That means bullets where flying at me and I killed people in combat. The Vietnam War was the nation's longest and costliest conflict of the Cold War. but some men, like myself , were told by their draft board, go to vietnam on your ship. I went on about 500 missions. CIB. Kenneth, your definition of combat veteran is so wrong on so many levels that it would be funny if it did not besmirch the service of so many good men, alive and dead. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I have read about Canadians coming south to fight in Vietnam but have never seen any real authority to support this. i thank every soldier for their service, i do not exaggerate my actions. Leave your thoughts below in the comment section. It's estimated that tens of thousands of veterans have returned to Vietnam since the 1990s, mostly for short visits to the places where they once served. Our Honor and Integrity are important to each of us. I was in 1st Battalion 26 th Infantry HMP 1st Infantry Division in 68 November 68 to January 69. For US Vietnam Veterans it's about 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets. In country Vietnam Vets are the only Vietnam Vets. Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? Born: 01/29/1945. I am trying to see if the NJ Adjutant Generals Office still has a couple copies around. I was in Vinh Long in 1965, Mekong delta area. Got the scars to prove it too, both physical and mental. Every grunt I know would say no. none more than the ERA Vets. The truth is that until Vietnam veterans can agree amongst themselves what constitutes a real Vietnam vet, the debate may continue. Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. Like you I am sick of ERA Veterans claiming to be in country. Sgt. Clearly, the New York Times is referring to Vietnam-era veterans, not Vietnam veterans. RVN. On Sat, Jun 19, 2021 at 4:22 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: This is a controversial post. You guys were the lifeblood of our war effort. They wore the Vietnam Service Medal. am i two Vietnam veterans or one. Helicopter crewmen did not receive the CIB, but they fought every day. I struck a tree and rebounded into the open again still a sitting duck. I do not like pretenders but do not want to take on the duty of Valor Police. 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. (Mar 1969-Sep 70) 2/23, 196 LIB & 1/23 MP Co, 11 LIB, AMERICAL DIV. There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the specific situation and the individual's age, health, and military experience. Reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs say about 240 300 World War II veterans are still alive in 2021. Im 75 and served in South Vietnam (30 Dec 1967-68) A/504th MP Bn. take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . 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. The funny thing,(not so funny) is that when we carried peaches and beer, no problem. I had a Swedish citizen in AIT, with orders to go to Vietnam. I got in about 20 firefights. But often, it does. It has a life of its own. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Guys like me know the difference. i think the definition should not be restricted by whether you wore khakis or como. The stroke wasnt assumed until after 2000 & heart not until 2010. 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. There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. Apparently, its been agreed upon that 800,000 Vietnam veterans had passed away by the year 2000. This could be a simple semantics issue, but what about the Air Force guys who flew over Vietnam. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. Based on data through September 30, 2020, VetPop2020 provides a projection of the Veteran population at each fiscal year end from 2020 to 2050. 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. Depends on where you were. 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. That is correct, Dow Chemical is responsible for three times as many Viet Nam veteran deaths as the NVA and the VC. Steve That is exactly what I was going to post. nothing exists or will exist in another time. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website the button is located at the top right of this page. I and other merchant marine did. Systematically, a surveyor from the Plei Do Lim (PDL) flash Out Post (OP) had too physically exchanged the old for the new code-book and radio frequencies for the facility. He never did ,Thank god ,because I ended up marrying a beautiful woman and we have the most precious and beautiful daughter. Even more telling is how many Vietnam combat veterans are still alive today? Seems there are a lot of phony ones out there trying to scam the system which takes away from the true Vietnam Vets. To say that the Air Force in Thailand and Guam was too far away to be in harms way shows you have no idea what Navy and Air Force aircrews do. But serving in any capacity in Vietnam makes that service person a War vet. Are we counted as two people or have they accounted for us already. AFAIC, anyone within the bounds of South Vietnam was on the ground. In or out of a compound or an LZ or anywhere else. Sorry for your loss of your loved one. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? 7,484 women served in Vietnam, 83.5% being nurses. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. no problem with the spell checking. Alternatively, to transfigure my destiny. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. References:https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htmhttps://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/science/how-many-vietnam-veterans-are-still-alive.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War, The Armys FY 2023 budget request is ~$177.5 Billion. 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. Change). Had an easy tour given what i was trained for before I got there. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. They wouldnt know the truth even if they tripped over it. Interesting and certainly thought-provoking. The New York Times estimated that, of the 8.4 million Vietnam veterans who were still alive in 2000, 1.1 million had died. Mark Stanley was gone. Then there was peace. nearly every classmate from the academy served on some basis during the vn war. (Operation Ranch Hand) that were loaders and used no protection. We were sitting ducks to support our artillery & infantry troops, so talk your trash! This included Westmorland and Abrahms. Jul 1971-19 Dec 1971) 29th CA Co, XXIV Corps (Danang). 11B20 and proud of it. As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. What was the cause of preventable deaths in the Vietnam War? Was I counted each time or once? 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. What numbers do the VA have? 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. I dont see how there can be any dispute about this. Numbers can always be manipulated. Do you by chance remember a Jim Blackshear? 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. off the ship i went out with airforce on resupply, went out with troops through rubber plantations, ran from gunfire in saigon and chulon. Im sorry I did. John, Well thank God congress got it right putting the definition into law, otherwise those who served there would not be eligible for many VA benefits, particularly Agent Orange claims. A veteran who served in the Vietnam War would be in their early 70s to late 90s today, depending on their birth year. 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. I served in Vietnam from Jul 68 to Jul 69. But I didnt beat him he just left. My new Iraq War novel, Three Wise Men should ne out sometime next year, I was at Camp Eagle, and worked in Production Control. Mekong Delta US Army 1969. NOTE: in 2010 Census 13.2 Million claimed to be Vietnam Veterans. go to the top of this article and choose the magnifying glass and search for Canadians in Vietnam to read an article on this website about them. Everything slowed down, and I was alone, above my body that was thrown into the dashboard hitting with my left side. I knew what life in-store for me in my recovery had- years of pain and disabilities while I waited for my next adventure. Besides, who says anyone can claim this status or that status just because. . @Dea KellyWere you on the ground when this happened? It was all about teamwork, whether you pulled the trigger or not. i spent three years to and fro, with about 2-3 months in vietnam on every trip. Combat veterans will share their experiences with other veterans especially combat veterans (CIB). Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . Motherfucker? In my book, they are all Vietnam Vets, just like the guys back home who never went overseas are WWII or WWI veterans. The ERA Vets know perfectly well that they were neverNEVER..in Vietnam, and that this is nothing but a desperate attempt to gain the respect those men earned. Only military remaining were Marines at the Embassy. Bien Hoa & Phu Bai, two badly polluted areas! The list of cancers gets longer with each passing year. Believe it or not, I still have every pay voucher..and in 1967 Hazard Duty Pay was $65. 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. This is a suicide rate of 1 EVERY 65-80 minutes (APPROX). when we carried ordnance we had to accept 50 cal fire from the shore on the way to saigon. March 29, 1973Part of what was called Operation Homecoming, the first 20 POWs arrived to a heros welcome at Travis Air Force Base in California on February 14. He showed me his DD214 and low and behold it says he was in Vietnam. 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. We grunts do hold chopper crews in the highest regard! Very helpful for this Viet Nam vet, at 73 and a little long in the tooth I I find that my understanding of the time I spent in Viet Nam comes into sharper focus as time goes by and the reality of what happened and what I did to participate makes me proud especially because I volunteered for Viet Nam at the age of 17. We hauled cargo to the bases and for a few months I hauled hitest gas to the airbase at DongHa. The truth is that until Vietnam veterans can agree amongst themselves what constitutes a real Vietnam vet, the debate may continue. Home Kent State University How Many Vietnam Veterans Are Still Alive In 2022? The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 530 Vietnam veterans die every day. I saw plenty of people providing direct combat support to the effort in. I salute all Veterans, and those Pencil pusher, clerks, medics, fire-fighters, etc., all had jobs to do to support everyone, they deserve respect as well, as without them no one should have had the tools necessary to accomplish any mission! RE: WHO are Vietnam Vets ?. and for the most part, we had no weapons.