Vallo 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. How do you say let's keep in touch professionally? At a time when I was paying $300 a credit, my entire educational benefit was $126. And when it came to finding a job, he was met with thinly veiled disgust and discrimination from law firms upon learning he was a Vietnam infantry veteran. I came home in 69, my hair fell our,got big pustuals on my back, and skin problems immediately. They were not necessarily looking for a parade, but they were certainly looking for basic human support and help in readjusting to civilian life after this really brutal war.. (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. second tour. Sorry you feel that way. "But until further research, a recommendation cannot be made either way.". I found out later after I got up that it was someone down the hall from me that shot himself. I would like to see how much that differs from the civilian population and are they no. In response to several comments, Ive never heard of anyone other than a grunt in Vietnam being eligible for the CIB. Welcome Home John. Because they will be OLD and it their turn. Mike Baughman holds a 1971 photo of himself in his U.S. Army uniform at his home in Danville, California on Aug. 2, 2016. Im sure the Agent Orange was the cause of most health issues. You must (with very few exceptions) have a high school diploma. A half century after serving in Vietnam, hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet test results show some men may have been infected by a. Pretty hard to quantify those one car accidents at 2am, from the smell of diesel. It got too overwhelming for me, there were so MANY. RAa Regular Army, those that enlisted with some draftees, When I returned in Local boards called men classified 1-A, 18-1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first. 1 It was after returning to the U.S. and while en route to the hospital that Wowwk first encountered hostility as a veteran. Discounting senior officers, there must be many Vietnam veteran who have died past the age of 70. does not receiving a cib mean im not a combat vet? And for the men who served in Vietnam and survived unspeakable horrors, coming home offered its own kind of trauma. (Reuters Health) - Higher than average death rates among VietnamWar 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. As of 2015 approximately 16,000 17-year-olds were being enlisted annually. Known as the Sky Soldiers, the 173rd Airborne Brigade is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army that is stationed in Vicenza, Italy. Required fields are marked *. society. in only 6-10 years.. *STATISTICS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN UNIFORM AND IN COUNTRY VIETNAM VETERANS: * The Vietnam War lasted from 1964-1973the longest war in American history until it was overtaken by the one in Afghanistanand servicemen typically did one-year tours of duty. I get to testify and present them with the story of a 20 y/o medic carrying dead and wounded around for 14 months in country. 1995 (census figures). I have a few observations, but I will let you all go first. id like to comment on the stastistics of our vietnam veteran death rate of 390 vets die every day.i think thatthedeath rate of vietnam veterans,are higher thanthe any other war veterans.i think that our fight wasnt just in vietnam,but after we got home.that took a heavy tole on us.and still is.God bless our verterants, john j. lang. By then, patients are often in tremendous pain, with just a few months to live. All my Vet friends died from suicide, cancer, heart attack (drinking themselves to death). In the United States 17-year-olds may join the armed forces with the written agreement of parents. we went to the 1st sargent and he said ok. i went out for 7 or 8 mo. There does seem to be some amorphous time clock inside the Vietnam Veteran. 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 in 2190 days.from today, lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive. Jim is 100% PTSD, but stable and happily married with 2 children. Still have those dreams that creep in and keeps me awake for the rest of the night Please look at his webpage: Jorge Otero Barreto. When the diagnosis came, both Pete and Kate were sure they knew the cause: Pete's exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange during his time as a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam. How old would the youngest Vietnam vet be now? Pete. IE 11 is not supported. The VA study, along with a call by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York for broader research into liver flukes and cancer-stricken veterans, began after The Associated Press raised the issue in a story last year. He now gets about $3,100 a month and says he's relieved to know his wife will continue to receive benefits after he dies. I had them look at my VA narrative pointing out stressors and stressor events in the Nam. See also: How Many Veterans Are Under The Age Of 35? How do I unlock Wattpad stories without paying? Though rarely found in Americans, the parasites infect an estimated 25 million people worldwide, mostly in Asia. Grenada, Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing, Panama Invasion, and Gulf War Veterans will all start dying in large numbers. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Had my good times, as well as bad times, after leaving the US Army, April 10, 1970 I always look at that date as my second Birthday Might any of our readers speculate about why this may be? As of the last Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. I may have some choice words to express as well. Soon we won't have any World War II Veterans remaining. That takes courage to return to war, or maybe they wanted to get out of a statside armpit like I did when reassigned to Fort Lewis, Washington Veteran Mike Baughman, 65, who was featured in the previous AP article, said his claim was granted early this year after being denied three times. i was in a compound & seen them spraying and the next day everywhere they sprayed was brown. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? What amazes me however is that so many of my comrades who served in Vietnam and who suffer from many of the maladies associated with this war would serve again. Yes some do fabricate stuff. Ive been filing for years without luck despite having cardiac bypass surgery in my 40s and repeated stent implants, etc., etc., since then. The veterans outreach counseling is good for PTSD Tx, etc. Are Vietnam vets respected? The men who were drafted served and did their jobs well they were all soldiers. We could not understand getting letters from school kids, says Langenus, also a veteran of Desert Storm. The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing. 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. What does it mean to give someone their flowers while they live? Ant help would be greatly appreciated. We built houches in 1967. No way of accounting for one car accidents either. I was a aircraft sheetmetal repairman. They mainly noticed that people seemed uncomfortable around them and did not appear interested in hearing about their wartime experiences.. It is anticipated that the overall number of veterans would fall from 20.0 million in the year 2017 to 13.6 million in the year 2037. As for the CAR, that might be another story. Same goes with the SF flash. So few can imagine that we were really sprayed with chemicals and had to live with the year of VA Denial. 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. Age 67. tell me what you think about the article I just wrote about former Senator Alan Simpson, at TucsonCitizen.com His comments about Agent Orange victims are going to keep me up nights! Do you think there shouldnt be any baggage there? i just learned, they are going to give me 40% for a couple things. I was nearly arrested for trying to defend my honor and service against that idiot. More over 8 million people served their country in some capacity during the Vietnam War, and those veterans who are still alive now are often in their 60s and 70s. Jun. With the internet and sites like this, Im hoping to hear from someone I served with As for suicides, this is mostly a myth seconday to a VA study in the 1970s that included all Vietnam eta veterans. Im a former member of the 173rd Abn Bde-First (Army) in VNam from The Rock I am unable to find the museums referred to, though I find a National Vietnam War Museum and a Veterans Memorial Museum. Their is a ton of it online everywhere. Most Vietnam Veterans are in their 60s and the average lifespan for a male in USA is 74. Reading Shineskis October news release, which promised a fast track response to those who suffered from ISD, I immediately re-filed with VA. A few days later VA issued a bulletin essentially saying, Whoa, the approvals would be delayed until sometime in summer 2010 because it had to be published with the Federal government.. At this rate there will be only a few of us alive in 2015. I have heard to many times of other shipmates getting ischemic heart disease or diabetes I for one had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery but no boots on the ground. More than nine million Americans served from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. that stuff got into everything -even breathing it in did a # on everyone that is how the guys in the navy got it. The last Vietnam Vet will die in 2047. In my mind they were throwing out a SWAG. Although I have to plan most everything I do so as to avoid the things that still bother me..-I started looking up my VN buddies a few years ago,, so far Ive located 10 men that was in my CompanyTalk to them on a regular basis.Bad part is that out of the 10 men 7 of us have major mental and physical problems. have served in-country was: 9,492,958. All Rights Reserved. More answers below James Cain Rather than being greeted with anger and hostility, however, most Vietnam veterans received very little reaction when they returned home. The Department of Veterans Affairs this spring commissioned a small pilot study to look into the link between liver flukes ingested through raw or undercooked fish and a rare bile duct cancer. please pardon the French. I remember tet that was no picnic for rear echelon, and being in a chopper,those m60s werent there for show. i just found out that they will not cover navy personal that didnt go ashore & do have agent orange in there blood . Any anecdotal evidence that has come my way over the years is not from books. Why are Vietnam vets dying so fast? If you have a CIB, you do not need to verify stressors, so call the 1-800-827-1000 and tolerate the voice promptings/menu. For those who believe that the stories of being spit on and being called baby killers and other injustices is crap than you are living in a dream world. #16174111 - 05/03/12 07:01 AM (10 . In Country, that empty feeling was with me for years, until I worked for the Dept. 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 feel confident they will take care of you now. I may be crazy but Im not stupid. 24 This study was limited by the relatively short follow-up and the young age of the veterans. During that year, 1,928 soldiers died in the Vietnam War. There is a certaincourage and loyalty that transends the injustice rendered to these men and as long as America has men like this it will always be free. i got sent to viet nam in the spring of 71 and came back in the spring of 72. my mos was 82c20, surveyor. but sofar nothing how many are reallyleft? By way of the SHADS project, we are still handling claims of radiation exposure in WWll and those who went to ABC school in the Navy; Atomic, Biological, Chemical Warfare training on ships in the early 1960s. But no one spoke of the incident, nor was the media permitted to cover it as WE did not have missiles yet and did not want to alarm the public. 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. i have been 100% dav. I may be able to help you with your claim. statistics that are at once depressing yet in a larger sense should give you a HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE. Needless to say neither of us flew again after that, he is 100% PTSD . "I was in a state of shock," he said. How long did a soldier have to serve in Vietnam? OK I also am wary of statistics thrown out on the web, being a former Marine and a Viet Nam Vet I looked up the numbers from one of the sources indicated.. found that the Naval Health Institute who crunches no. Born: 09/15/1946. 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