The Ten Thousand Day War: Vietnam, 19451975. See answer (1) Best Answer. Caputo, Philip. Why didn't they care that we were dying for them?" Instead, the dogs were classified as "surplus armaments" (extra military equipment) and either put to sleep or left with the South Vietnamese army when the U.S. troops were withdrawn in 1973. Since then, the contribution of American military dogs has been recognized in several books and documentary films. evidence of enemy activities. (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. He also fell below the Army's weight requirement of 100 pounds. Updated: 7 February 2018 Over time, however, American troops' view of the Vietnamese began to change. On average there were only about 35,000 combat soldiers in Vietnam, on the average. [1996 Information Please Almanac], There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. WebWhat was the average age of American soldiers in Vietnam? The voting age in the United That special task began to take shape in September 1966, when Flaherty received a letter from Rep. Donald J. Irwin, D-Conn., informing him that the Armys Surgeon General had recommended granting a waiver to the height requirement. The men who served in Vietnam also tended to be younger than the U.S. soldiers who had fought in previous wars. 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. During the height of the U.S. involvement, 1965-69, blacks, who formed 11 percent of the American population, made up 12.6 percent of the soldiers in Vietnam. 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. areas in wet fields known as paddies. Friendships sometimes happen casually, the former policeman said. Free shipping for many products! Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. They believed it was important to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. designed as a helipad. Putting people in that situation changes them. he said. This unfamiliar environment made their jobs more difficult and unpleasant. Curry, Cecil B. Some gave candy to the children and tried to help in other ways. For example, wealthy young men could afford to remain in college full-timeand even pursue advanced degrees following graduationin order to qualify for student deferments. Another problem associated with the decline in morale of U.S. soldiers was increased drug use. Official U.S. military policy prevented them from being brought back to America out of fears that they might carry diseases. Maclear, Michael. Approximately 5'8" average height. Never knowing who to trust, the U.S. combat troops experienced constant fear and anxiety during their frequent patrols of the villages and countryside. Here are some facts to clear up that poor job of reporting by the news media. ". They would march for days or weeks at a time, carrying heavy packs full of food, clothing, weapons, and ammunition. . Others resorted to drugs when they could not cope with the violence they witnessed. General Vo Nguyen Giap was the leader of the North Vietna, Nguyen Van Thieu Combat tours in the Vietnam War may have varied in the different US branches (US Marines, US Sailors, US Airmen, US Coast Guardsmen). After all, every spot where they stepped or sat might lead to injury or death. of equipment, including a ten-pound musket. Adopted by the U.S. Army in the early 1960s, the Huey was the aerial workhorse of the U.S. military, serving prominently with the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group." The U.S. military reported 730 fragging incidents between 1969 and 1971, which resulted in 83 officer deaths. "But she watches your men walk down a trail and get Only a third of Vietnam vets were draftees. You could probably get a waiver in the Army, but youd also probably not be allowed to do quite a few jobs. I cant say Im 100% sure about the oth But these deferments were not available to students who had to work their way through college on a part-time basis. Enrolling in college. In the early years of the war, many African American men viewed military service as a positive thing. During the early years of the war, many American servicemen supported the U.S. government's decision to become involved in Vietnam. Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972, was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang. As a result, the morale of American troops was fairly highat first. on 29 April 1975 from UPI's offices on the top floor of the Saigon Hotel which In the jungles, they often had to hack their way through dense vegetation. of fuel, ammunition and other supplies because of a lack of support from More than fifty-eight thousand American soldiers and an estimated two million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were killed in the Vietnam War (1954, Westmoreland, William C. Many of the ways in which draft-age men received deferments favored those who were wealthy and well-educated. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Jokes are funnier, green is greener. Such findings have confirmed the widespread belief that U.S. draft policies unfairly targeted the segments of American society with the least political power. WebAssuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually Myth: A disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War. Dan Bullock (1953-1969) Dan Bullock was the youngest member of the United States Armed Services to die in the Vietnam War. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. One of the main U.S. strategies for winning the war was to kill as many Viet Cong and NVA forces as possible. "Where were the sons of all the big shots who supported the war? He was struck and killed in a hit and run in 2015. The northern section, which was led by a Communist government under Ho Chi Minh, was officially known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but was usually called North Vietnam. For US Soldiers the initial tour was 365 days (one year). He indicated that while Flahertys survivors had planned on the burial taking place at Arlington National Cemetery, they honored his wish to be buried in West Virginia. The year was the most expensive in the Vietnam War with the American spending US$77.4 billion (US$ 603 billion in 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. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 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! Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Feb. 26. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. At first, many U.S. soldiers felt sympathy for the South Vietnamese people. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. And after the war is over you don't remember the monotony and the boredom and the mosquitoes and the heat. Bullock, a U.S. Marine, was fifteen years old at the time of his death. About 60 percent, or 16 million, of these draftable men avoided service in legal ways. Chance of rain 100%.. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. trails, waiting for those things to explode, we had begun to feel more like victims than soldiers. webmaster@vhpa.org "The American Soldier in Vietnam Meanwhile, Flahertys burial spot, just behind Lisa Davis Annesss grave, remains unmarked as another Veterans Day approaches. Their feelings of vulnerability were increased by strained relations with Vietnam's rural communities. . [Houk]. In some cases, racial tensions exploded into violence. And you were sort of walking that tightrope the whole time," veteran James Webb recalled in Working-Class War. There are 23,300 troops in Vietnam. Quang Binh Province, Vietnam The Discarded Army. DID after the U.S. Congress cut off funding. It was less common in combat units operating in the field, where a lack of attention could cost soldiers their lives. On February 21, 2000, a memorial was dedicated in Riverside, California, to honor the American military dogs who served in Vietnam and other wars. No matter where in Vietnam these American units patrolled, the landscape made travel difficult. For me, at least, Vietnam was partly love. "Vietnam was a place where the elite went as reporters, not as soldiers," reporter David Halberstam noted. [Parade Magazine]. Indian army is 57 to 59 and some are 6ft but not all Appy, about two percent of Americans lived in towns with populations smaller than 1,000 in the 1960s. Even though U.S. combat patrols encountered Viet Cong guerillas and NVA soldiers only rarely, they often found RELIGION: Confucianism; Taoism; Buddhism, Roman Catho, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), The American Film Industry in the Early 1950s, The American Dream in the Twentieth Century, The American Dream in the Nineteenth Century, The American College: Distance Learning Programs, The Ancestral Puebloans and the Cliff Palaces at Mesa Verde, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/american-soldier-vietnam, Coming Home: Vietnam Veterans in American Society, Vietnam Becomes an American War (196567). Richard J. Flaherty may never be known. The Viet Cong did not want to blow up villagers, because they depended on the local people for supplies and other support. Yuzuk used his own funds and a crowdsourcing campaign to produce The Giant Killer, an 80-minute documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes, released late last year. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation. In addition, black soldiers often received less desirable housing and duty assignments than white soldiers in the same unit. But some officers seemed to place their own desire for glory and promotions ahead of the safety and welfare of their units. In the mountains, they exhausted themselves by marching up and down steep hillsides. ", As they traveled through the countryside looking for enemy forces, American combat patrols routinely entered and searched South Vietnamese villages for hidden weapons, extra supplies of food, young men of military age, and other possible signs of Viet Cong activity. William C. Westmoreland There were some legal ways to avoid or delay military service. Unfortunately, the poor treatment the South Vietnamese people received from some American soldiers led to greater support for the Viet Cong and NVA. The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. different ideas into one] the physical experience of the American combat soldier in Vietnam would be that of a column of men spaced about five yards apart; burdened with 80-pound packs; wearing thick armored vests called flak jackets; carrying rifles, mortars, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and three or four canteens; and patrolling on foot through jungles, mountains, or rice paddies," Appy writes. I knew nothing about the aims of the peoplewhether they were for the war or against the war . . Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). It changed Richard, he said, adding that he had found letters in his locker explaining why he needed help to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the draft did tend to target men from working-class homes, there were other factors that led these men to fight in Vietnam in greater numbers than other groups. "Here's a woman of twenty-two or twenty-three. The United States defeat in Vietnam led to a MILTON The shortest soldier to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, a highly decorated officer who completed one tour of duty as a platoon leader with an airborne battalion and another as a Green Beret captain, lies at rest in an as-yet unmarked grave in a Milton cemetery. 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. Many of these men were career soldiers or recent graduates of military academies. For example, black soldiers often found themselves passed over for promotions. Yet undoubtedly every plane in Laos carried opium at some time, unknown to the pilot and his superiors. casualties increased, some soldiers were overcome by fear. and money. Myth: The war was fought largely by the poor and uneducated. 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. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. "Every time we slapped someone around, or trashed a village, or shouted curses from a jeep, we defined ourselves as the enemy and thereby handed more power and legitimacy to the people we had to beat.". "That's just unheard of to do that to a four-footed soldier," U.S. Army dog handler John Burnam stated. For the most part, race relations remained positive in American combat units. Item Height: 14.5 cm. He returned to Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army. Ebert, James R. A Life in a Year: The American Infantryman in Vietnam,19651972. But since it was often difficult to tell friends from enemies, the emphasis on body counts led to many civilian deaths. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. It does not have to be war related. Both immigrated 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. Charlie Cargo, an American soldier who served as a dog handler in Vietnam, remembered an occasion when his dog, Wolf, saved his life: "He latched onto my hand. When a man's name was drawn, he was required to report to his local draft board for evaluation. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Web38.8% (6,332,000) of U.S. servicemen and all servicewomen were volunteers 61.2% (11,535,000) were draftees Average duration of service: 33 months Overseas service: 73% served overseas, with an average of 16 months abroad More realities about war: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - it was not invented or unique to Vietnam Veterans. Drug use became a severe problem between 1969 and 1971, when the U.S. government was beginning to withdraw American troops from Vietnam. What is the average weight of a roman soldier? In fact, antiwar organizations often held meetings on college campuses to inform potential draftees about their options. Today, interviews with vets give There, he would either qualify for a deferment (an official delay of military service), or he would be inducted into the armed forces. Some soldiers began to resent their constant demands for food Low 54F. They needed this information to pinpoint their bombing raids. With regards the first table, original studies and sources should be consulted for details on methodology and the exact populations measured, surveyed, or considered.With regards the second table, these estimated figures for said countries and The majority of draftees serving in Vietnam happened post-1965 (generally, 1967-1970) - that is, the profile of a US soldier in Vietnam prior to 1966 was very significantly different than post-1966. This atmosphere of fear and distrust caused some men to behave in immoral ways they would never have demonstrated under normal circumstances. ." These carefully hidden explosive devices caused a great deal of death and suffering among the American troops. "The American Soldier in Vietnam Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. 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. "Almost as [People], The evacuees were Vietnamese not American military. 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. He also weighed less than 100 pounds, further disqualifying him from serving in the Army. previous wars, American military leaders hoped to use bombing attacks and combat forces to break the enemy's ability and willingness to fight. Only two percent of officers in the U.S. armed forces were black, even though blacks made up about fourteen percent of all military personnel during the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese military leader But experts suspect that many other incidents went unreported or were made to look like accidents. "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. These forces opposed the United States in the Vietnam War. The enemy, the hummingbird that we were after, was just buzzing around. In 1968, for example, American patrols encountered the enemy on only one out of every hundred missions. They believed that the military offered opportunities for training and career advancement that were not available to them in civilian society. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. tail number N4 7004, were Bob Caron who lives in Florida and Jack For example, the weather in Vietnam tended to be very hot and humid. "Fragging" initially referred to the practice of using a fragmentation weapon (an explosive device, such as a hand grenade) to murder an officer. Thousands of villages were destroyed by U.S. bombing missions or American combat patrols. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. Another villageand nothing there. You love your mom and dad, the Vikings, hamburgers on the grill, your pulse, your futureeverything that might be lost or never come to be. NVA The North Vietnamese Army, which assisted the Viet Cong guerilla fighters in trying to conquer South Vietnam. He'd received two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds during that time. ." Novato, CA: Presidio, 1986. While his allies came, fought, and left, the ARVN soldier had to live with his Myth: The American military was running for their lives during the fall of Saigon in April 1975. (Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a renowned expert on the Vietnam War) [Westmoreland] This included Tet 68, which was a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. Invalid password or account does not exist. Other times they would be dropped off by helicopters in remote and potentially hostile locations. The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. In this way, many young men ended up serving in Vietnam whether they wanted to or not. They also hid in villages or dense jungles and fired upon U.S. troops as they passed by on patrol. Walking down the Appy, Christian. But race relations deteriorated significantly in non-combat support units and base camps during the late 1960s. When he graduated from high school, Flaherty was 4 feet, 9 inches tall three inches too short to meet the Armys height requirement at the time. After a while, some U.S. soldiers began to feel like the purpose of their endless patrolling was to serve as bait for attacks by enemy forces. It is "Why didn't they get behind us? . 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! The ten percent of the draft-age generation that ended up serving in Vietnam consisted of three groups of relatively equal size. Anness, who died in 2005, was the daughter of an Army captain, and traveled the world with her military family before settling in Miami, where she earned an MBA at the University of Miami and worked as a consultant. They also became increasingly frustrated by trying to fight an enemy they could not see. African Americans accounted for about fourteen percent of the American forces. But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/american-soldier-vietnam. Nguyen Cao Ky, Vo Nguyen Giap Over time, as mines and booby traps killed and injured more American soldiers, U.S. combat patrols grew angry that the villagers did not warn them of nearby dangers. While many draft-age males of that era sought ways to avoid being among the 385,000 troops sent to the beleaguered Southeast Asian nation that year, Flaherty was working the angles to find a way in. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. The picture of a Huey helicopter evacuating people from the top of what was billed as being the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the last week of April 1975 during the fall of Saigon helped to establish this myth. [McCaffrey] Speech by Lt. Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, (reproduced in the Pentagram, June 4, 1993) assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Vietnam veterans and visitors gathered at "The Wall", Memorial Day 1993. The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. A government agency called the Selective Service collected the names of all American men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six. You have permission to edit this article. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. In the early years of the war, a young man could automatically be deferred from the draft by_____. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. On average there were only about 35,000 combat soldiers in Vietnam, on the average. Wolf absolutely would not let me go by him. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Item Width: Average for the last 12 Maybe she planted it herself.". But about eight percent of the U.S. soldiers who died in Vietnam came from towns that size. Which made up only about 10% of the total American soldiers in Vietnam. When American soldiers arrived in Vietnam, they entered a land, climate, and culture that was very different from the United States. Karnow, Stanley. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. American involvement in February 1973. (February 22, 2023). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. [People], The person who can be seen aiding the refugees was CIA operations officer, Mr. O.B. This tense atmosphere took a heavy emotional toll on the U.S. troops. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 South Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. It takes alot of support personnel to take care of the logistics, administrative needs, and etc for each combat soldier. The dogs were so effective in helping the American soldiers avoid enemy traps that the North Vietnamese placed a high value on killing them. Another words a US Soldier who did 3 tours actually Drug use was especially common on military bases and in support units. WebAn average of around 20-25, leaning to the lower end, is a reasonable estimate assuming that casualty distributions roughly mirrored the number of men of each age sent to war. Helmer, John. WebOf the 2.6 million, between 1 and 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close combat support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. WebDuring the Vietnam War era, between 1964 and 1973, the U.S. military drafted 2.2 million American men out of an eligible pool of 27 million. Three of the five newest democracies are former Soviet republics: Belarus (where elections were first held in November 1995), Armenia (July 1995) and Kyrgyzstan (February 1995). Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. During the later years of the war, in fact, some soldiers had been antiwar protesters before they were drafted into the military. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. It just sort of mounts. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. The voting age in the United States changed from twenty-one to eighteen in 1971. ." New York: Charterhouse, 1974. We won't share it with anyone else. The Vietnam War helped medical progress in this area. For example, some refugees sorted through dumps near U.S. military bases and carefully saved scraps of food, metal, or wood. The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. 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)"). At 5-foot-7, Adams was just an inch below the average for American soldiers and significantly taller than a typical European soldier. LANGUAGE: Vietnamese American soldiers knew that the war was unpopular at home. Rather than following orders and trying to achieve military goals, some soldiers focused only on staying alive for those 365 days. Packaging: Original (Unopened) Theme: TV, Movie & Video Games. Some of these men were career military officers. Not sure what average [McCaffrey], Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than our non-vet age group. And I would have died right there with him if he wouldn't have found that wire.". A free weekly newsletter with expert sports betting insight and analysis. Myth: Most Vietnam veterans were drafted. He used to spend all day at a movie theater. "Pogo" Hunter who died in 1995. Many men volunteered for the draft so even some of the draftees were actually WebHow much of an impact does the difference in the average size of soldiers between combatants make in 20th/21st century warfare? 1966: U.S. troops in Vietnam increases to 385,300. Approximately 25% were draftees. When sprayed on dense jungle foliage, less that 6 percent ever reached the ground. Battle of New Orleans. 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Was just an inch below the average infantryman in the same unit many U.S. who! Media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect for. War: Vietnam and the boredom and the boredom and the Haunted Generation C. Westmoreland there only! Or weeks at a time, carrying heavy packs full of food, clothing weapons... And killed in a hit and run in 2015 hidden explosive devices caused a great deal of death suffering... Enemy 's ability and willingness to fight an enemy they could not.... On military bases and carefully saved scraps of food, metal, or wood leader but experts suspect that other.
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