casualties increased, some soldiers were overcome by fear. Viet Cong guerillas liked to launch surprise attacks at night or during bad weather in order to gain an advantage over the Americans and their powerful weapons. "Vietnam was a place where the elite went as reporters, not as soldiers," reporter David Halberstam noted. Despite this, a wounded US soldier in Vietnam could expect to be evacuated within an hour of sustaining their injuries. You secure a village, you search it, and you leave, and the village reverts [goes back] to the enemy. Drugs were inexpensive and easy to obtain in Vietnam. By eliminating private property, this system is designed to create an equal society with no social classes. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. "Looking at your watch, counting the days, marking off the days you have left in Vietnam on a little calendar drawn on your helmet," veteran Tim O'Brien remembered of his time on combat patrol. time than any other aircraft in the history of warfare assuming you count actual Specifically, as it relates to western troops vs. Japan/North Korea/North Vietnamese forces. Approximately 5'8" average height. 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Myth: Most Vietnam veterans were drafted. A few years later, we started talking. Evening headlines from the Charleston Gazette-Mail, The latest in travel and recreation around West Virginia, The daily opinion newsletter from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. [McCaffrey], The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE). MacPherson, Myra. For example, the weather in Vietnam tended to be very hot and humid. LANGUAGE: Vietnamese Hed traveled a lot, read a lot and was interesting to talk with.. Fact: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. A government agency called the Selective Service collected the names of all American men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six. Updated: 7 February 2018 In fact, antiwar organizations often held meetings on college campuses to inform potential draftees about their options. On average there were only about 35,000 combat soldiers in Vietnam, on the average. O'Brien compared searching South Vietnamese villages to hunting a hummingbird (a tiny bird that flies very quickly with a darting motion): "You would get to one village: nothing there. Not sure what average There were some legal ways to avoid or delay military service. Some soldiers reacted to their fear, anger, and frustration by treating the villagers very harshly. Rev. Such incidents contributed to the overall decline in the performance of American troops in Vietnam. Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May The building is the Pittman Apartments, a 10 [People], The person who can be seen aiding the refugees was CIA operations officer, Mr. O.B. Item Height: 14.5 cm. In the rice paddies, the U.S. soldiers often slogged through water and mud that came up to their waists. You love your friends in Alpha Companya kid named Chip, my buddy. Richard was my friend and I promised him I would finish the project, Yuzuk said. For example, many of these men inherited strong family traditions of military service and felt it was their duty to join the armed forces. Some of them considered the military a good place to receive training. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. In some cases, racial tensions exploded into violence. Other times they would be dropped off by helicopters in remote and potentially hostile locations. I made a tangentially related post some time ago but I'll repost it below. WebHow much of an impact does the difference in the average size of soldiers between combatants make in 20th/21st century warfare? They also had to deal with swarms of mosquitoes. In the Special Forces height is never a factor. Like the old saying, its not the size of the dog in a fight but the size of the fight in the dog Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Congress while the North Vietnamese were very well supplied by China and the tail number N4 7004, were Bob Caron who lives in Florida and Jack The enemy, the hummingbird that we were after, was just buzzing around. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group." He gave me a friendly nip on the hand and looked at me. Indian army is 57 to 59 and some are 6ft but not all They needed this information to pinpoint their bombing raids. In his new life as a civilian, Flaherty studied at the University of Miami in Florida, but entered a period of despondency after a girlfriend died in a car wreck in 1975. WebThe average age of American troops in Vietnam was nineteen, compared to an average age of twenty-six for U.S. soldiers in World War II (193945). He worked for a while as a confidential informant for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the 80s but he was homeless in Aventura, just north of Miami, by 1990. They would march for days or weeks at a time, carrying heavy packs full of food, clothing, weapons, and ammunition. In the My Lai massacre of 1968, for example, U.S. troops raided a South Vietnamese village and killed between 300 and 400 innocent civilians (see box titled "The My Lai Massacre" in Chapter 12, "Nixon's War (19691970)"). Tran Van Don and the head of the secret police Tran Kim Tuyen. She knows the booby trap is there, but she doesn't warn them. Partly due to their young age and working-class backgrounds, the U.S. soldiers in Vietnam did not tend to be well-educated. [Houk]. Rather than following orders and trying to achieve military goals, some soldiers focused only on staying alive for those 365 days. These studies have concluded that the average U.S. soldier was a 19-year-old man from a poor or working-class family who had not attended college. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/american-soldier-vietnam. As they marched through the rice paddies and jungles, U.S. combat units never knew when enemy forces would suddenly appear. He also weighed less than 100 pounds, further disqualifying him from serving in the Army. Isolated atrocities committed by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage from antiwar critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any attention at all. This soldier of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam is equipped with US weapon, uniform, webbing, and radio pack. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. And I would have died right there with him if he wouldn't have found that wire.". Myth: Agent Orange poisoned millions of Vietnam veterans. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971. The atmosphere back in the United States caused many American soldiers to question their involvement in Vietnam, and to resist the orders of U.S. military leaders. For example, young men who had physical problems, were enrolled in college, worked in an industry that was vital to the war effort, were needed at home to support a family, or joined the National Guard might be granted deferments. War is brutal and not fair. What's the average height and weight of soldiers in different branches of the military? Across different countries? US Marines: Average is 64 tal "If the war was so important, why didn't our leaders put everyone's son in there, why only us?". Marijuana use peaked at 58 percent of U.S. forces during this period, while heroin use He was struck and killed in a hit and run in 2015. As a result, as many as 500,000 U.S. soldiers became addicted to drugs. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border) [Westmoreland], Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam (all services). Part of the problem was that most American soldiers did not understand the South Vietnamese people and culture. In previous wars, U.S. troops were required to serve for the duration of the conflict. However, the date of retrieval is often important. She is pregnant, and she tells an interrogator that her husband works in Danang and isn't a Viet Cong," former marine E. J. That sinister-sounding term was coined after the war) Orange was sprayed at three gallons per acre that was the equivalent of .009 of an ounce per square foot. "The Marines provided them with a guaranteed annual income, free medical care, free clothing, and something else, less tangible but just as valuableself-respect," former U.S. Marine Philip Caputo explains in A Rumor of War. As a result, the morale of American troops was fairly highat first. About 60 percent, or 16 million, of these draftable men avoided service in legal ways. The Wall), Center for Electronic Records, National Archives, Washington, DC, [All That We Can Be] All That We Can Be by Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, [Westmoreland] Speech by General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986 (reproduced in a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Historical Reference Directory Volume 2A). Nearly one-in-seven active-duty members were in the Middle East and North Africa (13%) and 3% were in sub (CACF and Westmoreland), Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. The Washington Post on how to fix freight rail. In the early 1970s, the American public was shocked by a series of news reports about atrocities (acts of extreme cruelty or brutality) committed by U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. He was a tough, determined guy, said David Yuzuk, who befriended Flaherty more than two decades after the war ended, when both were living in Aventura, Florida, a planned community in the suburbs north of Miami. Here are some facts to clear up that poor job of reporting by the news media. You have permission to edit this article. [VHPA databases], Army AH-1G's totaled more than 1,166,344 flight hours in Vietnam. http://www.air-america.org. WebBelow are two tables which report the average adult human height by country or geographical region. [Parade Magazine]. [McCaffrey]. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to the Mountain States Trusted News Source. The average age of U.S. troops in Southeast Asia was 23, and more than 80 percent had a high school diploma, twice as many as the World War II generation. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. Caputo, Philip. "The problem is that those who think the Vietnamese haven't cooperated sufficiently think there is some central repository with answers to all the lingering questions," notes Gen. John Vessey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Reagan and Bush administration's designated representative in MIA negotiations. Images of firefights, bloodied U.S. soldiers and body bags were seen nightly on network television, along with scorecard-like tallies of the number of American and enemy soldiers killed in action. Combat tours in the Vietnam War may have varied in the different US branches (US Marines, US Sailors, US Airmen, US Coast Guardsmen). And you were sort of walking that tightrope the whole time," veteran James Webb recalled in Working-Class War. America in Vietnam. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984. (February 22, 2023). My two brothers served over in Vietnam," veteran Dave Christian told Michael Maclear in The Ten Thousand DayWar. [1996 Information Please Almanac], The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. "Pogo" Hunter who died in 1995. Flaherty led his platoon in a flanking assault on the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted. Since 1973, when U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam, Americans who have served in the U.S. military have done so voluntarily. Two high ranking 1966: U.S. troops in Vietnam increases to 385,300. WebU.S. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Starr, Paul. Lewy, Gunter. Bringing the War Home: The American Soldier in Vietnam andAfter. In the mountains, they exhausted themselves by marching up and down steep hillsides. Encyclopedia.com. The Vietnam War was shortly after China got involved in the Korean war, the time of the Cuban missile crisis, Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe and the proliferation of nuclear bombs. Yet undoubtedly every plane in Laos carried opium at some time, unknown to the pilot and his superiors. Since the draft officially ended in 1973, many people have studied the role it played in determining the racial, ethnic, and social class makeup of the American troops in Vietnam. The final third enlisted because they expected to be drafted soon. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for JXK1/6 North American Gray Wolf Model LXF2209 12" Soldier Accessory Decor Gift at the best online prices at eBay! "I hailed from a steel community and we handed out 29,000 boys from my county alone. Banks recalled to Stanley Karnow in Vietnam: A History. Soviet Union. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. leader; premier of South Vietnam, 196567 When they got back on dry land, they had to check their skin for blood-sucking leeches. Packaging: Original (Unopened) Theme: TV, Movie & Video Games. Scientific research has shown that dioxin degrades in sunlight after 48 to 72 hours; therefore, troops exposure to dioxin was infinitesimal. Free shipping for many products! It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. "You go out on patrol maybe 20 times or more and nothin', just nothin'," a soldier told Time magazine in 1965. troop numbers peaked in 1968 with President Johnson approving an increased maximum number of U.S. troops in Vietnam at 549,500. North Vietnam was to return all American POWs.No more American troops or military supplies were to be sent to South Vietnam. [McCaffrey] Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Feb. 26. In the early years of the war, a young man could automatically be deferred from the draft by_____. They usually started firefights by ambushing U.S. combat patrols. These tiring and unpleasant patrols made up much of an average U.S. combat soldier's experience in Vietnam. only 10 to 20 minutes of that time exposed to hostile fire. Why didn't they care that we were dying for them?" It was a "civilian" (Air America) Huey not Army or Marines. The voting age in the United States changed from twenty-one to eighteen in 1971. Flaherty enlisted late that year. Id known him for 15 years, and this was the first time he ever mentioned the military. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture was Vietnamese. In the rear [non-combat support areas], back at Gator, Chip and I would go our separate ways, by color, both of us ashamed but knowing it had to be that way. killed or wounded by a booby trap. . In some instances, they beat up women, children, or elderly men who refused to give them information. WebThe most iconic helicopter of the Vietnam War, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois was originally designated the HU-1, giving rise to its popular nickname Huey.. Helicopters in . Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam. Maclear, Michael. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. ." 79% had a high school education or better. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Flaherty returned to the U.S. later that year, and graduated from the Armys Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the elite Green Berets. Many pieces. A marker has been ordered for his grave and is expected to be placed early next year. [Burkett] Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of its Heroes and its History by B.G. [VHPA 1993] Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association 1993 Membership Directory page 130. "The American Soldier in Vietnam Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. The pilots who were flying this helicopter, After one tour in Vietnam, Capt. Instead, the local farmers and villagers usually viewed the Americans with distrust or even hostility. 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