two weeks.
Over 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. The average lifespan of a door gunner on a Huey in Vietnam was just two weeks.
What was the life expectancy of a chopper pilot Vietnam?
“They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days,” he said.
How do door gunners not fall out?
The door gunners were typically restrained using a standard lap belt or a monkey harness. The monkey harness secures to the waist and connects to fittings on the floor of the cabin. This gives the door gunner more maneuverability and keeps them from falling out.
What was the life expectancy of a Huey pilot in Vietnam?
Did you know the average life expectancy of a US Army Huey pilot in combat in Vietnam was only 19 minutes?
What was the life expectancy of a m60 machine gunner in Vietnam?
about seven seconds
We were told in training that the life expectancy of a machine gunner was about seven seconds from the moment the first round was fired.
What was the mortality rate of helicopter pilots in Vietnam?
The toll among those who flew for a living: 2,002 pilots killed and 2,704 crew chiefs and gunners dead. That’s about 7% of the 58,000 American troops killed in Vietnam. But along the way, they helped rescue more than 90,000 wounded—more than half of them American—and saved untold thousands of lives.
What is the MOS for door gunner?
Enlisted Aircrew/Aerial Observer/Gunner MOS 6199.
Are door gunners strapped in?
Door gunners were normally restrained for safety within the aircraft, by either using a standard lap belt, or if the gunner wanted freedom of movement within the aircraft while still being retained, he used a monkey harness, which was a GI safety harness worn on the torso, and anchored to the aircraft floor, or cabin
How many helicopters shot down in Vietnam?
According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, a total of 11,846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war, resulting in nearly 5,000 American pilots and crew killed.
How many cases of fragging were there in Vietnam?
Over the course of the entire Vietnam War, there were 800 documented fragging attempts in the Army and Marine Corps. By another account, over 1,000 such incidents were thought to have occurred. Between 1969 and 1970 alone, the U.S. Army reported 305 fraggings.
How many Vietnam veterans are still alive 2021?
despite their oral claim of service there. As of this date The American War Library estimates that approximately 610,000 Americans who served on land in Vietnam or in the air over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are alive today. And approximately 164,000 Americans who served at sea in Vietnam waters are alive today.
What was the deadliest month of the Vietnam War?
May
The May Offensive was considered much bloodier than the initial phase of the Tet Offensive. US casualties across South Vietnam were 2,169 killed for the entire month of May making it the deadliest month of the entire Vietnam War for U.S. forces, while South Vietnamese losses were 2,054 killed.
How many Vietnam veterans are still alive in 2019?
How Many Vietnam War Veterans Are Still Alive? According to the American War Library, as of February 28, 2019, it is estimated that approximately 610,000 Americans who served in land forces during the Vietnam War or in air missions over Vietnam between 1954 and 1975 are still alive to this day.
How many B 52s were shot down during the Vietnam War?
30 B-52s
Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict.
How many draft dodgers went to Canada during the Vietnam War?
Draft evaders
Canadian immigration statistics show that 20,000 to 30,000 draft-eligible American men came to Canada as immigrants during the Vietnam era.
What was the life expectancy of a corpsman in Vietnam?
When he was given a choice of jobs, he chose the duties of a corpsman and was sent to a Marine platoon in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division in 1970-1971. Corpsmen were needed in Vietnam: “Their life expectancy was about 50 percent,” he said.
What was the main gun used in Vietnam?
One of the most common infantry weapons used by U.S. troops in Vietnam was the M-60 machine gun, which could also be used as an artillery weapon when mounted or operated from a helicopter or tank.
Why was the M60 called the Pig?
In Vietnam, the M60 dangled from helicopter doorways, stood guard on bunkers, and accompanied squads into combat. It became the “Hog” or the “Pig” to American soldiers because its report sounded like the grunt of a barnyard hog. The Army was enthusiastic when the M60 was being developed in the Cold War 1950s.
How many helicopter pilots killed Vietnam?
The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) estimates that over 100,000 helicopter pilots and crew members served during the Vietnam War. Over 4,800 helicopter pilots and crew members were killed in action, and more than 300 are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Who was the youngest helicopter pilot in Vietnam?
| 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 |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
How many draftees died in Vietnam?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11—The war in Vietnam has claimed more than 12,000 deaths among draftees, most of them in the army, the Pentagon said today. This means that about one of every 104 draftees from June, 1965, the beginning of the Vietnam build‐up, to June, 1969, was killed in action.
