobody can bad-mouth Huey pilots and crews. The jungle sat still except for the dirt road with my truck speeding along. I could never guess the number of actual Vietnam Vets there are, nor the % still alive. I arrived in country Dec. 5, 1967. All Lawyer adds is for 2 percent, do you think that this was a greater risk for Cancer. The group in my AIT Class were all happy about this. 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. Somewhat confusing. What is the life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? Scavenger said you had to be fired on in viet nam to be a veteran. as far as who is a vietnam vet is simple. Currently, it is estimated with data provided by the United States Census Bureau, that there about 100,000 Oregon Vietnam era veterans alive today. Guys like me know the difference. He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. 109, 000 died in the service during this period. My question, How many guys are I still alive refers to the ones who were in direct combat action? Of the nearly 3Mil that served, only one in twelve were in fire fights. He never did ,Thank god ,because I ended up marrying a beautiful woman and we have the most precious and beautiful daughter. Every grunt I know would say no. 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. they did not get metals. How many soldiers died on their first day in Vietnam? Also consider the thousands that served multiple tours. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. The report is based on national death certificate data currently available through 2020. 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. if you read up on it you will see that ww2 merchant sailors were despised as cowards. Of the 2.7 million men and women who served in land forces in Vietnam, only about 600,000 are still alive. While there troops from our unit were deployed to Vietnam as replacements yet some people dont consider us as support for troops in Vietnam. And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. I entered an L shaped ambush. 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. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. These numbers do not include the Americans who served in Vietnam during World War II. I was out of my earthly shell. 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. The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110. 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. two weeksOver 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. Separate war. Now 69 years/old. 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. Dave V. 1st Battalion, 14 th FA, Americal Division, VN, I Corps. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Scavenger1, I agree with you. Clearly, the New York Times is referring to Vietnam-era veterans, not Vietnam veterans. Those were the prime draft years, but of course there were a few older guys over there too.This does not include other American men there who are not covered by the A, like civilian contractors. Unless they kept track by service or SSN, how many Vietnam Veterans are there ? Why do the vets who served during the Vietnam War era have to be so devisive? Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. 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. (Operation Ranch Hand) that were loaders and used no protection. Seems there are a lot of phony ones out there trying to scam the system which takes away from the true Vietnam Vets. yep I wonder also. 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 . We had a dustoff attached to us. How Did The Campus Shootings Demonstrate The Continued Divisions Within The Country? Lets ask somebody on Facebook where we can get all the correct true data and facts. That makes more sense. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. Merchant Marine officers or crew are not wearing the uniform of the USAs Armed Forces. it eas a very loud high pitched, not human and the sound was fuck you. I know the difference, do you ? YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. 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. Some advisors embassy guards, but all combat units left. I was a REMF but was on my 4th pair of boots. It was what it was. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? Various percentages of actual Vietnam Veterans is bothersome. I knew what my death would mean to my mother, my father, and the rest of my family and friends. If we arent able to > determine WHO is a Vietnam Vet, then how can one determine how many of us > are still alive today? How many REAL Vietnam vets are alive today? - American War Library RVN. Last troops departed on 29 March, 1973. I actually vollenteered to go to NAM. This included Westmorland and Abrahms. Born: 01/29/1945. Gordon, I agree. The difference David, is that you could quit at any moment, most Veterans who served in Vietnam did not have that choice. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. Dave, (Mar 1969-Sep 70) 2/23, 196 LIB & 1/23 MP Co, 11 LIB, AMERICAL DIV. How many Nam Vets die per day is what??? - Leatherneck.com This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. Having studied the war for years, I believe that the correct figure for those on the ground in South Vietnam is 2.6 million. We were near AF ranch hand ops and many of my buds still alive from then have the cancers, diabetes, amputations and such. Today is Sun 22 Aug 2021 but the actual date HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED as the US is SENDING GIs BACK! My spirit was above my body and I was looking down at myself bouncing around in the drivers side. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) question. According to the American War Library website, it was concluded by the Department of Defense that their best estimate is that between 2,709,918 and 3,173,845 GIs served in Vietnam and its surrounding waters between the years 1954 and 1975. I think there about 250,000 Virtnam Vets that saw actual combat. In addition 18 US AF Security Police personnel and their 5 person aircrew were killed responding to the incident (the seizure of the USS Mayaquez), some do not recognize them as combat related deaths either. no , i could not quit. Age: 84. About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . I changed emails and cant reach you!! 1 How many American soldiers died in Vietnam in 1975? We all had a job to do. 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. 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! Findings are made available to the public in an Annual Report. If the ratio of approximately 10% remains the same about 314. Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. She has worked in schools all over the world, and has developed groundbreaking curricula that have helped countless students excel. take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . In my Book if you didnt step foot in Nam Your sure not a Vietnam Vet, Period. Since you were with an aviation Battalion do you remember our flight pay as Army Aircrew ? Phu Loi Nov 66 to Dec 67 HHD 11th Cbt Avn Bn. What percentage of Vietnamese died in the Vietnam War? - 2023 all of the participants in this thread are veterans. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111. 15 of us REMFs were surrounded by the 33rd NVA June 13 1970. Enlisted 7/70. While every GI serving around the world was important to securing our Cold War victory over Communism just as the Vietnam conflict was also, those who served in uniform in the SEA War Theater are the true veterans of the Vietnam War. 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. 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. Still, the American War Library continues to verify their accounts and come to more concrete conclusions. Agent Orange was sprayed on the Jungle areas, and Melathion (Insecticide) was sprayed on Base Camps. All the millions of other Vietnam Era Veterans are Cold War Veterans. The average ww ii vet was in combat 10 to 12 days. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. So do not throw stones at some who got to lay in the same bunk night after night, just because we slept in a dirty hole night after night. Just come up with two lists and leave it at that. NO REAL VET FAILS TO REMEMBER HIS MOS. Our Honor and Integrity are important to each of us. Aside from that, I have always doubted any fact stated by the NY Times; although the federal government is no better. My cousin was with the 82nd and was there when the TET offensive happened. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? I suppose we were rear echelon, but I dispute anyone calling us REMF. i was a merchant marine officer, technically a civilian. Age: 78. scipione@geneseo.edu They term era should be shit canned. (Crew Chief 1970-71) 25 AVN 25 INF (1971-72) C/16 CAV. wounded evaced) then Am 3/21 196th LIB. We grunts do hold chopper crews in the highest regard! To my understanding, Army aviation unitsAssault Companies, Cav Troops, ARA units etc., had the highest casualty rates of any TO & E unit in Vietnam. There are questions like this that are hard to answere as being true boots on ground. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! Arne Fuller, Tucson AZ. I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. How many Vietnam veterans died from Agent Orange? Estimating the number of suicides among Vietnam veterans 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. Each averaged 2500-3000 personnel on a yearly rotating bases, groaning and shrinking based on the missions being conducted. Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. But as to how many of us have died since then, I havent a clue. Was back at LZ Bayonet the last part of my tour after being medevaced off of Professional and in the hospital at Chu Lai. Interesting, no way is 75 percent f real vets are alive today? It was hot that day; the mosquitoes were going through my mind, and the sun was again brilliant. Reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs say about 240 300 World War II veterans are still alive in 2021. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? We all served the same, but different. i know what a combat veteran is. Im 71 and waiting to see if Ill be the last one standing. I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. He was killed in action just a few months later. was i a veteran? Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. 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. Check out this post and see if you can figure this > out. I still consider myself lucky every day! the man ahead of me had been in rome for a religious tour. How Many Veterans Commit Suicide A Day? - Veteran Warrior Outreach TRUE, yes more may have had a mortar or rocket land in the vicinity, or heard a sniper round shot, but the manpower rule is 1 out of 7 10 is an actual seek out and engage the enemy, tip of the spear veteran. And your comment about Agent Orange shows that you have no understanding of how the chemical poisoned everyone who set foot in Vietnam. How many veterans die each Day - Latest Servey 2022 - Happy Veterans We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.