First and most important who is a Vietnam veteran? 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. You do not need to establish anything other than that. Im sorry I did. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. Through my blood-covered face, I could not distinguish whom! I appreciate all the support there and around the world but Vietnam area at Fort Whatever Ohio wasnt Vietnam and no matter how brave the girls in Germany told you you were you were not a Vietnam Vet. He was a Private First Class who was killed in action in the Second World War. i went to dong ha several times. The definition of Combat Veteran is NOT if you have a CIB. How many veterans die each day? Each averaged 2500-3000 personnel on a yearly rotating bases, groaning and shrinking based on the missions being conducted. but some men, like myself , were told by their draft board, go to vietnam on your ship. Tough and crazy. In country Vietnam Vets are the only Vietnam Vets. Im 71 and waiting to see if Ill be the last one standing. Bob, I was a Pilot, Licensed Aircraft Mechanic and Maintenance Inspector before going into the Army. My squad leaderSteve Cook wrote, Dont Cry for Us Saigon. He gives stats. Waiting for a slight pause in the clamor in my ear, I decided to escape towards the cover of the Bush. the draft board made that very clear. Look up the military definition of combat. I was only there 9-months but others served multiple tours, so I tend to believe the 2.7 3.0 million is probably an accurate number. Army Reserve: 189,500 If true, 390 VN vets die a day. That is exactly what I was going to post. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? A total of 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam era, with over 2,709,000 Americans serving in Vietnam, about 9.7% of the generation.Vietnam Veterans by State 2022. It was an incredibly tumultuous time in US history and, for that reason, its unclear how many people actually served during this struggle. Without fanfare or much recognition. no problem with the spell checking. Vietnam War veterans can suffer from a variety of physical and mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug and/or alcohol problems, and hearing loss. Canada did not enter the war so many Canadians joined the americansThey wanted to put a memorial in Ottawa and were refused the built it someplace on the Canadian side I beieve near Detroit, The monument is on the Canadian side of the Detroit River (Windsor). An AK found its target in my thigh. We have been betrayed by all Globalists. My mos was 11B and the army in its great wisdom sent me to an aviation unit in the Mekong delta. Needless to say, I set them straight about his lying BS, and moved out the next day. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. It seems like you are looking at a very narrow view of the division of experiences of those who served in Vietnam. ahead of me in the next row was a man conversing with another man about two rows ahead of him. I WAS IN THE 85TH ORD COMPANY . ho, i could not . I was drafted in Sep 1966, went to Vietnam Aug 67-Aug 68, and Im 75 until Oct. According to Department of Veterans Affairs' projections, Vietnam Veteran deaths will hit 103,890 this year, about 285 a day. Id like to ask a question. And yes I was sprayed with Agent Orange. by your definition, cia personal in civilian clothes were not veterans. It was difficult for me to move. How Many Ww2 Veterans Die Each Day? - Thelma Thinks Eight Vietnam Veterans Die every day. Guys like me know the difference. 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. How many Vietnam veterans have died from Agent Orange? It revises and replaces the estimate and projection in VetPop2018. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. We were near AF ranch hand ops and many of my buds still alive from then have the cancers, diabetes, amputations and such. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. 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. We had a lot of support vets near Saigon. Lol. Air medals say combat support flying night spook missions around Haiphong from 68 -71. Makes it worse, they were all wheelchair bound. i never saw them again, but i knew we had shared something that was filled with pride, sadness, and the passage of time. (LogOut/ Deaths per day . 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. C 3/17 Air Cav. When he first got out we roomed together, and I came home from school one day s clss was canceled. John, That number was reasonable: About 9.2 million Americans served in the military during the Vietnam era . 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. My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. fired on coming up river, a few other things. I am not sure how it can be calculated, how to distinguish actual combat veterans, as that reality is a risk factor for contact with an enemy force. Everyone did their assigned job; some just got better assignments. Why the Shame? It does not store any personal data. I give a silent prayer of thanks for all of you, every time I hear a chopper going by, even now. I do not, however, have a CIB. Clearly, the New York Times is referring to Vietnam-era veterans, not Vietnam veterans. I know full well it takes many, many hands to make the infantry function but like you saidclaim your time. 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. Their lives should be given importance. The total number of is estimated at 2.8 million US veterans who were exposed to the poisonous chemical while serving and later died. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! But to me, Nam is my whole universe i.e. when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. Was I counted each time or once? am i two Vietnam veterans or one. However, any veteran who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, is presumed by the VA to have been exposed to Agent Orange. I was a REMF but was on my 4th pair of boots. How many Vietnam War veterans are still alive 2023? 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. I dont have a CIB to show for it, but I most certainly was in combat. Vietnam Veterans by State 2023 - worldpopulationreview.com 240,000 survivingAbout 70 million people fought in World War II and, as of 2021, there are still approximately 240,000 surviving veterans in the United States alone. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. 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. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. I have read that One in Seven that went to Vietnam were in actual combat CIB. Agent Orange was sprayed on the Jungle areas, and Melathion (Insecticide) was sprayed on Base Camps. three years on and off in vietnam . 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. The oldest living Vietnam War veteran is believed to be a man named Larrivee Ronald A, who was born in Feb, 24, 1935. Then upon returning I would be stationed in Camp Enari, away from most of the intense fighting, and protected by the whole 4th. 240 300 World. I managed to stand again, stepped, and hurled myself into the jungle. 2.4 million man who served in Nam approx. Bob ONeal, Lt.Col. I got in about 20 firefights. It was an incredibly tumultuous time in US history and, for that reason, its unclear how many people actually served during this struggle. It took about 30 years for the government to acknowledge we were even there. Exhausted! (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) I served until April 28, 1969 !!!!!!!!!!!! I was with 4th Med Bn. one of the ships i sailed on had a captain that was drunk for 5 months. 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . Heres my article about Canadians who fought in Vietnam: https://cherrieswriter.com/2015/11/13/lost-to-history-the-canadians-who-fought-in-vietnam/. What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? It was 3:30pm when I entered the slowest aspect of the trip. I still consider myself lucky every day! If field infantry personal awarded a CIB having engaged the enemy are a ten (10), what are the field artillery units at a fire base like FSB Gold in Operation Junction City. Sobering Statistics Concerning Vietnam Vets As of April 2016 . Question Two. Jorge Otero Barreto. I to served two tours 67-68 and 69-70,first with 1st of 8th cav. So yes, we did indeed see combatoften. 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. 2025. I recall combat pay (Hazard DutyPay) at $60 dollars a month. Heres a fact: Jeffery Lynn Scheller, USN, born July 31, 1954 was Killed In Action on October 1, 1972. I do not like pretenders but do not want to take on the duty of Valor Police. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. September 27, 2022 by Editorial Team. 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. It was a free-fire zone, and a nearby flight of gunships was engaged in shooting up the western valley. I believe the aircrews flying out of those places were take issue with not in harms way. In 11 days of December 1973, 16 B-52s were lost over North Vietnam during Linebacker II. 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. I realized what control I had in the cosmos. How old are Vietnam vets now? How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? They were smokers. It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. 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. 1968, 69. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. Thank you. Funny, none of them were called WWII Era Veterans. Even if his job depended on them doing theirs well. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111. scipione@geneseo.edu As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. My new Iraq War novel, Three Wise Men should ne out sometime next year, I was at Camp Eagle, and worked in Production Control. More than 3.4 million deployed to Southeast Asia (1) and approximately 2.7 million of those served in the Republic of Vietnam (2). 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. RVN. I had encountered a learning experience, and inspirational contact with the celestial. Could they be considered Vietnam veterans then? I opted for love! They lost about 20 men KIA in late January, many captured. we spent sometimes a month or more in one port depending on the cargo and the need. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? 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. Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. that conversation has stayed with me. There is a bird in India that says Did you Do it? I was drafted in May of 1966 specifically for the reactivation of the 9th Infantry..so B Co., 4/47th/9th Inf. 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. drafted in 1966, Vietnam 1967-68 with the 1st infantry Division.now 75!!!! How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? - CLJ Since the fall of Saigon and Operation Baby Lift occurred in 1975, wouldnt an 18 year old at that time be 64 or 65 today ? Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. But the bad news is that Charlie knew exactly where they were . 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. You may not care but us guys that stepped foot in Nam AND had bullets flying at us, we care, and we are genuine vietnam Combat Vets. It makes a big difference because stating that only one-third of Vietnam veterans are still alive today is much harsher than stating that three-quarters of Vietnam veterans are still alive and well. in viet nam, because of the unions, they got more money. My husband was one of those 191st Assault Helicopter Co. Bounty Hunter door gunners. I find it best not to remember that time. The last three I knew had lost a lot of weight, two had each lost a lung. 4 Carl Dodd Former Police Officer Author has 18.5K answers and 25.3M answer views 10 mo 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 . Vietnam Vet_combat. Age: 84. I have heard many stories (more in the past 30 years) of people claiming to be a combat veteran, maybe seeking some kind of hero status or valid excuse for why they are where they are. Canandaigua, NY There were 7 RoyalThai Air Force bases used during the war, from 1961-1975, three closed between 1972 to 1973. Splitting out the numbers of combat and era vets are separate questions. About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . guy next to me was shoot dead I think that counts. For a mile or so the road cut through the jungle like a tunnel; the vegetation brushing against the sides and roof hid what lurked in the shadows. Operation Homecoming was completed on March 29, 1973, when the last of 591 U.S. prisoners were released and returned to the United States. IF you didnt get any extra pay better have a good excuse .like to hear it. Les, in IMHO being a Vietnam Veteran has nothing to do with combat. How old is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? 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. Our Honor and Integrity are important to each of us. 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. Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. 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. A number 1/2 the peak, say 250,000 still seems high but would come closer to 3,000,000 number serving. Last one left was about 15 to 20 years ago. Got home after the war, never spoke about my service, never went hunting again, never cut my feeling back on! Whether you were sprayed or not makes no difference, and YOU ARE NOT required to prove anything other than being present in Vietnam. Hell no. It was hot that day; the mosquitoes were going through my mind, and the sun was again brilliant. Music That Moves the Military. Somewhat confusing. Other than guard duty i was not in combat but the perimeter at Long Binh was regular defoliated and we experienced rocket and mortar attacks.