Since 9/11, patriotic gestures, like wearing flag pins and saying, Thank you for your service, have become common, as more troops are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? A fellow soldier in the 134th assault helicopter company with me shot and killed himself just down the hall from where I slept while I was sleeping. The Obituaries in the Veteran Magazine published by Vietnam Veterans of America, a highly credible organization, have a long list of birthdays between 1946-50. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! In war, there are no unwounded soldiers No more mr. Nice Guy. Theres one, just like the ones that we used, painted red, hanging from the ceiling at the Pima Air Museum. IE 11 is not supported. Pu u Owaina in Hawaiian. SFC (Ret.) In Country, that empty feeling was with me for years, until I worked for the Dept. I would like to see how much that differs from the civilian population and are they no. Born: 09/15/1946. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Part of the reason was economic. Since 1988, The War Library has been making efforts to confirm the names of all United States military personnel who served in Vietnam or who were awarded the Vietnam War Service Medal. Magazine, the Public Information Office, and the HQ CP Forward Observer 101st Airborne 1971 Because they will be OLD and it their turn. Be safe and well Welcome Home None of that, he says, prepared me for the reception at home upon our return.. It is believed that less than 850,000 of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam are still living today; the age of the youngest American Vietnam veteran is around 60 years old. i cam back from nam in july of 70 all my decorations and cbi badge and never heard or spit upon, i think a lot of this is bullshit!!! Mike. I know a man who is 86 years old,from Nogales, and was at ground zero at Hiroshima in a grave identification unit, who just filed a claim last year. Went looking for a new job,on foot walking many miles every day,but when they foung out that i was a vietnam veteran they would not hire me.Some would ask if I was a Drug addict 0r killed people etc. Related: More Than 100 Sickened in Arizona Cryptosporidium Parasite Outbreak, "In the best of all worlds, if you came down with cholangiocarcinoma, just like Agent Orange, you automatically were in," he said, referring to benefits granted to veterans exposed to the toxic defoliant sprayed in Vietnam. Strapped to a gurney in a retrofitted bus, Wowwk and other wounded servicemen felt excitement at being back on American soil. In 1982 Vietnam veterans march down Constitution Avenue toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which would be dedicated later that day. Lost contact with him years ago, wish him the best. Northport VA Medical Center spokesman Christopher Goodman confirmed the New York facility collected the samples and sent them to the lab. they have in all wars. At this rate there will be only a few of us alive in 2015. For a decade, as one person was shipped off to fight, another was returning. MarDivPhoto on Oct 9, 2009 refers to the American War Museum website, and mike_brewer on Oct 12, 2009 refers to the Vietnam War Museum, both as the source of the number 850,000 living Vietnam veterans. ive always just repied yes, and left it at that. Thanks Jim, that was very thorough. Nice of them. Vietnam Veterans may be eligible for disability compensation benefits because of exposure to Agent Orange. Thanks to our Editor, Mark Evans, I have some raison de etre. I am an in country vet and 59 years old, your article wasvery informative. These are indeed some very sobering statistics. I knew how to get more than enough for everything I needed. Stay alive & sane thanks to Valium I am still alive for now NOT from the V.A., I use my own Doctor. Are Vietnam vets respected? i had no idea i could apply for a cib, but would like to. i forgot to mention in my above comment,that i was in the first infantry division,(the big red one),charlie company,2nd battalion,16th infantry regiment,rangers,in vietnam. What seeds should I start indoors in February. Needless to say neither of us flew again after that, he is 100% PTSD . After all these past years, Ive never left country,took me years to live again. I welcomed 2 Marines back home and they returned the gesture. We saved a lot of people and seen some bad stuff. Were going to demand an official review to a hearings officer. second tour. THOSE TO CLAIM TO HAVE been there: I have had cancer in the crease of my neck were a knot on a kerchief rubbed, and sores in my scalp were the canvas of the helmet sat on my head. On June 7, 1969, Bullock was killed by small arms fire while on night watch at An Hoa combat base. Locality: Detroit, in the state of Michigan. Jim and I flew from Da Nang, to Kadena Okinawa, and then after an attempt to fly out of Kadena in a Flying Tiger Line plane one of the 4 engines quit in mid-air, and we made an emergency landing back at Kadena, we stayed overnight and flew out in the same repaired airplane on to Travis A.F. Rather than being greeted with anger and hostility, however, most Vietnam veterans received very little reaction when they returned home. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Call me Pete. The veterans outreach counseling is good for PTSD Tx, etc. Hope that helps. Peter Langenus, today the Commander of VFW Post 653 in New Canaan, Connecticut, commanded Delta Company, 3rd Battalion/7th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade from 1969-70. I am a Marine Vietnam Vet (6/67-7/68) & a MarineDesert Shield/Storm Vet. Age: 75. It would take nearly 20 years after the end of the war for America to get right with its Vietnam veterans. I just wonder how many of us boots on decks guys are going to be dying off before the VA and congress realize that we are due for our agent orange exposure also. for years, all I asked for was a good nights sleep. Do you mean more information about Agent Orange? )to be with the forward observers that were attached to e-troop. At the same time all my friends whom never served had good jobs and new cars etc. No way of accounting for one car accidents either. My English teaching assistant at the U of A, in 1971, called me a baby killer, and spat on the ground. In my military career, I personaly wrote CIB support letters for over 20 non-11B soldiers whom I knew had spent more than 180 days in a forward deployed posture and were under combat conditions, 6 receiving purple hearts none received the CIB. So, lets say there were not more, just, alot. It is still tragic. Sleep well brother. Compared to the U. S. population, the mortality rates of Veterans are higher at older ages, and the life expectancy of Veterans are estimated to be 0.7-0.9 life-years shorter for males, and to be 1.2-1.3 life-years shorter for female at age 25, 45, and 65. Meanwhile, all my friends were crying that they didnt even have money for transportation.cool news However the main reason for me using an AION kinah guide was to get the millions I needed to buy the best PvP gear at the brokers. Hi Mike. All Rights Reserved. served in-country . How many Vietnam vets are dying each day? when i arrived at my unit, 2/11th acr, how battery, a scruffy looking latino guy who happened to be back in the rear, convinced me, i needed to volunteer to go out to e-troop, in his stead, (hed already been out there 6 mo. Showing (Vietnam veterans are passing away at a pace that is about comparable to that of their dads who served in World War II.) i was as directly involved in the fighting as anyone else in e-troop. What does it mean to give someone their flowers while they live? Hey Mike: We Cold War vets that were stationed in-country, posted in HeilbronnGermany in the 1950s that were proudly servingas part ofthe Alpiners of the502nd ASA Group, gathering intel from those godless, heathen East Germans and Soviets, had their share of hardships too. The Iraqui and Afghan war vets are getting PTSD Tx. No way of accounting for the incidence of this from 1972-85. I found out later He said the approval came right after his doctor wrote a letter saying his bile duct cancer was "more likely than not" caused by liver flukes from the uncooked fish he and his unit in Vietnam ate when they ran out of rations in the jungle. So few can imagine that we were really sprayed with chemicals and had to live with the year of VA Denial. I was never a prisner but could relate to some of the tings the men talked about.I can also relate to the tinngs you talk about,, Any time Im around a crowd (large or small) I like to be where I can keep up w/everything going on around meUse to have panic attacks really bad if I had to be in publicWith help from VA mental health and medication Im now a lot better off.. I found out later after I got up that it was someone down the hall from me that shot himself. Last name: Vietnam veterans hold a silent march down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House here on April 22, 1971. We can only pray that the current generation of young men and women who are the current targets of a cottage-industry of professionals who thrive on making them all impaired will fare better than we did. Something to be proud of! Semper Fi to your hubby. The aircraft ( helicopter ) went down experiencing mechanical problems. I was a aircraft sheetmetal repairman. Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. There are tons of Era Vets who are categorized as Vietnam Veterans, which is sort of true, but they are Vietnam ERA Vets, and never left the United States. Required fields are marked *. Age: 77. 61% of those killed were younger than twenty one and 11,465 of those killed were younger than twenty years of age. I don't know about you guys, but it kind of gives me the chills. They all understand. what does that tell u? His name is Ray Alvarado and you can Google his name or USS Rhona and read a wild story. The excess mortality, especially through motor vehicle accidents, suicide, homicide, and accidental poisonings, occurred mainly in the first 5 years after discharge from active duty and involved. This is around 9.7 percent of the generation at the time. Look upon myself as a well My girl friend thought I lost it. He was 15 years old and had been in-country nearly one month. OK I found the source and and researching this more. And approximately 164,000 Americans who served at sea in Vietnam waters are alive today. You can reach me at JasonGunn20@yahoo.com. Though rarely found in Americans, the parasites infect an estimated 25 million people worldwide, mostly in Asia. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that there are roughly 7.2 million living veterans in the world today. Lets all prove the stats wrong. And I believe the qualifier thereis that many were claiming to be combatvets when in reality the ratio of logistics to grunts was about 9:1 therefore the large number suggested was true Vietnam Veterans, just not combat vets. Ill never ware a baseball cap again ever! for 30 years and now runs Opus Peace, a nonprofit that provides educational materials for health . Statistics show that at least five men killed in Vietnam were sixteen years old, and at least 12 were seventeen years old. How the hell can anyone answer this question? I work with veterans all the time and thought you might find it interesting (if you didnt know already) that any Vietman Vet who served in country and who develops Parkinsons Disease, Lou Gehrigs disease, or a number of other illnesses is assumed tohave been exposed to Agent Orange and AUTOMATICALLY qualfies for Service Connected Disability. (Reuters Health) - Higher than average death rates among Vietnam War veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that combat trauma may still be affecting veterans' health even decades after the war, according to a new study. Roughly 300-thousand veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure -- that's almost five times as many as the 58-thousand who died in combat. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. RAa Regular Army, those that enlisted with some draftees, When I returned in statistics that are at once depressing yet in a larger sense should give you a HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE. And before we ate our food they came from the beach and were to be sprayed along with everything else that the VA is making this presumption for having boots on the ground for even one minute. So long ago-time tames the memories and makes them Kind!!!! HEROLD, W.Va. 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