In combat they treated the wounded in the field, wearing helmets which were clearly marked with a Red Cross. AS LEADERS IN AMERICAS SERVICES WE MUST BE PROFICIENT AND READY TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSIONS- I am one lucky SOB. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. It was just part of the job. A radio operator carried the normal load for a rifleman, as well as a radio which weighed nearly forty pounds. During training, you will spend close to a week on vehicle platform training. Great information. Some Brothers said why spend another year in this hellhole???? I applaud the courage and difficult and all so dangerous job of Roger Herforth when he served as an RTO for the Hawk Recon Platoon of the 101st airborne division in Vietnam.. Most infantrymen did not carry additional ammunition for the .45, which was considered a defensive weapon of last resort, and those that did typically carried only one or two preloaded magazines. Saw from mostly safe distance almost all the weapons systems that where there used. Got hit inside 15 minutes, first ambush we walked up too. /. Four platoons in a rifle company. Occasionally the men were transferred piecemeal. I had scary thoughts about myself humping the bush as a RTO, I was a real puny guy back then. Members of the squad carried other equipment besides their personal load, as assigned by their sergeant. While all rifle companies had assigned medics, they were not always in the company of squads on patrol or deployed in forwarding positions. Soldiers that are assigned to Bradley or Stryker units also must learn how to drive and perform maintenance on their assigned vehicles. US Army. RIght there and the NVA we were usually up against knew this. Toothbrushes and tooth powder were included in ration packs, and the teeth could be brushed using water in canteens, except for during the colder periods of the winter of 1944-45 when the canteens froze solid. The infantryman of World War II had a much better chance of surviving some wounds which would have been fatal during previous wars. All of these tasks for MOS 11B are not possible without excellent communication skills as well as an advanced understanding of terrain, methods of warfare, and combat strategies. Ha Ha always enjoyed being a volunteer! 5 seconds. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. I would carry when on ambush. An infantryman carried on his back and in equipment bags and pockets everything he needed to survive in the field during a patrol or while en route to an ordered destination. Some were necessary as a part of simply releasing the tension built up through combat and seeing friends wounded or killed, but it was up to the sergeants to establish what went too far. The job training for 11B requires 14 weeks of One Station Unit Training (OSUT) which is a combination of time spent in the classroom and in the field.*. The training for Army Infantrymen 11B consists of Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), for a total of 14 weeks. Artillery, and ground forces. In France, the bars were as hard as the frozen soil. We were in2dBn 503d . Results When comparing life spans of service veterans, there was no statistically significant reduction for the average life span of the 234 combat-exposed veterans in our sample from the 28th (Mori) Battalion (66.7 years), relative to the Mori veterans from two non-combat cohorts: the 132 personnel in the 15th Reinforcements (67.2 years) and the 147 personnel in Jayforce (66.9 years). Your email address will not be published. Those who were killed in combat were identified by their dog tags, and buried by special details for the most part, although it was not uncommon for infantrymen to bury the dead of their units while on patrol, marking the location with a dog tag. happened. Also, Infantry like the culture of the military job as well as management opportunities. Fellow members soon learned the strengths and weaknesses of each other, who could be relied on and who would shirk his duties. During some periods of intense combat more than a month could go by without clean clothes or a shower. Related Article Army Combat Engineer (MOS 12B): Career Details. Yes, I made E4 at graduation, that was considered a NCO then. The overwhelming majority of the combat infantrymen deployed during the Second World War carried as their primary weapon the Garand M1 rifle. All the members of the squad carried additional weapons, including a sidearm and bayonet, and when deployed in the field carried both smoke and shrapnel grenades. There were two different groups that flew aeromedical evacuations. They learned to spend the night in foxholes back to back with another squad member, giving them a 360-degree range of vision, and creating the term, Ive got your back. I was told my life expectancy was about 45 secs during a fire fight because of the weapons and demo I carried. The shortfall, on the other hand, is over 7.9 and 3.3 life-years for male and female in U. S. population, respectively. Needless too say I depended on Sgt. He used. As a Huey door gunner, when we left the ground on a mission, I always thought that this mission would be my last! As we were, steadily building up, our area for protection. Nobody attacked, where we were. I applaud your courage as I know an RTOs job is essential, difficult (carrying the weight of his radio transmitter, his rifle, his ammo, and his rucksack), and dangerous as the enemy surely wanted to knock out any communications for support. Spent my year in a Recon platoon 2/35th 4th ID. The BAR man carried a weapon which weighed over 20 pounds loaded, and he carried another 20 pounds in ammunition. I was with HHC and 1st Platoon C Company in 70-71. The American army traveled to Europe by ship, and by a wide variety of ships including troop transports designed and built for the purpose, Liberty ships, converted freighters, and the great ocean liners of the Allies. 2 tour Nam Vet, Free Sample first six chapters of Cherries both Written and Audiobook, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran. Had multiple Ks and Ws. Before I became a team leader on ambush and recon I was in command of the scout jeep for the 25th ID resupply convoy from January 1968 to June 15, 1968 and I found the resupply convoys a lot more dangerous because the enemy always knew where it would be and when. both tours. Army Infantrymen (MOS 11B) are the main land combat force, known as Eleven Bravo. These personnel are responsible for defending the country through real-life combat. On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 4:00 PM CherriesWriter Vietnam War website wrote: > pdoggbiker posted: A friend recently sent me the link to an article > claiming that the life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War > was only 5 seconds. If the enemy was near, we never saw any. I saw aircraft loaded with troops explode in mid-air. Since infantrymen spent a lot of time on or digging in the ground, most rotated out of combat for rest and recreation as a grimy, gritty, and unshaven lot, unconcerned with their non-parade ground appearance. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans were estimated to live 21.4 and 26.1 life-years, 1.4 and 0.3 more life-years for Korean Conflict Veterans, and 3 and 1.5 more life-years for Vietnam Era Veterans for male and female, respectively. The needs of the Army will dictate which MOS youre assigned. Thats why I never understand people talking about survivors guilt it should have been me, why him? etc. Some of my men didnt. I was one of the many others I rode river boats in the Mekong Jan 68 to 69. Although the men were usually informed of such a move, their immediate officers and non-coms remained in place, as seldom was a transfer of less than company strength. 9 (September 1944) The American Soldier (1949), vol. Infantrymen serve in combat operations and reconnaissance missions. As of July 2019, the Army had 19,820 11B Infantryman on active duty. We flew north, then made a stop, in Cam Rahn Bay. As far as I knew that was done in the whole battalion in 1968 . Color Vision discrimination for MOS 11B is red/green. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. The lowest rated category on Indeed for Army Infantryman is work-life balance which makes sense as having a family while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces is far from easy. SS America, renamed USS West Point, could carry nearly eight thousand troops and its speed meant it could sail without escorts, capable of outrunning German U-boats. three, he believes he is doing what his country wants him to dojust like you So you better damn well treat him with the compassion you want for you!! Mech. Combat lifesaver course. Vehicles of the US First Infantry division stalled on a Belgian road in late 1944. I was shot down on my very first mission in July 1968. Great reading. Interesting, I carried a Prick 25, for 2 months. After consolidating the division and its equipment infantrymen were moved to the front, which by December 1944 was nearing the Siegfried Line, defensive fortifications protecting Germany from invasion from the west. TONY DISAGREED> hE SAID TAKE A 19 YEAR OLD, WHO HAS JUST TAKEN TWO ROUNDS TO HIS BODY, And IS watching his best friend die from multiple, bleeding wounds he wont give a shit about the Geneva Convention. Men in the field soon learned to carry as many extras as they could, frequently stuffing them under their shirts and in empty pockets. Whenever and wherever possible, infantrymen in France traded with the civilians for food such as eggs and vegetables. You can follow the pay table below to figure out what you can expect to make based on U.S. Army rank for Infantryman MOS 11B: The U.S. Army has several benefits included with a monthly salary: It is also worth noting that you could earn up to $41,000 in cash bonuses for enlisting under certain Military Occupational Specialties. I was a point man, M60 Gunner and squad leader. An American infantryman inspects the body of a dead German in July 1944, near St. Gotta say I think you hit it on the nose. Sometimes walkie-talkie sets were substituted, they weighed far less but offered a more limited range. Since the shower and clothing issue often took place in the dead of winter and outdoors, it was an invigorating experience, but a not very frequent one. Infantrymen were trained to keep the rifle cleaned and well-oiled at all times, and since their lives depended on their weapon most were diligent about following this directive. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. I would suspect that stating with any accuracy the life span of a grunt like me, or any other MOS, would be pretty much pure speculation. I never thought of it that way before but have many times since. While at the front he faced not only a determined enemy, but ice, snow, rain, mud, bitter cold and stifling heat. I knew some of this, but certainly not all. The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. That same day, I along with 3/4 others was transported to Long Bhin Post. Here is an 18 Of the American combat troops which served on the continent of Europe during the Second World War about 15% were frontline infantry. Non-divisional aeromedical evacuation units went by the callsign DUSTOFF. Life was seemingly grand for Napoleon's army, but reality told a far different story. To the men, it appeared they were fighting for useless hills. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. Sorry,I was one of your Brothers in Arms that helped talk you out of enlisting for another year in Vietnam. From Cam Rahn, we kept flying north to, a Landing Zone near QUANG TRI. Newspapers and magazines were available for the troops as were recreation activities such as baseball and softball, volleyball, and during the warm months swimming if a suitable body of water was near. You of course had the radio plus xtra batteries & handsets plus your rucksack with 7 to 8 canteens , 20 mags ( I used to carry 17 rounds in the mags instead of 20 ) because the springs would force the round into the chamber causing jams . No combat assignments for another year of service in Vietnam or get out in about a month. Living in the ground led them to be filthy, and staying alive drove them to tolerate it, of themselves and their squadmates. Thank You for your courageous service as an RTO with the legendary Hawk Recon Platoon. Most of us have memories of these kind of experiences. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. by Jeffrey J. Clarke, Center for Military History, February 26, 1992, Citizen Soldiers, by Stephen Ambrose, 1998, Ardennes-Alsace, by Roger Cirillo, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, 2003, online, American Battle Casualties and Non-Battle Deaths in World War II, by the Combined Arms Research Library, Department of the Army, June 25, 1953. All of the next day, we could see SMOKE from the fire caused by the explosions of the AMMO at, the AMMO DUMP. As a result, Army Infantrymen 11B are trained to conduct mobilization in a variety of settings on land. I was over there twice serving as a Hospital Corpsman with a marine unit. Because if only 1 RTO fought for say only 10 or 15 minutes before being killed, that would up the AVG for the total war! The rule of thumb was , any new guys would get the radio and keep it until another new guy came in. well I wonder how long your going to last lieutenant? Some reported not having the ability to shower for as long as several weeks. Each battalion contained a heavy weapons company with machine guns and mortars, and three rifle companies of infantrymen. waving then I realized they Werent shooting at him only at the Where do we find this stuff? It had a crew of 4 (forward gunner, the coxswain (steering and driving) and the two aft gunners. There is no civilian occupations that are the direct equivalent of an Army Infantryman MOS 11B. After heavy fighting across France and the Low Countries, it was believed by the Allied High Command that the Germans lacked the ability or the will to launch an assault in the Ardennes, and the troops were there to rest through Christmas. There were also wounded. The combat infantryman, and for the most part their immediate superiors at the front, had little information about the overall situation of the war. The British lost 704,208 dead in the Great War, and if they were to form up in three ranks and march at the standard British army speed of 120 thirty-inch paces to the minute, they would pass in one day, fifteen hours and seven minutes. Additionally, you will learn to handle a large volume of weapons, military vehicles, as well as Prisoners of War (POWs). You seen the enemy you shots him and vice versa. Expenditures for a body in a combat zone? One went back to headquarters to notify them of the death, the other remained at the grave so that the body could be identified. 11 c mos , meaning I was also cross trained for mortars . The differing calibers of the two main weapons carried by the infantryman presented a problem. Just to show that its hard to get an accurate number, note my typo of 56,220. The Americans put about twenty men in each car when they moved by train, since with their full loads of equipment they could not fit in anymore, but conditions were still crowded. During the winter sleeping bags were issued. Aboard ship, the troops, most of whom had never been on a ship before, endured crowded conditions, jammed mess halls with waiting lines of up to an hour, seasickness, and boredom. The infantryman often reached a designated point and had to dig in for the night. Total fantasy. No high security clearance is required to become an Army Infantryman. I was a 2LT on Hamburger Hill and had 4 RTOs over a 7 day period (excluding the times I ended up carrying my own radio). Lucky you. Survival led them to shed those items which were not essential to their remaining alive. located on the South End of, the Post. Some gave all. Forget the statistics, we all had a job to do, we went where we were told. The US Army Combat Lifesaver Course is an official medical training course conducted by the US Army. The Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun was sometimes carried by a non-com to give a squad more firepower in the field, but it was not deployed as heavily as films and television depict due to its poor penetrating power and its weight. They were glad to see me as it had been a while for replacements with the unit. Sleep was not a luxury but a necessity. I loved it. Was I lucky ? Holding approximately 36 gallons of water, the bag was suspended about five feet above the ground. My dog and I walked point my whole tour in Vietnam. Training to become MOS 11B is open to both men and women. These men were first loaded onto railcars from the French rolling stock which was called 40 and 8s. There were instances when some men used grenades to try to blast the frozen soil, a practice which was quickly stopped by the sergeants. May they rest in peace. We can all hold our heads high and be proud of our service. It was capable of processing an entire division for embarkation in a single day, but it seldom did due to the nature of shipping schedules from the Port of Boston. Such protracted exposure to the elements boded ill for his life expectancy. They also learned to never forgo any opportunity to rest. In Fury, starring Brad Pitt and Shia leBeouf, we follow the story of five American soldiers, a crew serving in one tank in Germany, 1945. In previous American wars volunteer units were often composed of men from the same communities, but not in World War II, when a typical squad included members from all over the United States. My first tour was as an advisor to the VN Abn. I was an RTO for 9-1/2 months for Hawk Recon 2/327 101AB from dec, 1969 to sept 70. THE MAN I INHERITED THE GUN FROM WASNT SO LUCKY. The U.S. Army features the same base pay regardless of job within the military. Staying alive was kinda of important. The liners had been gutted and great rows of tiered bunks filled their hulls. Id love to see the casualties listed by Corps ? He also carried an equipment bag, ammunition bandolier, backpack, entrenching tool, grenades, rations, canteen, spare socks, a blanket, a half shelter (to sleep under), and whatever personal items he wished. Many were killed or wounded ! As the war moved forward, an exhausted soldier often merely lay on his blanket at night in an effort to simplify his life and maximize periods of rest. They run into the fire to help the wounded and many get wounded or killed. To an, open area. We all have opinions, this is mine. US Army. Ed, I was in a Grunt Platoon in Vietnam 70-71. Infantry soldiers are trained at Fort Benning, Georgia. Different type units, different locations, different opinions on dangers. Infantrymen frequently found that their unit was transferred to the command of another division, a means of reinforcing units which had been engaged with the Germans and weakened as a result, or which needed additional men for a counteroffensive. 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Was Billeted near an Army medevac Unit and was offered a chance to lay on my stomach with an M16 and door gun for them I decided not a good Idea. Regardless, several civilian jobs are comparable such as: Soldiers should consider enrolling in the Army PaYS program following retirement.
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