What was the life expectancy of an infantryman in Vietnam?

Well, since about 98\% completed their 12 to 13 month tour and returned to the States alive, even though possibly wounded or otherwise injured, the average “lifespan of a soldier in Vietnam” would have been about 11.75 to 12.75 months.

What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in Vietnam War?

Average age of men killed: 23.1 years. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. The oldest man killed was 62 years old.

What was the life expectancy of an officer in Vietnam?

Well, since the overwhelming majority of officers (as well as all other ranks) came home alive from Vietnam, and the usual tour length was around 13 months, it would seem that the “average” life expectancy would have been well over 12 months.

What was the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam?

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 life expectancy of a corpsman in Vietnam?

The rumor was they needed so many because the life expectancy of a Corpsman in Viet Nam was about 7 days.

What is the life expectancy of a machine gunner in combat?

The radioman you could understand—there’s no communication. But the man who has the most firepower is the machine gunner. So the average lifespan is seven seconds.

What was the life expectancy of a US soldier in Vietnam?

On average US troops served 1–2 years in Vietnam, and the percentage of troops killed was actually fairly low for a war this size, 2.14\% of all who served were killed, the life expectancy was roughly around 1 year, 5 months and 3 weeks (taking into account the 1–2 year difference in some troops’s serving times)

What was the life expectancy of someone with a radio in Vietnam?

During the Vietnam War, the odds were tremendously stacked against radio operations — and that 5-second life expectancy was, for some, a grim reality. To make matters worse, you can’t really control the volume on those radios since the dial was on the wearer’s back.

Do officers live longer than privates in the military?

The other eight people died but our Captain survived and retired a 3 star General. Officers usually live longer than their privates who do most of the most dangerous work. My officers lasted a little longer. I had two Captains (company commanders) during my tour.

What was it like to operate a radio in the Vietnam War?

During the Vietnam War, the odds were tremendously stacked against radio operations — and that 5-second life expectancy was, for some, a grim reality. To make matters worse, you can’t really control the volume on those radios since the dial was on the wearer’s back. Radio chatter could give your position away, too.