About 75% of the 2.5 million soldiers fighting in Vietnam worked in support roles as clerks far away from the front lines. These men had access to all the luxuries of home, including getting to sleep in a bed, eating hot meals, drinking at bars, and shopping at a well-stocked commissary.
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What did soldiers experience in the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War soldiers endured many hardships and faced many problems. Combatants on both sides faced physical challenges posed by the climate, terrain and wildlife of the country. They also struggled with logistical problems and the complex political situation in Vietnam.
How were soldiers treated in the Vietnam War?
Some people who opposed American involvement in the Vietnam War treated U.S. soldiers and veterans poorly.These stories added to the soldiers’ resentment of the antiwar movement. Rather than being greeted with anger and hostility, however, most Vietnam veterans received very little reaction when they returned home.
What was it like for American soldiers in Vietnam?
Upon arriving in Vietnam, American soldiers found themselves in a strange land of watery fields and dense jungles. This unfamiliar environment made their jobs more difficult and unpleasant. Their feelings of vulnerability were increased by strained relations with Vietnam’s rural communities.
What were the odds of a soldier dying in Vietnam?
One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II.
What did soldiers in Vietnam do for fun?
Reading paperback books, and playing cards was common (Gambling). Fishing in rivers was popular, some GI’s hunted deer and other small game (no fishing/hunting license REQUIRED!).
Did 17 year olds fight in Vietnam?
Statistics show that at least five men killed in Vietnam were sixteen years old, and at least 12 were seventeen years old. 61% of those killed were younger than twenty one and 11,465 of those killed were younger than twenty years of age.
Were Vietnam veterans spit on?
There are no named witnesses, none”. In 1998 sociologist Jerry Lembcke published The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam, a similar examination of whether returning Vietnam veterans were spat upon by hippies, and concluded that it was not a documented occurrence of the time.
What do soldiers do everyday?
A normal day for an active duty soldier consists of performing physical training, work within their military occupational specialty (MOS) and basic soldier skills. Physical training consists of cardiovascular exercises as well as strength training. MOS is the job a soldier performs on a daily basis.
Did any American soldiers stay in Vietnam after the war?
It’s estimated that tens of thousands of veterans have returned to Vietnam since the 1990s, mostly for short visits to the places where they once served. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting.
What was fighting like in the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War soldiers also struggled with boredom
At times, Vietnam resembled “a hated, dreary struggle” that dragged on and on with no end in sight. Since large-scale warfare was rare, soldiers could go for weeks without encountering enemy forces, but far from being a respite, the quiet only heightened the tension.
How bad was the Vietnam War?
More than two decades of violent conflict had inflicted a devastating toll on Vietnam’s population: After years of warfare, an estimated 2 million Vietnamese were killed, while 3 million were wounded and another 12 million became refugees.
Why do soldiers not talk about Vietnam?
Civilians do not like to hear about killing, and combat soldiers do not want to talk about it. There is no euphemistic way to talk about killing, and there is no eloquent way to describe a violent death. So, in order to cope, soldiers have invented their own private language to talk about these subjects.
How old is the average Vietnam veteran?
EsƟmated 6.4M Vietnam Era Veterans. Ages range from 97 to 55 years old (born between 1918 and 1960). Median age is 68 years. An overwhelming majority of Vietnam Veterans are male (6.2M) while in the civilian populaƟon females (47.7M) outnumber males by 20.5M.
What was the average age of a soldier killed in Vietnam?
In another estimate, the Department of Defense’s Combat Area Casualties Current File, with 58,169 names (58,148 with both birth date and date of event), says that the average age of those killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years old.
Did anyone fight in ww2 and Vietnam?
Veteran Fought In World War II, Korea And Vietnam : NPR. Veteran Fought In World War II, Korea And Vietnam Command Sergeant Major Basil Plumley, who served in three wars, has died at the age of 92. Command Sgt.Plumley gained fame for his part in the the battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam in 1965.
What are 3 interesting facts about the Vietnam War?
10 Interesting Vietnam War Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
- President Kennedy wanted to get the US Army out of Vietnam.
- The US didn’t lose the war on-ground.
- The US troops preferred to use AK-47’s over government issues M-16’s.
- The war wasn’t just between US and Vietnam.
- Most of the men that fought in Vietnam weren’t drafted.
What did Vietnam soldiers do in their free time?
During this leisure time soldiers could relax and play games or instruments, sing, write to their families and occasionally watch entertainers who were flown in from America.
Was the Vietnam War brutal?
The fighting was intense and the results, the former soldiers say, were especially brutal. Villages were bombed, burned and destroyed. As the ground troops swept through, in many cases they gunned down men, women and children, sometimes mutilating bodies — cutting off ears to wear on necklaces.
Who is the youngest Vietnam veteran still alive?
Dan Bullock (December 21, 1953 – June 7, 1969) was a United States Marine and the youngest U.S. serviceman killed in action during the Vietnam War, dying at the age of 15.
| Dan Bullock | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21, 1953 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 1969 (aged 15) An Hoa Combat Base, Quảng Nam Province, South Vietnam |
Who was the youngest soldier killed in Vietnam?
Bullock
On June 7, 1969, Bullock was killed by small arms fire while on night watch at An Hoa combat base. He was 15 years old and had been in-country nearly one month. He was the youngest American service member to be killed in the Vietnam War.
