We hauled cargo to the bases and for a few months I hauled hitest gas to the airbase at DongHa. We did what we felt needed doing. (LogOut/ We dont respect the combat Vets and they shouldnt disrespect us. Here are two additional sources of information (added 9-3-2022) updated in 2021: https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htmhttps://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. I meant any one that stepped foot in I Never got to Korea but I have friends who got a medal for service in Korea. I have had stage III melanoma, stage III squamous cell throat cancer and now stage II bladder cancer. . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The youngest Vietnam War veteran was a 15-year-old child named Dan Bullock. 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. Therefore there are a lot fewer combat veterans from Vietnam. 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. Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? Combat Vets and Non Combat Vets. It caused extreme political unrest and was widely protested. I served until April 28, 1969 !!!!!!!!!!!! If you served in any other places you are a Veteran, ERA is an embellishment of your service. Separately I am working on an article that analyzes how many States are over or under represented in terms of their number of KIAs during and right after the war., Dr. Paul Scipione In WWII and the Korean War, anyone who served in the military was considered a veteran of that war. Numbers can always be manipulated. ******************************************************* Those experiences vs the ones of the rear echelons are grossly different. If they enlisted or were drafted before 1975, they likely are in their late 60s now. To my understanding, Army aviation unitsAssault Companies, Cav Troops, ARA units etc., had the highest casualty rates of any TO & E unit in Vietnam. I would hope they are considered Vietnam combat Vets. As well, those who served in Thailand in late 1973-1975 are often looked down upon as not being real Vietnam Veterans. We are, as we helped conduct many support missions in the region, helped with draw assist during the fall of Cambodia, S. Vietnam and Laos. I volunteered for 3 TDY tours 18 months total. It would cause great pain to them; reminiscent of what occurred to the family of my namesake, my first cousin Dante Michael Puccetti. Unless they kept track by service or SSN, how many Vietnam Veterans are there ? 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. How old is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? From what my son in law says (Apache gunship pilot) they also flew a tremendous number of combat hours everyday, And I know from what few stories he did tell (hes now deceased) they often had mortar rounds incoming. Still, the American War Library continues to verify their accounts and come to more concrete conclusions. Past history shows ALL Veterans of previous Wars were classified as Vets of those wars regardless of where they served. All opinions graciously welcomed. But often, it does. take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . I think The NY Times has conflated he number of Viet Nam veterans with those who served in the military during the years 1960-1975. We did a lot of Ranch Hand missions in the iron Triangle. 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. When you spend most of the time out in the Bad Lands, bad things happen. 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. Seems there are a lot of phony ones out there trying to scam the system which takes away from the true Vietnam Vets. 2500 to 3000 US Air Force troops stationed in Guam, Thailand, and other countries that were involved in the Vietnam War effort. I raised my left leg and body up and pushed off that knee with my left hand. Various percentages of actual Vietnam Veterans is bothersome. Which Statement Best Describes How Americans In The 1960S Felt About The Vietnam War? What was the cause of preventable deaths in the Vietnam War? Id like to ask a question. Its been over 50 years and its time Vietnam Vets stop arching among themselves. 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. 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. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. On this Memorial Day 2021, VA honors their service and recommits itself to . My squad leaderSteve Cook wrote, Dont Cry for Us Saigon. He gives stats. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. Please do all you can to inform our fellow vets that the VA presumes Agent Orange exposure if you were in-country. I do not believe we were counted as vets. I knew I was dying, but I struggled with all my might to stay alive. There are no foolproof questions. I was in 1st Battalion 26 th Infantry HMP 1st Infantry Division in 68 November 68 to January 69. that conversation has stayed with me. Dave V. 1st Battalion, 14 th FA, Americal Division, VN, I Corps. The funny thing,(not so funny) is that when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. 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. my larger point is that , in my opinion, they were veterans. i do not remember the moss but the went on quite a while. after spending 1968 with 3/25 0f 2nd field forces and 1970 with the 1/12 cav. Im still here after all the BS of AO has really messed up my life with illnesses, surgeries ect since 1975, noting problems while I was in Vietnam in 69, and confirmed. Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. Spent a year in training and ended up a buck Sargent airborne ranger. 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. I found out from a vet in 2017, filed in 2018. The 30 September 2007 Veterans Administration estimate places the daily deaths of WWII US veterans at 1,000 per day. 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. The percentage of fatalities that resulted from this was 7.9%. In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. A Vietnam era veteran is certainly not a Veteran of the Vietnam War. The stroke wasnt assumed until after 2000 & heart not until 2010. maybe, maybe not. How many Vietnam vets have died from Agent Orange? Next determined those Veterans who were awarded the Vietnam Service ribbon. They wore the Vietnam Service Medal. There were approx. Age: 84. That means bullets where flying at me and I killed people in combat. By the time I got to vin long the nva was gone and Charlie was pretty much non existent, he new we had snakes, the closest I got to him was when I was on the perimeter waiting for him to crawl thru the wire. I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. So, I must be a VN Vet and VN Era Vet and Cold War Era Vet but not a Cold War Vet because I never got anywhere near the USSR. I do not doubt that it occurred, but can anyone cite a reliable source for this? After Tet it was quiet. Each BUFF had 6 crewmen onboard. He never did ,Thank god ,because I ended up marrying a beautiful woman and we have the most precious and beautiful daughter. Thousands of sorties departed from Thailand, Guam, and from aircraft carriers at sea to kill MIGS, bomb factories and bridges, and generally create havoc. Waiting for a slight pause in the clamor in my ear, I decided to escape towards the cover of the Bush. It served my pain well as a lifeless, mean spirited dark soul destroying everything in front of me. My 2.6 million figure refers to American vets. David, please do not compare this to Merchant Seaman in WWII who braved the many packs of Submarines etc as thgatr uis hgow many died in WWIU, Sorry my spell check went nuts if you were effected by the first or second tour, or as i did, three years back and forth , then you were , are are a veteran. Nebraska Farm Boy, that had to go to County Agent Classes before buying any chemicals. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111. Agent Orange is a Herdicide. Army National Guard: 336,000, https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htm, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/science/how-many-vietnam-veterans-are-still-alive.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War. I dont know why we have to make this simple arithmetic drill so difficult. You guys were the lifeblood of our war effort. 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 Vietnam Vets die per day? Alice, my sister lost hers in Oct 2020 from throat cancer due to agent Orange. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Every grunt I know would say no. BTW, Why would this conservative believe anything the New York Times says anyway! All five of the CIDGs we dropped off that morning filed into the back of the truck, but unlike the cab the back had a canvas top and sides. There was a huge difference between tours of duty also. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. 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. He got a letter from his wife telling him she was divorcing him and marrying his best friend. The report is based on national death certificate data currently available through 2020. Then later we were transferred to Camp Red Ball. She is new to that post, having spent 20+ years as head of coding & analysis at NSA. Most likely Les considers those who werent in-country as REMFs. The dust settled back to normality, as if man did not exist. I was on a boat floating up and down rivers for 19 months. The roar was deafening; through the shattered windshield, I saw the truck go out of control. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. the draft board made that very clear. Jorge Otero Barreto. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. 1st cav div. BAM! Fact: Everyone who served during the Vietnam War are classified as Vietnam Era Vets. 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. I concur with the 610,000 as the 850,000 remaining vets have been used for years and would be much lower by now. Then upon returning I would be stationed in Camp Enari, away from most of the intense fighting, and protected by the whole 4th. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. Did your foot ever touch the ground? Or did you spend 24/7 365 days in the boat? Im a 1967-68 Vietnam combat veteran. So do Vietnam Veterans have twenty-three more years or only ten until the last man falls? How many soldiers died on their first day in Vietnam? The veterans are a very important asset to the country. no disrespect here. 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. As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. to Ken Drombosky in only 6-10 years.. . We and they generally slept in the same bunks in the same tent if we werent up on call during the night. Interesting, no way is 75 percent f real vets are alive today? He was carrying a BAR, killed fighting an infantry action, and the desk jockeys decided he did not meet requirements for a CIB. This could be a simple semantics issue, but what about the Air Force guys who flew over Vietnam. I can assure you there will be those of us alive longer than 10 years from now. 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. The other number of significance is the number of Viet Nam veterans killed by Dow chemical. I wonder how many vets died of one of the cancers on the list before it made the list?

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