[CACF] (Combat Area Casualty File) November 1993. The Discarded Army. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. After one tour in Vietnam, Capt. While his allies came, fought, and left, the ARVN soldier had to live with his 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. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. (as Cincinnatus). Ng, PRONUNCIATION: vee-et-nuh-MEEZ . Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. "Drugs became the main expression of discontentin effect, an inoculation [form of protection] against 'Nam,'" Michael Maclear explains in The Ten Thousand Day War. The valleys were surrounded by steep hills and rugged mountains that were covered by a thick jungle of trees and tropical plants. These carefully hidden explosive devices caused a great deal of death and suffering among the American troops. areas in wet fields known as paddies. Nearly one-in-seven active-duty members were in the Middle East and North Africa (13%) and 3% were in sub 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. Dan Bullock was born on December 21, 1953, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam. [CACF]. Nguyen Van Thieu The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. "It is monotony punctuated by moments of sheer terror, just horrible stuff. "When GIs couldn't tell friend from foe, they came to hate and despise them all," Cecil B. Curry explains in Self-Destruction: The Disintegration and Decay of the United States Army during the Vietnam Era. Some of them considered the military a good place to receive training. About 4,000 dogs served with the American military in Vietnam during the war. For example, the Viet Cong might tie a piece of grass into a knot, with the loop end pointing toward the hidden explosive. 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. Besides looking for enemy troops, they had to watch out for tiny trip wires that caused hidden hand grenades to explode, and for signs of digging that might indicate a landmine or a dangerous pit. ." This atmosphere of fear and distrust caused some men to behave in immoral ways they would never have demonstrated under normal circumstances. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to the Mountain States Trusted News Source. He also fell below the Army's weight requirement of 100 pounds. The men who served in Vietnam also tended to be younger than the U.S. soldiers who had fought in previous wars. Specifically, as it relates to western troops vs. Japan/North Korea/North Vietnamese forces. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984. Approximately 25% were draftees. Jokes are funnier, green is greener. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. This famous picture is the property of UPI Corbus-Bettman Photo Agency. Others resorted to drugs when they could not cope with the violence they witnessed. [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. What was the average age of soldiers in Vietnam? To some American combat soldiers in Vietnam, mines and booby traps turned the land into an enemy more frightening and deadly than the Viet Cong. The combat patrols rarely found any strong evidence linking the villages to the Viet Cong. 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! You have permission to edit this article. 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. U.S. Army general and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; commander of the American troops in Vietn, Nguyen Cao Ky As the war dragged on, opposition to it became more widespread and vocal. Others grew frustrated with the U.S. military strategy, which seemed to risk their lives on endless patrols without any clear purpose. Not in my platoon," veteran Steve Harper noted in No Victory Parades. Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Feb. 26. WebHow much of an impact does the difference in the average size of soldiers between combatants make in 20th/21st century warfare? [1996 Information Please Almanac] 1995 Information Please Almanac Atlas & Yearbook 49th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York 1996, pages 117, 161 and 292. You love the musty morning air. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. Book review. By the conclusion of the United States's involvement in 1973, over 3.1 million In fact, some South Vietnamese civilians (people not involved in the military, including women and children) actively helped the Viet Cong guerillas (small groups of fighters who launch surprise attacks) that the Americans were fighting against. 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. [People]. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? 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. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. [Burkett]. Their feelings of vulnerability were increased by strained relations with Vietnam's rural communities. 79% had a high school education or better. . Item Width: Average for the last 12 She knows the booby trap is there, but she doesn't warn them. Which made up only about 10% of the total American soldiers in Vietnam. Many soldiers used them to escape from the boredom of their daily lives or to rebel against military authority. After all, every spot where they stepped or sat might lead to injury or death. The economic and human costs of the Vietnam War were devastating. After completing basic training, he qualified for Officer Candidate School, from which he graduated as a second lieutenant, before receiving orders sending him to Vietnam. [VHPA 1993], The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Approximately 5'8" average height. Richard Flaherty is laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Milton near Lisa Anness, a woman he described as the love of his life. But about eight percent of the U.S. soldiers who died in Vietnam came from towns that size. LOCATION: Vietnam "Pogo" Hunter who died in 1995. hostile fire exposure versus battle area exposure. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. "The American Soldier 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. [Westmoreland], Democracy Catching On - In the wake of the Cold War, democracies are flourishing, with 179 of the world's 192 sovereign states (93%) now electing their legislators, according to the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union. One type of plant, known as elephant grass, had razor-sharp leaves that painfully cut into their skin. [Westmoreland] Approximately 70% of those killed were volunteers. 36. By contrast, there still are 78,000 unaccounted-for Americans from World War II and 8,100 from the Korean conflict. [Houk] Testimony by Dr. Houk, Oversight on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 14 July 1988 page 17, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate one hundredth Congress second session. 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. [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. 17. William C. Westmoreland only 10 to 20 minutes of that time exposed to hostile fire. Soldiers who resented or distrusted their officers sometimes refused to follow orders or even resorted to violence. A large proportion of the U.S. troops consisted of African American men from the inner cities, the sons of immigrants from factory towns, and boys from rural farming communities. effect was of a moron wandering through a foreign land, or a blind man wandering through a foreign land.". Instead, the local farmers and villagers usually viewed the Americans with distrust or even hostility. 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). The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. Self-Destruction: The Disintegration andDecay of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. Restraining the military in Vietnam in hindsight probably prevented a nuclear war with China or Russia. At the time, Yuzuk was a police officer and Flaherty was a member of Aventuras homeless community, camping under a palm tree off one of the citys main boulevards. The 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). U.S. soldiers felt toward the Vietnamese people. On average there were only about 35,000 combat soldiers in Vietnam, on the average. Americans were tall because March 1, 2023, 4:22 PM. "I didn't know the language. While there are still officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. Unfortunately, the poor treatment the South Vietnamese people received from some American soldiers led to greater support for the Viet Cong and NVA. Specifically, as it relates to western troops vs. Japan/North Korea/North Vietnamese forces. Black and white soldiers tended to band together when they faced danger and the threat of death. No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. Encyclopedia.com. 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 Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. LANGUAGE: Vietnamese tail number N4 7004, were Bob Caron who lives in Florida and Jack While there was nothing Flaherty could do to increase his height, he doubled down on his eating, climbing past the 100-pound mark, while he sought help from his congressman to obtain a waiver to the height requirement from the Armys surgeon general. volunteers. Over the ten years of the war, Operation Ranch Hand sprayed about eleven million gallons of Agent Orange on the South Vietnamese landscape. After all, such attacks gave American military leaders information about the size and location of NVA troops. Burkett and Glenna Whitley, Verity Press, Inc., Dallas, TX, 1998. With each step, each light-year of a second, a foot soldier is always almost dead, or so it feels, and in such circumstances you can't help but love. He agreed to cooperate, but said that once we got started, I had to promise to finish the project, Yuzuk said. In the bush, though, nothing kept us apart. Other times, they burned down huts and destroyed food supplies. One-third were volunteers who had chosen to join the military. On average there were only about 35,000 combat soldiers in Vietnam, on the average. I loved the guy, he loved me. Walking down the New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971. G.Huested/The Vietnam Slide Project 12 of 40 The domino theory was accurate. One factor was the miserable conditions the soldiers faced on a daily basis, from exhausting marches to dangerous traps and ambushes. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). contained this quote about Vietnam, there has been "the most extensive accounting in the history of human warfare" of those missing in action. But these deferments were not available to students who had to work their way through college on a part-time basis. 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