Pre-9/11 veterans are more likely to say they frequently felt proud of their service than are post-9/11 veterans (70% vs. 58%). It is evident that the vast majority of those whose duties put them in harms way fired when the situation dictated they should do so. Since Vietnam was the most recent U.S. war, its veterans were the men who could provide answers to critical questions addressing willingness to fire. The apparent problem was not of the magnitude Marshall had reported for World War II, but losing the firepower of so many soldiers was still no small matter. In the course of that battle, Hitler's General Rommel (The Desert Fox) inflicted 3,100 US casualties, took 3,700 US prisoners and captured or destroyed 198 American tanks. 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. 2023 Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 310, VVA310.orgAll rights reserved. It was not unusual for an ambush party to let the enemy pass because the Americans were so greatly outnumbered that engaging would have led to disaster. In the Sorrow of War, author and NVA veteran Bao Ninh writes of this battle: Remember when we chased Division 18 southern soldiers all over Xuan Loc? Nearly 75% of the public agrees it was a failure of political . Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. A conventional army made up of seventeen conventional divisions, organized into four army corps, overran Saigon. 1. Victor Ubach, a Pan American World Airways pilot who was flying behind and above the crippled Air Force plane said the C-5A pilots "had done one heck of a job" to avoid a worse disaster. Reading Athenas Dance Card: Men Against Fire in Vietnam, https://www.historynet.com/men-against-fire-how-many-soldiers-fired-weapons-vietnam-war/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, How Operation Homecoming Was Sprung into Action to Repatriate American POWs. The overwhelming majority of Americans killed, died in border battles against regular NVA units. Some American soldiers reacted to their situation by lashing out violently against the Vietnamese, while others took out their anger on U.S. military leaders. # 6: The 1st Brigade-5th Infantry Division. Of those who enlisted, 79 percent had high school diplomas. It was apparently based on an estimate that 800,000 Vietnam-era veterans had died by 2000. The 1st US Marine Division was driven from the Chosin Reservoir and forced into an emergency evacuation from the Korean port of Hungnam. That number was reasonable: About 9.2 million Americans served in the military during the Vietnam era . 5,283 lost. Additionally, the Vietnam Service Medal has never been 'classified' it is not secret. The United States Archives and other sources suggest that between 25 and 50 American soldiers a year were bitten by snakes during the war in Vietnam. What Does Landline Mean in the Military? At 5,000 feet Capt. Casualties tell the tale. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? Remember, that is not 10 to 20% of the total. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. The Vietnam force contained three time as many college graduates as did the WW II force. An amazing 92 percent of U.S. troops wounded on the battlefield will survive their injuries. If you wish to share any thoughts, leave a comment. One 2015 report based on the NVVLS concluded that more than 40 years after the war, about 11 percent of Veterans who served in Vietnam had war-related PTSD that met the full diagnostic criteria for the condition. In total, 7,243 African Americans died during the Vietnam War, representing 12.4% of total casualties. (Vietnam veterans are dying at about the same rate as their WW2 fathers.) One of their own made a rather astute observation to the effect that they all were smitten (to one degree or another) by a sort of hazy Namstalgia and as a result, had no intention of straying far from those comfortable notions that had been the very foundation of their collective writing and reporting successes (interestingly enough the original meaning of the word nostalgia was to express sadness and guilt!). Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Add either a mommy or a poppa, and throw in another sympathizer in the form of a girl (or boy?) limbs, 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. By comparison the single bloodiest day in the Vietnam War for the Americans was on 17 Nov 65 when elements of the 7th Cav (Custer's old outfit) lost 155 men killed in a battle with elements of two North Vietnamese Regular Army regiments (33rd & 66th) near the Cambodian border southwest of Pleiku. Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher than, in WWII and 70% higher than in Korea. The Hanoi government revealed on April 3 that the true civilian casualties of the Vietnam War were 2,000,000 in the north, and 2,000,000 in the south. Les preacute ceacute dentes estimations de source occidentale faisaient eacute tat d'un bilan de 666.000 morts parmi Ies combattants Vietnamiens. With that, you have reached the end of this short article about what percentage of the military sees combat. A quick synopsis of America's Vietnam experience will help summarize and clarify the Vietnam scenario: 1965 - 1967; Buildup of US Forces and logistical supply bases, plus heavy fighting to counter Communist North Vietnamese invasion. 12.1% (5,711) were black; 1.1% belonged to other races. The province that claimed the most Americans killed was Quang Tri, which bordered on both North Vietnam and Laos. Why did the US lose the war in Vietnam? Veterans repeatedly cited how vulnerable the new man was until he had a chance to learn the ropes after arriving in the combat theater. By comparison, at the peak of the War there were 545,000 US Military personnel in Vietnam. Median age is 68 years. Lastly, all Vietnam War operations were declassified in 1993 by US President William Jefferson Clinton, who with USSR President Boris Yeltsin, publicly agreed in signed documents to de-classfy ALL military operations conducted by both countries dating back to WW1 for the specific purpose of accounting for an individual's war service or MIA/POW status! Time likewise played its part. | CherriesWriter, Your email address will not be published. On this Memorial Day 2021, VA honors their service and recommits itself to . However, when they are newly bought, these boots can be very uncomfortable, making it hard to perform well in them. Do not let the movies fool you. On 17 Mar 75 the NVA Sixth and Seventh Divisions attacked Xuan Loc but were repulsed by the ARVN 18th. Your email address will not be published. It is also obvious that this increase is being driven by consumer demand. Historian Chen Jian wrote Although Beijing's support may have fallen short of Hanoi's expectations, without the support, the history, even the outcome, of the Vietnam War might have been different.. An armor battalion had 204 tankers (3 companies per battalion with 68 tankers per company). WW II again. . And, until the records containing those distortions and falsehoods are closely examined and corrected, America's perception of Vietnam will continue to linger and fester in the nation's conscience. However, most of them were logistical / support types. The charge that the poor died in disproportionate numbers is also a myth. And it should be no surprise that at times fear kept men from firing. Additional information was derived from the sources listed at the end of this document. 7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam. Several of those I spoke with were from media outlets that had names containing words such as. When asked for his reaction to McNamara's book In Retrospect, Clinton's response was I feel vindicated. (of his cowardly act of dodging the draft). Error Can not Get Tweets, Incorrect account info. Contrary to popular belief, they turned in an outstanding performance and accomplished their mission. Over 25,000 orphans were in South Vietnam in April of 1975. Military Terms Explained. The Battle of Xuan Loc; Mar 17 - Apr 17, 1975 & The End. The list is not exhaustive, but it helps to explain why a unit might have several men not engaging despite being under fire. Regulations proscribed men in those positions from carrying weapons, though some felt compelled to do so in a war in which medics and chaplains, who were not legitimate targets under accepted rules of war, were shot and killed nonetheless. Why? Conversely, in 1975 when Soviet armor rolled across the international borders of South Vietnam, the US military response was nothing. WINNING & LOSING: 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia . The average age of the G.I. The second basic group consisted of others who accompanied those of the first group. The BTA is about commerce, contracts and money. Multi-million dollar salaries are not paid to people for reporting the news, in any form, be it written, audio or video. His war was strictly a Vietnamese affair. In the case of the second group, vital duties were left undone if on contact these men first raised rifle to shoulder or drew a pistol to engage. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The people did rise, but in revulsion and resistance to the invaders. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. A man could be pinned down by heavy and accurate incoming fire. How was australia involved in the vietnam war? These alternatives were means of dealing with a threat without compromising firing positions. He tells of being drafted into the North Vietnamese Army in 1968 and fighting for nearly seven years. They are largely owner managed, lean and fiercely competitive. Soviet armor, burning Soviet gas and firing Soviet ammunition. For years there has been controversy over how many Vietnam veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder -- a psychiatric condition that can result from experiencing a terrifying danger. 97% of Vietnam era vets were honorably discharged. Most of the time, they are referred to as wings. However, that does not mean their job is a breeze and their contributions are futile. Time influenced fatalities in another way, too. Why did so many not fire? For those who think that Vietnam was strictly a civil war, the following should be of interest. 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