I was on the initial invasion into Cambodia, that battle was 15 REMFS against 300 NVA> The next day we went in with the 25th infantry. There is no definitive answer to this question as the number of World War 2 veterans who die each day varies depending on the specific situation. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time. The New York Times reported that claims like those of the American War Library are false and that, instead of only one-third of Vietnam vets remaining, the number points to more like 75 percent of Vietnam veterans still living and breathing today. The insistence to include Vietnam-ErA vets with those who served in-country results in a ridiculous skew to any meaningful stats. Their names are at least on the wall thanks to the efforts of many service organizations and Congress. NO! About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . Mean 69 maybe? Serving during the TET offensive and time after. Nevertheless, if my name was Tom, Dick, or Harry I would have perished, but I could not put my parents through the same ordeal as Aunt Palma and Uncle Frank. So, where is the discrepancy in these numbers? The site is owned and run by a crook and charlatan named (?) Got a nice break the last 5 months, got to drive a bird colonel around Chu Lai as he delivered classified info all over the base !!!!! So, where is the discrepancy in these numbers? When were the last Vietnam POWs released? What report or reference confirms it? Born: 09/15/1946. scipione@geneseo.edu, Yes a Vietnam Veteran, but not a Combat Veteran. I do not believe we were counted as vets. It should be duly noted that these numbers do not include the 2500 to 3000 US Air Force troops stationed in Guam, Thailand, and other countries that were involved in the Vietnam War effort. I know I was there and have several cancers! It only had the National Defense ribbon on the cap. Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com Floyd James ThompsonHe was one of the longest-held American prisoner of war in U.S. history that was returned or captured by troops, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the forests and mountains of South Vietnam and Laos, and in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. in one way or another. Considering the kind of information available about the death rate of WWII and Korean War Veterans, publicized information indicates that in the last 14 years Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. A veteran of the Vietnam War is a person who PARTICIPATED in the Vietnam War. Clearly, the New York Times is referring to Vietnam-era veterans, not Vietnam veterans. 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. Okay.Ill be the one to tell it like it is, even though everyone here, as well as everyone else, knows the truth already! 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. How many US Army died in Vietnam War? - 2023 It is a deeply troubling statistic and has. Arne Fuller, Tucson AZ. as far as who is a vietnam vet is simple. I,m getting older bot I remember combat pay and jump pay were both $55 dollars. I got the disability benefits at age 79. All opinions graciously welcomed. Having studied the war for years, I believe that the correct figure for those on the ground in South Vietnam is 2.6 million. it was one of the smaller airbus aircraft. Bill, Far as Im concerned, they are all Vietnam Vets and this devisiness should STOP! BAM! (1st time to operate a river boat 2nd time to evacuate injured Marines. So it only makes sense that for those very few of the 9+ million in the service during those years so be able to distinguish themselves. I have always rounded up to 3,000,000 served in Vietnam..and I read someplace where of that number, only 10% were actually in combat. However I know many many who have died these past 55 years & 6 months since the Battle of Soui Tre March 21, 1967 and I know what is a combat veteran. 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. the man ahead of me had been in rome for a religious tour. According to Department of Veterans Affairs' projections, Vietnam Veteran deaths will hit 103,890 this year, about 285 a day. 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. How about disabled numbers? Alternatively, to transfigure my destiny. serveved in nam 67 to 68 and 69 to 70. both tours in the 1st cav. And yes I was sprayed with Agent Orange. Another long time friend served on the Riverine Force actually served on John Kerrys boat and is mentioned prominently in his book, told me stories about being ambushed, as those boats made a lot of noise. Question Two. This is a suicide rate of 1 EVERY 65-80 minutes (APPROX). I certainly dont agree on the 9 million in country. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. The wheels were bouncing crazily as the tires encounter deep furrows dug in the hard dirt from the last monsoon. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. Nebraska Farm Boy, that had to go to County Agent Classes before buying any chemicals. OUR COMPANY STARTED LONG BINH COMPOUND IN SEPT OF 1965, DALLAS WATERFILL EMAIL dallaswaterfill@yahoo.com, Was in Vietnam Dec. 1968 to Dec. 1969, Phan Rang AFB, RVN. Did your foot ever touch the ground? I spent 3 separate tours in Vietnam. in viet nam, because of the unions, they got more money. Good for him! I was all over in 7 years. wounded evaced) then Am 3/21 196th LIB. We dont respect the combat Vets and they shouldnt disrespect us. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? And a number of Navy in ships, bombing communist. Vietnam era vets are not the same as Vietnam vets, but they are important. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. How were WWII veterans & Korean War Veterans accounted for? as we end our lives we should never forget that each served, in some way. I am glad that you make Dante, I know the struggle has been long, but the spirit soars and the tale told Live long my brother, None of us are very far away from those days A harrowing experience that can never be diminished by time. I served in Quang Tri (70-71) and took two types of Malaria pills. We just hoped the pilot put us where we were supposed to be. If you served in country on a ship in the gulf or dropped 2000 pound bombs you are a vietnam vet. According to the Pentagons Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, there are currently 83,204 unaccounted for U.S. personnel, including 73,547 from World War II, 7,883 from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, 1,642 from the Vietnam War, and six from Iraq and other recent conflicts, including three Defense. after spending 1968 with 3/25 0f 2nd field forces and 1970 with the 1/12 cav. About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year. I do not know where that number 1 in 14 came from, but in my time in the Army 1962-1970 it was in the range of 1 in 8 to 10 using the total manpower % . My time stands still. The commander of the sapper ambush signaled the weapons man to fire the first RPG, and it impacted behind the target. Motherfucker? I would not believe the NYT. 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. Tough and crazy. Air medals say combat support flying night spook missions around Haiphong from 68 -71. If you served anywhere at all, anywherre during WWI, you are a WWI vet. We need more honest Veterans. I think I know the answer but like youjust being picky. Avoiding the specifics & particulars is a sign of fraud or a deeply disturbed relationship to their past. nothing exists or will exist in another time. I didnt know that. I was drafted in Sep 1966, went to Vietnam Aug 67-Aug 68, and Im 75 until Oct. 35th CBSG, 315th CAMS Working on C-123,s. I have done lots of research, read a bunch of historical history, and met and talked to well over 1000 NAM VETS !!!!! The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. I was thinking that in 10 days I would be on R&R in Taipei, Formosa. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. I served a second tour and know quite a few Marines that did also. These are numbers never heard before & I would not include those before the advisers were sent over in the early/mid 60s. It was apparently based on an estimate that 800,000 Vietnam-era veterans had died by 2000. Most of the time as a grunt without a map. Each BUFF had 6 crewmen onboard. There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. Splitting out the numbers of combat and era vets are separate questions. I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. we both served and i think that is what distinguishes us from draft dodgers or people that claimed bone spurs or kept getting deferments those are the people i despise. Look up the military definition of combat. Considering the number of troops deployed at different times, the build up and the draw down, its inconceivable that there could have been 9m serving in country. How many veterans die each day? Stolen Valor the American Way! Check out this post and see if you can figure this > out. 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. i TO AM A VEITNAM VET. In country Vietnam Vets are the only Vietnam Vets. I shipped to RVN on the USNS Geiger, manned by Merchant Marines, leaving Tacoma, WA on June 30, 1967 and arriving in Vung Tau on July 21, 1967. I needed the rest! Every single day 22 veterans commit themselves to death. 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! Home Kent State University How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War. Era vets are important but dont count. I am a Proud US Army Veteran retired in 1984. Were you at Saigon firebase when guys set off grenade in APC ? I was at 6 different LZs from Aug 67-Aug 68, with a 4th Medical Battalion aid station (D Company), and I never heard of a fuck you lizard. How Many Vietnam Veterans are AliveToday? Estimating the number of suicides among Vietnam veterans Unconfirmed reports that 50,000 or more Vietnam veterans have committed suicide give the impression that these veterans are at exceedingly high risk of suicide compared with other veterans and nonveterans of the same age. Veteran Suicide Data and Reporting - Mental Health 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. It seems to be all about syntax. 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. It was hot that day; the mosquitoes were going through my mind, and the sun was again brilliant. 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. Check out this post and see if you can figure this out. How many veterans die each Day - Latest Servey 2022 - Happy Veterans How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2022? When the 3rd Brigade,82 ABD moved from Camp Rodriguez (I Corps) in October 1968 my first base was Tent Citynear Bien Hoa (III Corps) then my unit was moved to Phu Loi. they deserve that recognition. So, here well dive a little bit deeper into how many Vietnam veterans are estimated to still be alive based on various approximations and predictions. His wife and family should be very proud of him. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. Thank you for being there to help us when called. The funny thing,(not so funny) is that when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. 2 tours I volunteered and my 3rd I re-enlisted. In fact, the first two advisors (MAJ Dale Buis and MSG Chester Ovnand) killed by the enemy died in an attack on their base near Bien Hoa on July 8, 1959. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam. back and forth to the us, carrying every thing you could imagine. He showed me his DD214 and low and behold it says he was in Vietnam. The roar was deafening; through the shattered windshield, I saw the truck go out of control. Even if his job depended on them doing theirs well. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. 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. Active duty 70-71, Quang Tri, Khe Sahn, Danny. Great article! Scavenger1, I agree with you. But having spent a little time thinking about it, I go with the 2m figure. Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. I made a mistake !!!!! ahead of me in the next row was a man conversing with another man about two rows ahead of him. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Hunter killer division. Combat Veteran means being awarded a CIB. Youll have to look for it, but a long time ago I posted the most recent VA numbers I could find. We grunts do hold chopper crews in the highest regard! 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. VA released VetPop 2020 which is VA's new official estimate and projection of the Veteran population. I find it best not to remember that time. I do appreciate what they did, from the hero medevacs to those gun ships who flew into madness to help save our asses knowing that mortar rounds fall from above, RPGs & macjine gun rounds were in mass supply with the moniker attached To whom it may concern. What numbers do the VA have? The leading cause of preventable death among US military casualties in the Vietnam War was exsanguination from extremity wounds. The average annual payment was $18,100. But serving in any capacity in Vietnam makes that service person a War vet. Guys like me know the difference. He objected, and was assigned as an interpreter attached to the American Embassy in Sweden. earned their stripe. remember) there will likely be a debate as to how And i can tell you , we made a lot of money. (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) The VVA Veteran boils it down to a totally different conclusion that the American War Library drew. How many Vietnam veterans are dying . I volunteered for 3 TDY tours 18 months total. Bob ONeal, Lt.Col. I was a Pilot, Licensed Aircraft Mechanic and Maintenance Inspector before going into the Army. Its possible that the youngest living Vietnam Veteran may be 61 years old. One was daily and the other weekly. I WOULD SURVIVE! i know what a combat veteran is. At 73 years, I plan on beating that date. 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. So, when we talk about Vietnam vets who are living or dead, we should be talking STRICTLY about Vets who participated in the Vietnam War. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. 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. The Vietnam War was the nation's longest and costliest conflict of the Cold War. (Mar 1969-Sep 70) 2/23, 196 LIB & 1/23 MP Co, 11 LIB, AMERICAL DIV. Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents he and the other gentleman did not seem to know about each other , but they ended up speaking about the tours in country, both had served some time at dong ha. 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. I was in Nam in 1968 and 1969 as a combat Marine. Lost my Vet to Leukemia just after this count was done. We did a lot of Ranch Hand missions in the iron Triangle. Phill Coleman, who surfaced in the very early days of the Internet, and has been profiting from veterans (first Vietnam, now all) for years. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) Your numbers are way off on the number of Air Force personnel serving in Thailand during the Vietnam war. 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. He signaled a repeat, and the second rocket impacted on target. 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. Without a doubt Helicopter Crews are COMBAT VETS, to fly so low & slow over the most hidden turf below.. On landing at LZ Gold March 19, 1967 we lost 6 Hueys and 7 pilots. If we arent able to determine WHO is a Vietnam Vet, then how can one determine how many of us are still alive today? 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. Id like to know what the 1 in 14 men figure is based on. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. While I honor those who served worldwide, it comes across as yet another slap in the face to those of us who faced enemy fire. Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! ******************************************************* Music That Moves the Military. Id like to ask a question. I understand that they only got about 300,000 of us, but that is a huge, decent number, considering how cynical we Nam vets can be about studies. Last I heard the database indicated that the Median Age of Death of Nam vets was reached at least three or four years ago. I saw plenty of people providing direct combat support to the effort in. one of the ships i sailed on had a captain that was drunk for 5 months. I dont know why we have to make this simple arithmetic drill so difficult. so in 2190 days.from today, lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive. Born: 08/27/1943. Real combat veterans will share with other combat veterans as their stories have many similarities. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. The 30 September 2007 Veterans Administration estimate places the daily deaths of WWII US veterans at 1,000 per day. How many Vietnam Vets die per day? | RallyPoint Perhaps, another RPG impacted and careened us sideways knocking me unconscious. in ww2 more merchant men were killed than all the services combined until june 6, 1944. and they were civilians. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting. Next determined those Veterans who were awarded the Vietnam Service ribbon. I will have to disagree with the CIB being the only combat veterans The Battle of Soui Tre 3-21-1967 at Fire Support Base Gold Operation Junction City, the 2/77 Artillery 18 105s and the 3/22 Infantry A & B Cos the enemy lost 881 KIA and UNK WIAs, we lost counting the landing in the 19th 55 KIA & 287 WIA, within an hours Westmorland and other Stars were there claiming this Victory (14 Stars on the battlefield) The Artillery are every bit combat veterans with the infantry and many other FSB battles as well I have a CIB and did 22 months in country late including TET. I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. Data Appendix Methods Report Report FAQs. I pulled up to the local tailor shop to fix some of my fatigue pants. How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive? - The New York Times Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. I was C 3/17 air cav. Then upon returning I would be stationed in Camp Enari, away from most of the intense fighting, and protected by the whole 4th. There are questions like this that are hard to answere as being true boots on ground. For US Vietnam Veterans it's about 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets. So that means probably from 700,000 to 800,000 of us are still alive. If you fired a weapon in defense, outside the wire,, and your boots were on the ground in VN you are a COMBAT vet. Though Thailand was not designated a combat zone. Who really cares who stepped foot on land. Posted in these groups: Vietnam War American History Posted >1 y ago Excellent questions. we were all on the same side of the aisle. However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979. Alice, my sister lost hers in Oct 2020 from throat cancer due to agent Orange. I can smell a fake and phony 10 seconds after we meet !!!!! 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. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. Does anyone else remember ? If you served at all, anywhere, during WWII, you are a WWII vet. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. it is much easier to say who was not. I saw the edge of the dirt, the jungle growth, the nearby trees, while I heard the world explode. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? Having served two tours on the ground, as they say, I find it depressing. (LogOut/ Lol. Combat veteran means far more than having a CIB. How Many World War 2 Veterans Die Each Day? Divarty (how ironic), and with my DEROS (Date I returned to the States) in the end of May boarding The BIG Bird, flying across the Pond and back to the World! This battle resulted in the loss of 13 Marines (10 in combat, 3 were left behind and executed by the Khmer Rouge, 2 Navy Corpsmen, and 3 Air Force pilots. How many Vietnam vets are still alive today? But the bad news is that Charlie knew exactly where they were . 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. Spent a year in training and ended up a buck Sargent airborne ranger. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. we spent sometimes a month or more in one port depending on the cargo and the need. I was confused. I to served two tours 67-68 and 69-70,first with 1st of 8th cav. The exact percentage of surviving Vietnam War veterans is not known, but it is estimated to be around 25% of the total number of veterans who served during the war. that conversation has stayed with me. for most of it i listened but not wanting to interfere. I KNOW MY STATS BECAUSE I WAS THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER (20 YRS) on the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission, including four years as Chairman. i am not saying i was a hero, but i am saying that i did the job and i did not argue. at DaNang If we came in they set up tents to sleep in and had a big blivet bag for a shower. But as to how many of us have died since then, I havent a clue. They are paying on Melathion settlements (Watch TV, and it as on 2 to 3% purity, used inside US) There are no living Veterans that I know of. Born: 04/07/1937. Since you were with an aviation Battalion do you remember our flight pay as Army Aircrew ? am i two Vietnam veterans or one. Approximately 7,500 women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. When all was done and the Army was cleaning up the details of the action, they decided to award CIBs to the officers and not to enlisted. i appreciate i was not in a company and humped for a year. Defining Combat Veterans, tell us what number you give yourself, we have a controversy here with a candidate for Governor, he claims now that he is a combat veteran, but he told me in his campaign for the House seat he presently holds, that he was NOT a combat veteran.

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