Base was 1st MAW Danang AB which got hit early Tet with rockets, mortars and sappers. The 9 million was the total number of people in the military during 64-75 . 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The dashboard gauges and the gearshift lever approached, as I hit the dashboard with my left side and my head crashed to the floor; My spirit rejoined and I was protected by the firewall. 1st cav div. What is the life expectancy of a Vietnam veteran? My time stands still. Could this be friendly fire on a beautiful Sunday? How many Korean War veterans are still alive? 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. Then, I stopped at the 5th. I pulled up to the local tailor shop to fix some of my fatigue pants. 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. These Veterans are now in or about to reach their 80's. How many Vietnam vets . As anti-war vet , all these years later, I respect yall and your stories. What other conclusions have been made about the percentage of Vietnam veterans who are still alive? My husband was awarded several (door gunner w/191st AHC Bounty Hunters). 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. We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. Some advisors embassy guards, but all combat units left. 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 still consider myself lucky every day! One sapper shot off a whole magazine of armor piercing bullets at the drivers side windshield of the truck, and glass was flying in all directions. Anyone suggesting that only a CIB award means you were a combat veteran is very uninformed The Battle of Soui Tre March 21, 1967 the men of the 2/77 Artillery were every bit infantry as well as Arty that day and many many other FSB battles. I think its just a generalization but should be cleared. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. Nha Trang (TET 68), Far as Im concerned, they are all Vietnam Vets and this devisiness should STOP! My name is Ananda. Tom, to me, the CIB says everything; the wearer is a soldier who has earned the right to it and deserves respect. He never did ,Thank god ,because I ended up marrying a beautiful woman and we have the most precious and beautiful daughter. What report or reference confirms it? We all served in our assigned duties, some bled, and some died. I got in about 20 firefights. the merchant marine needed every officer and sailor they could find. 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 agree with the rest of your post, and so did the Army. 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 . 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 than 75 percent of Vietnam veterans still living and breathing today. The other number of significance is the number of Viet Nam veterans killed by Dow chemical. 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! RVN. We didnt make it on shore very often but I still feel I was in VietNam. It has a life of its own. However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979. More than 8 million people served in uniform during Vietnam and those who are alive are typically in their 60s and 70s. Air crews who flew over Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam had no Fox hole or ditch yo hid behind while delivering payload after payload to help destroy supplies heading towards those in the bush, while avoid withering anti-aircraft fire and missiles. Splitting out the numbers of combat and era vets are separate questions. 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. A Co. 2/8th, First Cavalry, 1968-69. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. 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. In my mirror I saw its beam illuminate each and every particle of dust that my passing vehicle spewed into the air; thus creating a mobile, magical, camouflaged chamber of brightly dancing fairies shielding me from harm. They dont include forces in Guam or Thailand. Apparently Infantry is the operative word. Veterans support veterans, their stories and we bristle at those who would steal their history, we are not Valor Police, but those who pretend are an insult to those of who struggle with that past. it really did not matter, every officer had a masters license. Do I count as one or three Vietnam Veterans? I dont know why we have to make this simple arithmetic drill so difficult. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. Were you at Saigon firebase when guys set off grenade in APC ? he was wearing his VIETNAM ERA VETERAN cover. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? I was drafted and sent to Germany 66-68 because of the Vietnam War in the 4Armored Division. stay safe. I served a second tour and know quite a few Marines that did also. Unless they kept track by service or SSN, how many Vietnam Veterans are there ? ho, i could not . Dec 1967 Dec 1968 & Jan 1969 Nov 1969. We got a personal visit from 10 Generals (no joke). I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. 7,484 women served in Vietnam, 83.5% being nurses. a few years ago i was flying from rome to possibly germany or holland on the way back to montreal. Somewhat confusing. Im going with 2.9 and saying the person who wrote 9.2 has the seing disease whereas they see everything in reverse. scipione@geneseo.edu The disparity seems to be In Theatre veterans between the years 1954-1975, and veterans in the Military at that time that were not deployed, or NOT In Theatre! Got home after the war, never spoke about my service, never went hunting again, never cut my feeling back on! I left the Ville at 3:00pm. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. My whole essence was involved it the quest of one more heartbeat, one more breath, one more gasp of pain averting energy, one moment at a time. Very devisive infighting among all the service members who served at a time when it was not popular. 35th CBSG, 315th CAMS Working on C-123,s. One of the things that really bothers me is the statement that we lost in Vietnam? 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.. Me? And a count of military that flew over Nam bombing etc. I and other merchant marine did. If you prefer to differentiate who served in country and who did not, then the arithmetic must divide the groups into two lists accordingly. We all served the same, but different. 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. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. Era vets are important but dont count. The funny thing,(not so funny) is that when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. The first advisors were sent in country much earlier than 1962. I believe we were all there doing our duty and deserve to be called a Vietnam Veteran. Thanks for your responses. When you spend most of the time out in the Bad Lands, bad things happen. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? in only 6-10 years.. . Perfect. 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. Yep feet never left the ground except to do my mos. It too bad that guys that never fought think for some reason they deserve credit for being in Vietnam when they werent. We dont respect the combat Vets and they shouldnt disrespect us. (How Convenient), Hi. 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. And a number of Navy in ships, bombing communist. Where is this one in twelve figure from? I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. Helicopter crewmen did not receive the CIB, but they fought every day. Combat Veterans know who they are, pretenders know that they are not.. That was our regimen along the Cambodian border, too. I had a Swedish citizen in AIT, with orders to go to Vietnam. Some, like myself did not serve a full 12month tour. 997 guys died the first day they stepped in Nam. 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. You guys were the lifeblood of our war effort. Quite a story. Funny, none of them were called WWII Era Veterans. Those an in the Era the we were in Vietnam but they are not Vietnam Vets by any stretch of you imagination. The NOISE ringing in my ears, the torment, the muggy damn heat, and the distance echo of gunfire ALL STOPPED! I know . We were near AF ranch hand ops and many of my buds still alive from then have the cancers, diabetes, amputations and such. Depends on where you were. I am trying to see if the NJ Adjutant Generals Office still has a couple copies around. that conversation has stayed with me. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. Helicopter Units and losses in the Vietnam War, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo, https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. I have done lots of research, read a bunch of historical history, and met and talked to well over 1000 NAM VETS !!!!! Vietnam was very different, it was not supported by our Nation, the draft of so many young men to fight in a country that few could ever find on a map, let alone now anything about. If they enlisted or were drafted before 1975, they likely are in their late 60s now. Each BUFF had 6 crewmen onboard. Did your foot ever touch the ground? drafted in 1966, Vietnam 1967-68 with the 1st infantry Division.now 75!!!! The New York Times, as always, gets it wrong. Things that they did not tell you. We had a dustoff attached to us. The average ww ii vet was in combat 10 to 12 days. It was what it was. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time. no problem with the spell checking. Pop, POP POP. Those who do not remember where in country they were, WHERE NOT THERE.. Or suffering from a complete mental memory disorder. Perhaps the reason for guys is that there were times we had to drink out of bomb craters that were in areas sprayed with Agent Orange. If you served in any other places you are a Veteran, ERA is an embellishment of your service. As Ive mentioned before, I dont think posing this question was intended to be divisive among veterans, but it has turned out to be. Im glad you made it back! Thank you for taking the time to read this. How Many B 52S Were Shot Down During The Vietnam War? Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. There are still a lot of us left by some miracle! I could never guess the number of actual Vietnam Vets there are, nor the % still alive. Scavenger1, I agree with you. The stroke wasnt assumed until after 2000 & heart not until 2010. How many Vietnam veterans are dying . I was with the 1st Inf Division from July 67 to June 68 and we received $15 overseas pay and $65 combat pay a month. Our side would have collapsed without you. The now call them Vietnam era veterans. Copyright 2022 MilitaryPerson.com Active duty 70-71, Quang Tri, Khe Sahn, Danny. The definition of Combat Veteran is NOT if you have a CIB. 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 !!!!! 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. Pleiku, Dak To, An Khe. I remember a distorted image of reality. We all had a job to do. Damn it, government could have sent anyone serving at any time to Vietnam. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. Dave, ONLY Vietnam Vets are separated into two categories. 8,113,000 are still alive (May 2000) Post navigation Another 2,000,000 were in country but worked supply or support [based on 10% rule]. I have spoken at many VETS EVENTS, and done interviews with the media .. Never get tired of people telling me Thank You for your service, and absolutely love hearing WELCOME HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The amount of compensation a Vietnam War veteran can receive varies depending on their individual circumstances, such as their disability rating and the number of dependents they have. Dr. Paul A. Scipione Well, the government 20 or 25 years later sent us, if asked, a ribbon, card, and metal saying we did. Bien Hoa & Phu Bai, two badly polluted areas! I was a merchant marine officer on cargo ships, american export lines, for three years, back and forth to viet nam. serveved in nam 67 to 68 and 69 to 70. both tours in the 1st cav. Then later we were transferred to Camp Red Ball. i know what a combat veteran is. 2025. I find it best not to remember that time. I dont have a CIB to show for it, but I most certainly was in combat. I agree Vietnam vets are fewer. Im sure that you all know that claiming to be a VFWar when you are not is a federal crime with severe legal penalties. Sgt. Exhausted! Almost 1500 died their last day. I have had stage III melanoma, stage III squamous cell throat cancer and now stage II bladder cancer. Im a 1967-68 Vietnam combat veteran. I was C 3/17 Air Cav. Presently, I approached the road to the top of PDL hill, and I was thinking what a beautiful day this would have been if this were some other place in some other world. We hauled cargo to the bases and for a few months I hauled hitest gas to the airbase at DongHa. 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 % . 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! All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. Chester/Gordon, 2500 to 3000 US Air Force troops stationed in Guam, Thailand, and other countries that were involved in the Vietnam War effort. i was not a supporter of the war but i did my job. As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. After Tet it was quiet. 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. Mike. Yes, Vietnam War veterans are still eligible for various benefits and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including disability compensation, health care, and education benefits. These numbers do not include the Americans who served in Vietnam during World War II. 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. Here are some statistics on the veterans of the Vietnam War. Rear echelon? I remember lots of the names Evana, Eagle, Bastone, Granite, Ripcord, Maryanne. Also consider the thousands that served multiple tours. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? What numbers do the VA have? A Vietnam era veteran is certainly not a Veteran of the Vietnam War. Div., 67-68. I to served two tours 67-68 and 69-70,first with 1st of 8th cav. Or is this a total number of vets with all the other countries that supported us . We have been betrayed by all Globalists. Age: 84. Im proud to be a surviving vet and the men who served with me then and those after me. Then upon returning I would be stationed in Camp Enari, away from most of the intense fighting, and protected by the whole 4th. So I was in the Army National Guard during the Iraq War, So I guess I am An Iraq War Veteran. It is a deeply troubling statistic and has. It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. Been there, seen it, did it. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Trying to understand: Does being shot at outside the wire while moving to new location count? We were sitting ducks to support our artillery & infantry troops, so talk your trash! 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. He arrived on Yankee Station, Vietnam in early May, 1972 when he was still 17 years of age. The thing is the question/topic here is not how many Vietnam combat veterans are there, or how many Vietnam Era veterans are there; its how many Vietnam veterans are there. the draft board made that very clear. Was in 82nd and served from a firebase up North to near South China Sea down South, remember some names but 53 years. In January 1945, the Bn was attached to the 3d Infantry Division near the Colmar Pocket, south of The Bulge. Just come up with two lists and leave it at that. Who really cares who stepped foot on land. Most of the time as a grunt without a map. There he was wearing my dress uniform jacket SSG, CIB, BS three rows of ribbons 8 years service, 10 overseas hash marks and he had 3 very underage teeny boppers girls smoking weed telling them war stories and bragging about his combat exploits. Serving in combat waters. 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. Ive seen start dates for the VN war as 1954, 1959, 1961, 1964 and 1965. My demons were better left alone and buried away after two tours back to back. How many Vietnam veterans are dying each day? Smokey Platoon. An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. Combat Vet, Vet on ships that never touched country, military who were passing through and were on airport tarmac? https://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. We are not ashamed of our service or the fact we killed and had friends die, far more than we care to remember. He signaled a repeat, and the second rocket impacted on target. Well again, nothing that you have posted tells the story that you were in Vietnam. Next determined those Veterans who were awarded the Vietnam Service ribbon. This situation has been an issue for years longer than any of us has been around. Please do your own due diligence on the American War Library before citing them on ANYTHING, ever. I only spent one overnighter. The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing. 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. Those of us on the battlefield who bled and many died would take issue with your opinion. 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . Are we counted as two people or have they accounted for us already. One other thing I would like to know, when Jane Fonda was sitting on that anti aircraft gun in Hanoi did they let her try to use it. 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. Special Forces orderly room to picked-up theyre new frequencies. Combat Vets and Non Combat Vets. Id like to ask a question. 109, 000 died in the service during this period. Currently, it is estimated with data provided by the United States Census Bureau, that there about 100,000 Oregon Vietnam era veterans alive today. I volunteered for 3 TDY tours 18 months total. As a child I knew several WWII veterans. How many Vietnam veterans are still missing? 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. 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. Good disxussiin. I did work with Korean Troops. Ive often wondered how many of us are left. 9.2 million served on active duty (5 August 1964 to 7 May 1975) 2,590,000 served in the combat zone. I have lived with the 2.7 million number having served in Vietnam all along and believe the Times estimate refers to Era vets having served around the world during those war years. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Im 75 and served in South Vietnam (30 Dec 1967-68) A/504th MP Bn. Born: 09/15/1946. What is left of them is in Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, and they still smell today. Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. Those experiences vs the ones of the rear echelons are grossly different. Was I counted each time or once? I left this Sunday, as other mornings, to make a supply run and a code book and frequency transfer to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB); to gather C-Rations, mail, and most importantly to acquire our new radio codes of the confidential frequencies for this period. He now has a 100% disability as unemployable. 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. 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 am a solid 10. Not affiliated with any government agencies.All Rights Reserved. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The leading cause of preventable death among US military casualties in the Vietnam War was exsanguination from extremity wounds. Lol. . I am a Viet Nam combat veteran. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of . The oldest living Vietnam War veteran is believed to be a man named Larrivee Ronald A , who was born in Feb, 24, 1935. i have read that only one in seven guys that went to Vietnam, were actually in combat. Vietnam 2/722/73.