But what factors influenced how many times a man had the opportunity to engage the enemy during his time in Southeast Asia? 23% had fathers with professional, managerial, or technical occupations. The North Vietnamese Army went to extraordinary lengths to remove their dead from the field of battle because they did not want the US to discover their true battlefield losses. When asked what portion of their fellow soldiers fired during any given engagement, the veterans estimated that about 84 percent of a unit's men armed with individual weapons (rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, shotguns) and approximately 90 percent of those manning crew-served weapons (generally the M-60 machine gun) did so. Can you guess its meaning? Respected researchers interviewed those who had accompanied him in World War II and also pored over his personal notes during the mid-1980s. During that year, 1,928 soldiers died in the Vietnam War. When asked what portion of their fellow soldiers fired during any given engagement, the veterans estimated that about 84 percent of a units men armed with individual weapons (rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, shotguns) and approximately 90 percent of those manning crew-served weapons (generally the M-60 machine gun) did so. Most of those who perished were in the lowest of three levels in what was then the largest aircraft in the world. They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days, he said. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. By service period, Post-9/11 veterans were the youngest with a median age of about 37; Vietnam Era veterans had a median age of about 71; and World War II veterans were the oldest with a median age of about 93. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia . Only about 5,000 men assigned to Vietnam deserted and just 249 of those deserted while in Vietnam. The remaining 34 provinces accounted for just 21% of US KIA. Several of those I spoke with were from media outlets that had names containing words such as. 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will. This widget requries the Arqam Lite Plugin, You can install it from the Theme settings menu > Install Plugins. Over the past three decades The War Library has heard from a thousands of individuals claiming they served in military or combat operations either on land or at sea in Vietnam. Largely due to his influence, noncommissioned officers and officers sent to Vietnam at the beginning of the American buildup were concerned that their soldiers and Marines would not fire at the enemy. Pop! (Answered), What Percentage of Military Marriages End in Divorce? To put Vietnam in its proper perspective it is necessary to understand that the US Military was not defeated in Vietnam and that the South Vietnamese government did not collapse due to mismanagement or corruption, nor was it overthrown by revolutionary guerrillas running around in rubber tire sandals, wearing black pajamas and carrying home made weapons. These men managed to virtually destroy 3 NVA Divisions, but on 17 Apr 75 sheer numbers and the weight of the Mass overwhelmed them. It was apparently based on an estimate that 800,000 Vietnam-era veterans had died by 2000. Units on intelligence collection operations frequently let a threat pass by unmolested. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. According to 2019 statistics, only 10% of the entire military force engage in battle. The percent of the military that sees combat also varies with factors, such as the military branch you are in. What month is the cheapest to fly to vietnam? 90 to 95 percentThe Army then changed its combat training to desensitize soldiers to the humanity of the enemy. Therefore, the number of actual "trigger pullers" added up to 67,600. That was true locally, in that a given village or region habitually had more contacts than did others in the vicinity. Pat Sajak is a Vietnam War Veteran and was the host of "Good Morning Vietnam". The chances that a man would die during his first three months in Vietnam were virtually equal to those for the last nine months of his tour combined. Finally, one veteran recalled his simply being outgunned as he stood naked on top of a shower stall put-ting water in. The issue was important enough to investigate rigorously. This was supposedly done to illustrate Life's concern for the sanctity of human life; American human life. At that time black males of military age constituted 13.5 percent of the American population. Not surprisingly, American units (and the French before them) suffered their largest numbers of casualties during these late winter and spring months. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. They still airlift America's wounded back to the safety of military bases overseas, aiding in the overall survival rate of our wounded warriors. Several of those I spoke with were from media outlets that had names containing words such as Times, Time, USA, Globe, Tribune, etc. How were australian soldiers treated when they returned from vietnam? They included assistant machine-gunners, whose first responsibilities were to load an M-60 and help the gunner to identify targets. List of 8 Bases, What Happens if You Refuse a Military Draft? My tank tracks were choked up with skin and hair and blood. Vietnam War troops hated the M16 and dubbed it the "Mattel 16" because it felt more like a toy than a battle rifle. In at least one instance a man turned to point out an enemy soldier rather than firing as he should have. ", In a early report the U.S. embassy indicated possibly 100 of the children. The province that claimed the most Americans killed was Quang Tri, which bordered on both North Vietnam and Laos. You can browse through our list of the thoroughly hand-picked series of gear that is military-complaint. I am Everett Bledsoe, taking on the responsibility of content producer for The Soldiers Project. What percentage of vietnam veterans are affected by ptsd? Eight members of the Air Force crew perished in the crash. Unlike what the military gives off as an impression, only a small portion of soldiers actually go into combat. 88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000) were black; 1% belonged to other races. The fact is that top-notch features are quite expensive, but some of , If you are a man of the outdoors, you know perfectly well how a good-quality headlamp is essential. In all those years, he never once fought against the Americans. Other items: Only 25 percent of the US Military who served in Vietnam were draftees. If you are about to enlist or want to learn more about the U.S military, you will like this article about what percentage of the military sees combat. During this fight, the ARVN 18th had 5,000 soldiers at Xuan Loc. Sept 1974: North Vietnamese hold special meeting to evaluate Nixon's resignation and decide to test implications. The Galaxy had taken-off from Tan Son Nhut airbase and had reached analtitude of approximately 23,000 feet and was approximately 40 miles fromSaigon when it's rear clamshell cargo doors blew off crippling its flight controls. The end came in the form of a cross border invasion. Although the habitual coward was rare, 80 percent of those explaining why a fellow soldier did not fire cited fear as one of the causes. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. His selection of South Vietnam's army as the Center of gravity could have been written by General Carl von Clausewitz himself. In Vietnam there was never any mass evacuation of US Marine, South Vietnamese or Allied troops. Day in, day out it did not matter how long they had been soldiers, how many months of combat they had seen, or even that the enemy was about to overrun their position. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? The answer is simple. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Remember, that is not 10 to 20% of the total. 60% are under the age of 34. I threw the water can at the enemy, but the round fell way short.. Ce dernier bilan comprend a la fois les victimes de la guerilla vietcong et les soldats nord-vietamiens qui les eacute paulaient. A high percentage of Vietnam vets (perhaps 40%?) General Dung's account of the final battle for South Vietnam reads like it was taken right out of a US Army manual on offensive military operations. In WWII at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, the Germans overran elements of the US Army. In addition, Congress cut off all AID to the South Vietnamese and would not provide them with as much as a single bullet. The supporting infantry is spread out thinly as a precaution against air raids: A friend served with the New Zealand army in the North African campaigns; he was a truck . (Vietnam veterans are dying at about the same rate as their WW2 fathers.) To put this in perspective, consider that the population of the US was 220 million during the Vietnam War. Jan 1975: North Vietnamese capture Phuoc Long provincial capitol of Phuoc Binh. "Deeds need to be done in addition to words," says Wowwk, who is 100 percent. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. 66% of Viet vets say they would serve again, if called upon. 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. Once the dodging anti-war numbers started climbing through the stratosphere it was not in the media's interest to say something good about Vietnam to an audience that was guilt ridden with shame and a deep psychological need to rationalize away the true source of their guilt. A conventional army made up of seventeen conventional divisions, organized into four army corps, overran Saigon. The best estimate that the Department of Defense can conclude is that between 2,709,918 to 3,173,845 GI's served in-country and in-waters Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 (this does not count the handful of Americans who served in Vietnam during WW2). How to Make Sap Gloves Out of an Ordinary Pair? In Vietnam no US Military units were overrun and no US Military infantry units or tank outfits were captured. Similarly, good tactics at times meant that a soldier did not use his primary weapon, if he engaged at all. It's out of place in the American psyche, and it continues to fester in much the same way battle wounds fester when shrapnel or other foreign matter is left in the body. In what was described as a "massive explosive decompression" near Vung Tau, the pilot lost control of his flaps, elevators & rudder. On average, two 1st Cavalry Division soldiers awoke to their last sunrise every day of the 612 years the unit was in Vietnam. How old is the average Vietnam vet? 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