I agree with the conclusion taken by the Website Admin. Combat Veteran means being awarded a CIB. As stated in the previous post I too can spot a fake in 10 seconds. BTW, Why would this conservative believe anything the New York Times says anyway! Got a nice break the last 5 months, got to drive a bird colonel around Chu Lai as he delivered classified info all over the base !!!!! Who really cares who stepped foot on land. (52. years later) All with the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Air Borne Division. Agreed. We were sitting ducks to support our artillery & infantry troops, so talk your trash! So, with the lower estimate of 610,000, over 2.1 million VN vets have died since 1975 thats an average of 44,000/year. I KNOW MY STATS BECAUSE I WAS THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER (20 YRS) on the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission, including four years as Chairman. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. 35th CBSG, 315th CAMS Working on C-123,s. How many ww2 veterans are still alive 2021? I then did a 12 month tour in RVN in 5th SFG. After 20 some years of filing claims and multiple appeals (DAV advocate,) have given up on the VA. Do I count as a real Vietnam vet? Army personnel were awarded VN Service Medals and and Vietnam Campaign Medals. Divarty (how ironic), and with my DEROS (Date I returned to the States) in the end of May boarding The BIG Bird, flying across the Pond and back to the World! 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. Porier was firing from the north, while the three Cobras choppers were engaged the sappers trying to kill me. Once I was threatened with death if I mentioned NAM again. Still, other sources like the New York Times claim the number of Vietnam veterans is actually somewhere around 9.2 million. After Vietnam I hitchhiked for about 12 years. no , i could not quit. 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. next with 1st of 12th cav. 2.4 million man who served in Nam approx. How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? and i remember that we talked about how much we would make if we lost a finger or an arm. I knew place names like War Zone C, Filijo (rubber Plantation), Iron triangle, Bo Lo woods?, I was wounded on the Laos border near a fire base with the 101st. Served most of my time on LZ Professional. I served 2 tours late 1966 to late July 1968, TET and the rest as an infantry platoon sgt Also served in Korea 1963 and considered a Korean war vet as that war has never ended. But having spent a little time thinking about it, I go with the 2m figure. Hell no. It served my pain well as a lifeless, mean spirited dark soul destroying everything in front of me. What that included Im not sure today but understood it to be in naval & in country. 4-39th, 9th Div. Bullets were flying everywhere, and the noise was tremendous. Also, some do not consider those who served in Thailand as Vietnam Vets. 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. There were 7 RoyalThai Air Force bases used during the war, from 1961-1975, three closed between 1972 to 1973. Due to TCDD among other toxic substances, we are dying off faster than other American men born between 1944-1950. I served in 67 69 & had stroke in 93 then heart attack in 2002 with 2d in 2004 . I was confused. in only 6-10 years.. . I needed the rest! Now 69 years/old. Today, the state with highest number of Vietnam veterans is California, with 596,130, followed by Florida with 519,224. Why all this devisiveness. If he was at least in the Army, this might not work. 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. Jul 1971-19 Dec 1971) 29th CA Co, XXIV Corps (Danang). it is much easier to say who was not. The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110. Based on data through September 30, 2020, VetPop2020 provides a projection of the Veteran population at each fiscal year end from 2020 to 2050. This included Westmorland and Abrahms. I was C 3/17 Air Cav. It seems like you are looking at a very narrow view of the division of experiences of those who served in Vietnam. In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. my point is that they were shot at and in country. Do I count as one or three Vietnam Veterans? even when i went out with the airforce on resupply to fire bases. An overwhelming number are buried by family and friends. Just a minor clarification, not all of us were on the groundJust being picky. so the cia men who changed from suits were not vietnam veterams when they went into laos and cambodia? Id like to ask a question. Numbers can always be manipulated. Motherfucker? (Operation Ranch Hand) that were loaders and used no protection. Im going with 2.9 and saying the person who wrote 9.2 has the seing disease whereas they see everything in reverse. 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. There is a MOUNTAIN of difference in each s experience, combat veterans, those of us who lived and died in the jungle muck, snippers, booby traps, mortar attacks, and the battles with dozens killed and scores wounded. NO! Rear echelon? We hauled cargo to the bases and for a few months I hauled hitest gas to the airbase at DongHa. I Never got to Korea but I have friends who got a medal for service in Korea. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? Were you at Saigon firebase when guys set off grenade in APC ? A phantom drifted over and raised me up to unconsciousness. Before I passed out, I was being picked up off the jungle floor by some entity. I could never guess the number of actual Vietnam Vets there are, nor the % still alive. (There are other locations and occupations also, but lets not muddy the waters in this paragraph.) I would not believe the NYT. Good disxussiin. This was with conversations with them while waiting our turn to be seen in the VA. I PULL GUARD DUTY THE FIRST NIGHT ANY ONE EVERY STAYED THERE. it really did not matter, every officer had a masters license. Educate your self and search the web for the last battle of the Vietnam war. Tom Selleck. 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. Just come up with two lists and leave it at that. ahead of me in the next row was a man conversing with another man about two rows ahead of him. maybe, maybe not. i served and i was affected like nearly every other person who spent time there. Interestingly, the research concludes that Vietnam veterans seem to be dying at a similar rate to World War II veterans. I agree Vietnam vets are fewer. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Be content with your service, and leave it there. Smokey Platoon. Please do your own due diligence on the American War Library before citing them on ANYTHING, ever. Many Vietnam Vets do not even know about the secret operations from Thailand, now declassified, that probably helped save their rears during some of their combat operations. It caused extreme political unrest and was widely protested. Editorial comment by website administrator: Personally, Im going with the 610,000 estimate of 2 yrs. the draft board made that very clear. it eas a very loud high pitched, not human and the sound was fuck you. BTW, Marys father was a Marine in Nam and died when she was only a few years old. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. for the sake being more realistic, I served from June 1962 to April 20 1970, and was always told it will vary from 1 in 7 to 1 in 10. 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. 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. Return to reality. I served until April 28, 1969 !!!!!!!!!!!! i sailed with some in vn at the end of the work lives. Please do all you can to inform our fellow vets that the VA presumes Agent Orange exposure if you were in-country. This is a suicide rate of 1 EVERY 65-80 minutes (APPROX). I served in an artillery unit. But the bad news is that Charlie knew exactly where they were . Number who served in country and number who served DURING the Vietnam War regardless of where they were deployed. I am a Proud US Army Veteran retired in 1984. drafted in 1966, Vietnam 1967-68 with the 1st infantry Division.now 75!!!! What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? The 9 million was the total number of people in the military during 64-75 . However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979. I was C 3/17 air cav. To that we can add those who served in adjacent waters and countries, but 2.6 is likely the closest figure to those in country. These are numbers never heard before & I would not include those before the advisers were sent over in the early/mid 60s. 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. My question, How many guys are I still alive refers to the ones who were in direct combat action? Of the nearly 3Mil that served, only one in twelve were in fire fights. My mom had all three sons in the war my twin brother and i were drafted he got combat I got artillery the younger one joined the air force . Agent Orange is impacting that timeline and those serving around the world were not affected by this wonderous life-robbing gift. VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates that there are approximately 6.1 million living Vietnam War-era Veterans, as of 2021. I spent 3 separate tours in Vietnam. Why cant you be just a proud Veteran. as soon as it was ammo or arms, we were machine gunned where ever we went. Its possible that the youngest living Vietnam Veteran may be 61 years old. Ive often wondered how many of us are left. As I started to slowly stagger upright towards the opposite side of the road, trying with all my might to gain my balance, I went down hard. I find it best not to remember that time. Apparently, its been agreed upon that 800,000 Vietnam veterans had passed away by the year 2000. to Ken Drombosky I suppose we were rear echelon, but I dispute anyone calling us REMF. (Mar 1969-Sep 70) 2/23, 196 LIB & 1/23 MP Co, 11 LIB, AMERICAL DIV. I submit, we should use the same standard for Vietnam. Some where along the way after returning home & towards, if not after the end of involvement, the number Id heard/read was 5 million US military served. Having served two tours on the ground, as they say, I find it depressing. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. I served in Vietnam from Jul 68 to Jul 69. we got one daily the other one weekly. Vietnam 2/722/73. I asked him to give me his number, he did not put a number on it just that he was Not. It revises and replaces the estimate and projection in VetPop2018. RVN. It took about 30 years for the government to acknowledge we were even there. Hunter killer division. Is It Hard To Get Into Kent State University? Nha Trang (TET 68), I was also at LZ Bayonet. Age 20y 11mo. We had it good compared to grunts..tdy pay, flight pay, combat pay plus side gigs. The 25th Infantry Division, in III Corps, issue two different Malaria Pills. Often cited as the last verified American POW from the Vietnam War, Garwood was taken to North Vietnam in 1969, and reportedly was released in 1973 along with the other U.S. POWs as part of the Paris Peace Accords. TRUE, yes more may have had a mortar or rocket land in the vicinity, or heard a sniper round shot, but the manpower rule is 1 out of 7 10 is an actual seek out and engage the enemy, tip of the spear veteran. This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. I knew what my death would mean to my mother, my father, and the rest of my family and friends. I always felt this was the maximal danger of the trip. what i am saying is that there were all kinds of service, and if you think the definition is being in country and being shot at, then i qualify and so did my shipmates. Has every CIB wearer actually done that? Sobering Statistics Concerning Vietnam Vets As of April 2016 . And just as the bell rang he got out of the ring , technically I won the fight. Where is this one in twelve figure from? In addition, the US lost two F-111As, three F-4s, two A-7s, two A-6s, one EB-66, one HH-53, and one RA-5C. More than 300,000 Veterans were wounded during the Vietnam War. The total goes up every day. Was back at LZ Bayonet the last part of my tour after being medevaced off of Professional and in the hospital at Chu Lai. NO, some who got to sleep in the same bed night after night, yet were low slow flying targets by day are NOT REMF. He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. 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. As an analogy I will use familiar figure of that time. I managed to stand again, stepped, and hurled myself into the jungle. 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.Vietnam Veterans by State 2022. When we find that number we can start to determine those of us still standing. stay safe. Then there was peace. Splitting out the numbers of combat and era vets are separate questions. My performance as Dante Michael Anthony Puccetti was at its close, and resembling the theater, I was ready to take my curtain call. 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. U failed to remember the last name on the Wall was in 1975. hello, So do not throw stones at some who got to lay in the same bunk night after night, just because we slept in a dirty hole night after night. Lying on my back in the underbrush, watching the blue sky, bleeding on the jungle floor alone. We dont forget, and resent the tail gating by those who, during the war, did all they could to avoid it, and now desperately hope others will conveniently forget this fact, and give them some of the respect they never earned. In 2019, the most . Korea had 2 divisions in Vietnam The White Horse & Tiger Divisions The Australian Military was also present but I do not know the numbers There could be others. For a mile or so the road cut through the jungle like a tunnel; the vegetation brushing against the sides and roof hid what lurked in the shadows. I knew I had to stand up again, even though I made a better target; my staying in the open road would be a death sentence. Floyd James ThompsonHe was one of the longest-held American prisoner of war in U.S. history that was returned or captured by troops, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the forests and mountains of South Vietnam and Laos, and in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Hometown: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. I have read about Canadians coming south to fight in Vietnam but have never seen any real authority to support this. GREAT The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". I pulled up to the local tailor shop to fix some of my fatigue pants. Separate war. Assuming were talking solely about U.S. Vietnam veterans, all I would add is that anyone who served in the military and entered the war zone is technically a Vietnam veteran. And though did not serve in actual combat, as you describe it, we were shot at & mortared on occasion. Exhausted! That makes more sense. I rode river patrol boats from 1968-9 we were on the rivers but we were there 24hours a day days a week. These numbers have come about due to the extensive research of various mortality indexes and sources by the American War Library which concluded that about one-third of those who served in the Vietnam War are still alive today. Door gunner with the 191st AHC Bounty Hunters. 610,000 figure is more accurate., NYT was referring to VN Era Veterans. Why do the vets who served during the Vietnam War era have to be so devisive? What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam? He was a Private First Class who was killed in action in the Second World War. One of the things that really bothers me is the statement that we lost in Vietnam? for most of it i listened but not wanting to interfere. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. However, typically, the number of World War 2 veterans who die each day is approximately 100. How old are Vietnam vets now? I was a REMF but was on my 4th pair of boots. BAM! The New York Times, as always, gets it wrong. I and other merchant marine did. While that's a staggering figure is, the actual amount could be higher. I can smell a fake and phony 10 seconds after we meet !!!!! The report is based on national death certificate data currently available through 2020. The difference David, is that you could quit at any moment, most Veterans who served in Vietnam did not have that choice. What numbers do the VA have? So that means probably from 700,000 to 800,000 of us are still alive. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. All others should not be accepted to have served either on land or at sea in Vietnam. I do not know where that number 1 in 14 came from, but in my time in the Army 1962-1970 it was in the range of 1 in 8 to 10 using the total manpower % . A few people were killed. The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing.