10 1/2 months in the bush. S/F, There were no door gunners on dustoffs. PDF Mortality Rates and Life Expectancy of Veterans from 1980 to 2017, and On the march, they saw first-hand the horrors of the war they were fighting, dead and maimed bodies of Allies and the enemy, many of them scarcely recognizable as human. The Army continues to build upon its training for fire team members with more time in the field, including tactical training that focuses more on squad formations. I know this is a standard cliche, but it is so true, All gave some. For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. Before I became a team leader on ambush and recon I was in command of the scout jeep for the 25th ID resupply convoy from January 1968 to June 15, 1968 and I found the resupply convoys a lot more dangerous because the enemy always knew where it would be and when. It was just part of the job. My shit got weak and a sniper popped three rounds in my young ass. Their experience as front-line combat infantry was invaluable in training new recruits in what they could expect when it became their turn at the front. However, you do receive added pay bonuses for rank and years of service. I credit my longetivity to great training at Ft Benning. both tours. They served in squads, led by a junior officer and experienced sergeants, slogged through and slept in mud and snow, maintaining contact with the enemy, taking and holding ground. This is excellent! Regardless, several civilian jobs are comparable such as: Soldiers should consider enrolling in the Army PaYS program following retirement. Our patrols were typically about 14 hours 24/7 We operated of old LSTs and large barges. means: 1 gets killed the 1st second, another one after 9 seconds avg. located on the South End of, the Post. Engineer OSUT is 14 weeks long. John Doever I was never hit by enemy fire even though they had multiple opportunities after that I was an rto for the company commander and I have to say both jobs were not fun. The name came from the labels painted on the sides of the cars, which in French read 40 Hommes chevaux 8 meaning 40 men or 8 horses. Soldiers also act in the mobilization of vehicles, weaponry, troops, and more. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. I carried the PRC-25 for most of a year. A Co, 1/5 Cav, 1 Cav Division. Mech. What is the average life expectancy of a combat medic? EIB - A day in the life of an infantryman. Correct. There is no guarantee that recruits going through 11X Infantry Enlistment Option will become MOS 11B. His clothing alone weighed more than twenty pounds. (Petty Officer 2nd Class. Thank God I made it. I look over to The young Americans soon learned the essential words in French to address their immediate concerns, such as mademoiselle, vin, biere, and other useful phrases and terms. Marching through rain and mud, or in snow, soaked the feet, making them susceptible to blisters and trench foot. As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. An interesting essay, even more interesting are the comments. Lucky you. He used. (tirotactico.net). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_losses_of Of the American combat troops which served on the continent of Europe during the Second World War about 15% were frontline infantry. The article was interesting. Operation Military Kids was founded to be a resource for teens and young adults who are interested in joining the military, but don't know where to begin. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 4:00 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: A friend recently sent me the link to an article > claiming that the life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War > was only 5 seconds. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- 2 (January 1944) What the Soldier Thinks, no. The Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun was sometimes carried by a non-com to give a squad more firepower in the field, but it was not deployed as heavily as films and television depict due to its poor penetrating power and its weight. He was killed in an ambush along with three others. Depending on the severity of a wound, an infantryman injured in combat could find himself directed to a medical facility which was established in five levels or echelons. As an Infantryman, you may be listed as an MOS 11X. [1] However, this claim is as much an indictment of US Army personnel practices and miscalculations as it is an indicator of tank crew losses. 1st Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War It was rugged, reliable, and in the hands of a marksman deadly. RTO, John Scheur. Dont know why, but generally, their aircraft were not armed (door gunners, etc.). During mobilization in the military, it is not uncommon to have skills associated with landmine warfare, anti-armor techniques, urban terrain, squad tactical training, as well as the operation of M203 grenade launchers. They were marched or trucked to holding areas, where they encamped in accordance with their division procedures to await the arrival of their heavy equipment and logistics facilities. 10 Answers Out of thousands of men that invaded that town in southern Afghanistan, we have lost 19. They were also in a circular formation. We had 5 kias and roughly 50 wounded in our company so about one in three got hit. The Infantry makes up approximately 15% of the Armys total force. They learned to spend the night in foxholes back to back with another squad member, giving them a 360-degree range of vision, and creating the term, Ive got your back. In the case of a night attack, the men could not exit the bags quickly, and most infantrymen quit sleeping in them, preferring to stay on top of the bag and cover themselves with their overcoat or blanket. Take out the power center, youve got the edge. I told by RTO that i could carry my own radio, When he agreed he was humping ammo. We killed a lot of the enemy but we took few serious casualties. Soldiers also learn basic combative training including hand-to-hand combat and tactical combat casualty care (TCCC). As an infantry platoon Sgt of a platoon made up of all draftees my age 21 plus or minus a year We fought the largest single one day battle of the war March 21, 1967 known as the Battle of Soui Tre, fire support base Gold operation Junction City, that base was commanded by LtCol John Vessey of the 2/77 FA Vessey was a 25 year veteran of WWII fame with a DSC at Anzio, and on this day he was looking at the end of his career after that tour in Vietnam. Their war was what they encountered. Roger Loves you too, Im sure. Stops on the march of more than a few minutes were to be used to grab any sleep they could. He then said that they were generally on patrol moving through their area, both attacking and being attacked depending if the VC knew their location. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans were estimated to live 21.4 and 26.1 life-years, 1.4 and 0.3 more life-years for Korean Conflict Veterans, and 3 and 1.5 more life-years for Vietnam Era Veterans for male and female, respectively. Army Giving Robotic Combat Vehicles More Firepower Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. Life of the Civil War Soldier in Camp | American Battlefield Trust Very interesting I carried theM 60 for 5 months that gun would cut down anything. I was a helicopter pilot We were in2dBn 503d . When US troops encountered German units with multiple automatic weapons, the US Army changed its approach, and authorized two BARs per squad, though in practice this was difficult to achieve due to the weight of additional ammunition which had to be carried by other squad members, and which led to some non-coms favoring the Thompson to counter the German automatic fire. In our spare time we did medevacs and medcaps for the local communities and when required inserted SEALs . Infantrymen are renowned for being great at handling high-stress situations and are often natural-born leaders. I think convoy truck drivers had one of the most dangerous job. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. First thing we did was, Set up a complete circular perimeter. Amen I was a machine gunner for 7 months 503rd infantry 173rd airborne and you hit the nail right on the head. 2 tour Nam Vet, Free Sample first six chapters of Cherries both Written and Audiobook, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran. As mentioned, who kept track of that in the first place? Infantrymen in France and Germany frequently encountered such temporary graves, most of which when found was opened and the body reinterred in cemeteries in Europe, where many still lie today. Related Article 5 Best Combat Jobs In The US Navy. Total fantasy. For example, life expectancy of male and female Veterans with household incomes less than $20,000, at age 25, are estimated to be 3.9 and 2.2 less life-years than those of $50,000+ income, respectively. The future being unknown, the possibility of hours of sleeplessness was always present, and catnaps were a necessary precaution against hours of exhausting activity. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. An infantry platoon commander in combat had an average of 6 weeks life expectancy. Copyright 2023 www.OperationMilitaryKids.org. The American army traveled to Europe by ship, and by a wide variety of ships including troop transports designed and built for the purpose, Liberty ships, converted freighters, and the great ocean liners of the Allies.