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. The youngest Vietnam War veteran was a 15-year-old child named Dan Bullock. And a number of Navy in ships, bombing communist. Home Kent State University How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? Their lives should be given importance. It was also projected that, from here, 138,000 Vietnam veterans are expected to die each year. But a growing army of strangers is. I always ask if they know what a fuck you lizard was. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. We need more honest Veterans. FEAR Part of the SOP on the Plei Do Lim (PDL) Flash Outpost (OP) was to make a supply run every four days back to the survey section at HHB. Cheers, Tom, to me, the CIB says everything; the wearer is a soldier who has earned the right to it and deserves respect. take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . I remember that the minute we came around the coast and headed up for Vung Tau, as merchantmen on American Export LInes ships, we got a sizeable war zone increase in our pay. . 240 300 World. Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. Combat veterans will share their experiences with other veterans especially combat veterans (CIB). Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com 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. Why cant you be just a proud Veteran. 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. Our service was diminished while there and continues being disrespected by those who lump all Vietnam-Era vets with those whose lives were on the line. One moment is eternity- the next may never!. we had a building where the company stored our property. I have done lots of research, read a bunch of historical history, and met and talked to well over 1000 NAM VETS !!!!! Our 2003 NJAOC Desk Guide to the unique health issue of Nam vets and our children is still the Gold Standard. Yep feet never left the ground except to do my mos. Far as Im concerned, they are all Vietnam Vets and this devisiness should STOP! To not count us is disrespecting us who also answered the call. Same aircraft were used and were not cleaned before spraying anything else. How many WWII veterans die each day? even when i went out with the airforce on resupply to fire bases. 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. I was thinking that in 10 days I would be on R&R in Taipei, Formosa. 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. An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. As I started to slowly stagger upright towards the opposite side of the road, trying with all my might to gain my balance, I went down hard. I changed emails and cant reach you!! 101st Airborne Division, 1969-70 best to all. And a count of military that flew over Nam bombing etc. 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. I dont have a CIB to show for it, but I most certainly was in combat. I knew what life in-store for me in my recovery had- years of pain and disabilities while I waited for my next adventure. I served in Vietnam from Jul 68 to Jul 69. Serving during the TET offensive and time after. Once I was threatened with death if I mentioned NAM again. may we all be the last man standing. i do not remember the moss but the went on quite a while. and i abhor those who say they served when they were plumbers in texas and talk of medals they never earned. It is estimated that there are around 610,000 surviving Vietnam War veterans as of 2023. All who served In Country and the those outlying areas in support should be considered Vietnam Vets. Past history shows ALL Veterans of previous Wars were classified as Vets of those wars regardless of where they served. It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. Was back at LZ Bayonet the last part of my tour after being medevaced off of Professional and in the hospital at Chu Lai. 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. Some where along the way after returning home & towards, if not after the end of involvement, the number Id heard/read was 5 million US military served. RVN. Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website the button is located at the top right of this page. I was there in 1964-1965 then 1967-1968 then my last tour was 1971-1972. This is a suicide rate of 1 EVERY 65-80 minutes (APPROX). We all served the same, but different. I was also at LZ Bayonet. Id like to know what the 1 in 14 men figure is based on. Aside from that, I have always doubted any fact stated by the NY Times; although the federal government is no better. NO, some who got to sleep in the same bed night after night, yet were low slow flying targets by day are NOT REMF. The book by Hal Moore & Joe Galloway We were soldiers once, and young describe what many of us experienced. when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. we were all on the same side of the aisle. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Regardless of their MOS or the details of their service, veterans have more in common with each other than they have differences, and ALL deserve to be honored. We all started getting heart attacks around the same time. A veteran of the Vietnam War is a person who PARTICIPATED in the Vietnam War. Vince. Overall, the death rate of Vietnam veterans seems to be rather consistent if not better than other people their same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hometown: New York City. If you were shot at, in an incoming rocket attack, had to protect during a ground attack, you could bleed and die, you were in Combat. 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. The first impact of a rocket was twenty meters to the left and ten meters behind as the rocket flew over its target. (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) Currently, it is estimated with data provided by the United States Census Bureau, that there about 100,000 Oregon Vietnam era veterans alive today. My son, James, is 16 and has autism. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time. **********************************************************. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? The average ww ii vet was in combat 10 to 12 days. The fear returned, as I knew he was of small stature. Age: 75. I would not believe the NYT. https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. You do not need to establish anything other than that. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. 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. How many Korean War veterans are still alive? It was hot that day; the mosquitoes were going through my mind, and the sun was again brilliant. I made a mistake !!!!! Its been over 50 years and its time Vietnam Vets stop arching among themselves. and i remember that we talked about how much we would make if we lost a finger or an arm. 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. The total number of is estimated at 2.8 million US veterans who were exposed to the poisonous chemical while serving and later died. How many Vietnam Vets die per day? the draft board made that very clear. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. as we end our lives we should never forget that each served, in some way. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including being named one of the "Top 10 Educators to Watch" by Education Week magazine. I flew as a crew chief / door gunner from dec 12 th 1965 till dec 15th 1967,I may not have had my boots on the ground out side the wire but we flew close air support , every time you grunts got your ass in a sling we were there to help you, i was on old B model gun ships low and slow ,I was shot down three times, so i dont think your cib means that much to me. i thank every soldier for their service, i do not exaggerate my actions. He is absolutely obsessed with military and different men who have served, The definitive statistics come from the VAs Million Vietnam Vets database, which will continue until we are all gone. REAL Vietnam War veterans are all those who are officially authorized the Vietnam Service medal and possess official military-issued documentation to confirm their medal authorization. Born: 01/29/1945. How many Vietnam vets have died from Agent Orange? Having studied the war for years, I believe that the correct figure for those on the ground in South Vietnam is 2.6 million. 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. Enjoy today's Memorial Day and please take time to "Remember". Help train personnel from many different Companies to do the same. Most of the time as a grunt without a map. I got in about 20 firefights. Perfect. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Porier was firing from the north, while the three Cobras choppers were engaged the sappers trying to kill me. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The artillery, Helo crews, combat engineers, in Vietnam are also considered Combat Vets, Well, I guess it just did not count for us Huey Teams (Sky Angels) supporting infantry/artillery units by flying in to lay down suppression fire, flying you into hot LZs, taking you out of the boonies, bringing you ammo and supplies, flying the wounded and dead back to base camp, not to mention Huey night Hawk missions to rectify an enemy ambush for our infantry that would be pinned down with no hope of survival. Motherfucker? (1st time to operate a river boat 2nd time to evacuate injured Marines. I have been working with Dr. Mary Lynn Reed, Chair of Math and Statistics at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). Antonia is a firm believer in the power of education, and she is passionate about helping students reach their full potential. Pleiku, Dak To, An Khe. I had several Canadians in our Company in Vietnam. I stomped the gas and the engine roared- the truck jumped forward and bounced crazily and so did, garbing the steering tightly. I have read that One in Seven that went to Vietnam were in actual combat CIB. Those an in the Era the we were in Vietnam but they are not Vietnam Vets by any stretch of you imagination. it is branded on you. What Major Is Kent State University Known For? That is exactly what I was going to post. I don't know about you guys, but it kind of gives me the chills. I do not believe that the question of who is a Vietnam Veteran is that difficult Assignment to a unit stationed in country is 1 criterion, another is the number of days assigned and served in country Combat at sea of pilots from carriers and rescue crews that flew over the country and those downed I think that there are really 2 classes of Vietnam Veterans, combat and non-combat that is a more difficult designation to separate As a combat platoon Sgt engaged in several large battles and many smaller fire fights, nights being mortared with shells exploding in the trees above The VA needs to add one more medical anomaly, Chronic Butt Pucker for all combat veterans.