I have lived with the 2.7 million number having served in Vietnam all along and believe the Times estimate refers to Era vets having served around the world during those war years. Most of the time as a grunt without a map. I am a solid 10. scipione@geneseo.edu, Yes a Vietnam Veteran, but not a Combat Veteran. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I did work with Korean Troops. If one in ten saw sustained combat, then there may be as little as 60,000 of us left! Based on data through September 30, 2020, VetPop2020 provides a projection of the Veteran population at each fiscal year end from 2020 to 2050. Findings are made available to the public in an Annual Report. 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. in only 6-10 years.. . I know the difference, do you ? my larger point is that , in my opinion, they were veterans. That's 390 per day. Does having your ramp down and touching a river bank count as boots on ground while we were not allowed to go off the boat when we were pumping gas to the airbase? Got home after the war, never spoke about my service, never went hunting again, never cut my feeling back on! Been there, seen it, did it. All the millions of other Vietnam Era Veterans are Cold War Veterans. The oldest living Vietnam War veteran is believed to be a man named Larrivee Ronald A, who was born in Feb, 24, 1935. at DaNang If we came in they set up tents to sleep in and had a big blivet bag for a shower. 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. Pop, POP POP. We did a lot of Ranch Hand missions in the iron Triangle. The number of people who are Vietnam veterans in the first place is a number that is widely debated. Enlisted 7/70. Heres my article about Canadians who fought in Vietnam: https://cherrieswriter.com/2015/11/13/lost-to-history-the-canadians-who-fought-in-vietnam/. I served in Quang Tri (70-71) and took two types of Malaria pills. Interestingly, the research concludes that Vietnam veterans seem to be dying at a similar rate to World War II veterans. It could be a Yard, Don Porier, or a sapper. I went into shock and lost conscienceless. My time stands still. How Many Vietnam Veterans are AliveToday? I agree with the conclusion taken by the Website Admin. i sailed with some in vn at the end of the work lives. The Nation supported WWI & WWII, the entire Nation was involved in the war effort. The amount of compensation a Vietnam War veteran can receive varies depending on their individual circumstances, such as their disability rating and the number of dependents they have. Anyone who served during or because of The Vietnam War IS a Vietnam War Veteran. It took about 30 years for the government to acknowledge we were even there. We were sitting ducks to support our artillery & infantry troops, so talk your trash! I do not believe that the question of who is a Vietnam Veteran is that difficult Assignment to a unit stationed in country is 1 criterion, another is the number of days assigned and served in country Combat at sea of pilots from carriers and rescue crews that flew over the country and those downed I think that there are really 2 classes of Vietnam Veterans, combat and non-combat that is a more difficult designation to separate As a combat platoon Sgt engaged in several large battles and many smaller fire fights, nights being mortared with shells exploding in the trees above The VA needs to add one more medical anomaly, Chronic Butt Pucker for all combat veterans. Age: 78. was i a veteran by the numbers? I would say anyone who has drawn Vietnam Hazard Duty pay, 30 dollars for every month or part of any month, in or over country, should qualify. If you are a pretender go stand in front of the mirror and tell that lie one more time so you can watch yourself steal the respect from an actual COMBAT VETERAN A/3/22 3rd Brigade 4th ID Dau Tieng 12/66 to 1/68. But I guess I knew where I was if we were at a base. A Vietnam Era Veteran is everyone who was serving in the military while the Vietnam War was going on. Youll have to look for it, but a long time ago I posted the most recent VA numbers I could find. I flew several hundred sorties in a gunship. Later, and Welcome Home to all Vietnam Veterans!!! Some idiot in DC decided to do this. All the others are Vietnam ERA Vets. I could type and did all the reports. How old are Vietnam vets now? In the article, the writer quotes Patrick S. Brady of Vietnam Veterans of Americas magazine. He earned 38 military decorations during his career, and has been called the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War. I think I know the answer but like youjust being picky. I remember a distorted image of reality. The now call them Vietnam era veterans. Sgt. According to the Department of Defense, infantry soldiers had the highest casualties during the Vietnam War, making infantry the deadliest job in Vietnam. Overall, the death rate of Vietnam veterans seems to be rather consistent if not better than other people their same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The third cancer was the charm as it was declared Presumptively caused by Agent Orange in 2021. When we DEROSed we were given 6-8 pills to continue taking them every week. Our 2003 NJAOC Desk Guide to the unique health issue of Nam vets and our children is still the Gold Standard. it is pointless to debate whether a supply corporal was a veteran. I stomped the gas and the engine roared- the truck jumped forward and bounced crazily and so did, garbing the steering tightly. We just hoped the pilot put us where we were supposed to be. But having said that, here are some sources: I Never got to Korea but I have friends who got a medal for service in Korea. April 1st was my day to rejoin 4th. SP5 Mark Kuzinski 86.6K 296 151 53 53 0 Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day. We did what we felt needed doing. Still, the American War Library continues to verify their accounts and come to more concrete conclusions. Gordon, I agree. take a look at my article titled a pale smoke google it . I do appreciate what they did, from the hero medevacs to those gun ships who flew into madness to help save our asses knowing that mortar rounds fall from above, RPGs & macjine gun rounds were in mass supply with the moniker attached To whom it may concern. ooops !!!! Mark Stanley was gone. How Many Vietnam Veterans Have Been Affected by Agent Orange? Enjoy today's Memorial Day and please take time to "Remember". Makes it worse, they were all wheelchair bound. With an estimated 6 million Vietnam Veterans currently living in the U.S. or abroad, VA remains dedicated to serving all Veterans of the Vietnam Era., All troops were sent home in April 1973. Does receiving a few mortar rounds inside the wire of our compound count? Everything slowed down, and I was alone, above my body that was thrown into the dashboard hitting with my left side. If you were in Vietnam, you were exposed to Agent Orange, period. I served in 67 69 & had stroke in 93 then heart attack in 2002 with 2d in 2004 . 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Guys like me know the difference. I always ask if they know what a fuck you lizard was. how would you define a clerk typist who stayed in saigon and never went into the field. Then later we were transferred to Camp Red Ball. Stolen Valor the American Way! I made a mistake !!!!! Frantically searching to find that one resource in my spirit to survive. Change). and US, 7 Valuable Life Lessons My Navy Dad Taught Me, Understanding The Five Branches of The Military, 3 Things That Could Happen To the Military in a Recession. Who is the oldest living Vietnam veteran? I served as a Navy Corpsman, Fall of Saigon. There is a statistic that has been widely quoted in the veteran community that highlights an estimated 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 530 Vietnam veterans die every day. Perhaps the reason for guys is that there were times we had to drink out of bomb craters that were in areas sprayed with Agent Orange. None of us could have done our job without the support of troops around the globe. 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 could be a simple semantics issue, but what about the Air Force guys who flew over Vietnam. Another long time friend served on the Riverine Force actually served on John Kerrys boat and is mentioned prominently in his book, told me stories about being ambushed, as those boats made a lot of noise. I was there in 69-71 also sprayed Im 74, inlisted 1968 spent 2 tours in Vietnam Im now 73, Comments left by my fellow Vietnam vets are very useful. Forget 1954, let use a true date of 1962 (first advisors) one of the ships i sailed on had a captain that was drunk for 5 months. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. The NOISE ringing in my ears, the torment, the muggy damn heat, and the distance echo of gunfire ALL STOPPED! They are paying on Melathion settlements (Watch TV, and it as on 2 to 3% purity, used inside US) There are no living Veterans that I know of. Did your foot ever touch the ground? Without fanfare or much recognition. 8,113,000 are still alive (May 2000) Post navigation His Engineer company was tasked to fight as Infantry, and they did. From what my son in law says (Apache gunship pilot) they also flew a tremendous number of combat hours everyday, And I know from what few stories he did tell (hes now deceased) they often had mortar rounds incoming. Steve Please do your own due diligence on the American War Library before citing them on ANYTHING, ever. . 997 soldiers997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . So it only makes sense that for those very few of the 9+ million in the service during those years so be able to distinguish themselves. Finally got all the right stuff together; received benefits couple months ago. Me? The insistence to include Vietnam-ErA vets with those who served in-country results in a ridiculous skew to any meaningful stats. The average number of Vietnam War veterans who die each day is 390 deaths. The 30 September 2007 Veterans Administration estimate places the daily deaths of WWII US veterans at 1,000 per day. If I got in the ring with Cassius clay later known as Mohamed Ali. I didnt know that. I read a statistic somewhere that one in seven where in actual combat. Here are two additional sources of information (added 9-3-2022) updated in 2021: https://www.americanwarlibrary.com/personnel/vietvet.htmhttps://news.va.gov/89450/vietnam-war-veterans-honoring-served-memorial-day-2021/. I know . He is absolutely obsessed with military and different men who have served, The definitive statistics come from the VAs Million Vietnam Vets database, which will continue until we are all gone. Okay.Ill be the one to tell it like it is, even though everyone here, as well as everyone else, knows the truth already! YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. It served my pain well as a lifeless, mean spirited dark soul destroying everything in front of me. 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. The politicians and fake news along with the Berkeley professors lost it for the American people after that. scipione@geneseo.edu remember) there will likely be a debate as to how 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. Every veteran has his/her duty station recorded on the individual DD214 or 201 personal military forms. Granted, most of them were deployed for the durationa WWII vet I knew was gone 4 years without coming back to the states. Learn something new everyday. He was shot nine times, while I received the tenth bullet from the ten holes in the windshield. Question Two. In fact, the first two advisors (MAJ Dale Buis and MSG Chester Ovnand) killed by the enemy died in an attack on their base near Bien Hoa on July 8, 1959. Hometown: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Currently, it is estimated with data provided by the United States Census Bureau, that there about 100,000 Oregon Vietnam era veterans alive today. i spent three years to and fro, with about 2-3 months in vietnam on every trip. Scavenger said you had to be fired on in viet nam to be a veteran. To this day, I dont know how I was transported from the right-side dirt shoulder but ending up in the center of the dusty road.