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

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

Huey

Huey (plural Hueys) (countable, informal) An American military helicopter, the UH-1 Iroquois. (countable, informal) An American military helicopter, the AH-1 Cobra.

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in Vietnam was just two weeks.

What was the life expectancy of a chopper pilot in Vietnam?

Being a helicopter pilot in Vietnam was one of the most dangerous jobs in the military at the time. The military used 12,000 helicopters in the Vietnam War. Over 5,000, or nearly half, were destroyed. The average lifespan of a pilot in Riede's position was 30 days.

What was the life expectancy of a M60 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 mortality rate of helicopter pilots in Vietnam?

Over 10% of all combat and combat support deaths in Vietnam occurred in helicopter operations, a total of 6,175 (2,202 pilots, 2,704 aircrew and 1,269 passengers).

Did soldiers fall out of helicopters in Vietnam?

One of the most enduring yet baseless myths of the Vietnam War alleges that communist prisoners were thrown out of high-flying helicopters to induce others to talk.

Life of a Door Gunner | Vietnam Veteran

What gun did door gunners use in Vietnam?

For the majority of the Vietnam War, the principal weapon of the door gunner was a medium machine gun (MG), initially, a M1919A4 . 30 caliber MG, and soon thereafter, the M60 7.62mm MG became the standard helicopter door armament system.

What unit saw the most combat in Vietnam?

The 199th Infantry Brigade is most notable for its participation in combat operations during the Vietnam War.

What was the life expectancy of a machine gunner?

And he knew it. He said a machine gunner's average life expectancy was three minutes, because once he fired, he became a target. The 89-year-old Marion Township man said paratroopers were paid more than other soldiers — $100 per month instead of the $35-50 for infantry — but were not expected to live very long.

What was the deadliest job in Vietnam?

Overall, the U.S. military used nearly 12,000 helicopters in Vietnam, of which more than 5,000 were destroyed. To be a helicopter pilot or crew member was among the most dangerous jobs in the war.

What were the bloodiest years of the Vietnam War?

According to the Vietnamese government's official history, one of the deadliest years was 1972, where they lost over 100,000 dead.

Who shot down the most planes in Vietnam?

The North Vietnamese Air Force (VPAF) had between 60 and 75 aircraft in service at most points during the war. Yet the MiG-17s, MiG-19s, and MiG-21s shot down 67 USAF aircraft against a loss of 137 of their own, leaving the US Air Force with barely a two-to-one exchange ratio over the course of the war.

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? Some interesting facts about UH-1 aircrew training during the Vietnam War.

How were soldiers tortured in Vietnam?

North Vietnamese torture was exceptionally cruel--prison guards bound POWs' arms and legs with tight ropes and then dislocated them, and left men in iron foot stocks for days or weeks. Extreme beatings were common, many times resulting in POW deaths.

How often were officers fragged in Vietnam?

Savage, estimated that up to 1,017 fragging incidents may have taken place in Vietnam, causing 86 deaths and 714 injuries of U.S. military personnel, the majority officers and NCOs. Fragging statistics include only incidents involving explosives, most commonly grenades.

Why did they dump helicopters in Vietnam?

Then-Navy Capt. Larry Chambers, skipper of the aircraft carrier Midway, ordered his crew to push helicopters off the flight deck to save a Vietnamese air force officer and his family fleeing Saigon.

What was the life expectancy of a medic in Vietnam?

We learned how to stop bleeding, how to keep an airway open, and prevent shock. All through the combat training it was emphasized that the life expectancy of a medic in a fire fight was six seconds.

What is the death rate for Vietnam veterans?

Considering the kind of information available about the death rate of WWII and Korean War Veterans, publicized information indicates that in the last 14 years Vietnam veterans are dying at the rate of 390 deaths each day.

What was the life expectancy of a tunnel rat in Vietnam?

The life expectancy for a tunnel rat is about 7 seconds, but I was never injured while in the tunnel. “A young Vietnamese boy showed me a lifesaving technique.

What was the life expectancy of a forward observer in Vietnam?

Then I learned that second lieutenants in the artillery routinely served as forward observers with a life expectancy of about 20 minutes.

What was the life expectancy of a corpsman in Vietnam?

Each day other Corpsmen I knew in the Operating Room or in the Hospital in general were receiving their orders to FMF training and Nam. The rumor was they needed so many because the life expectancy of a Corpsman in Viet Nam was about 7 days.

What was the life expectancy of a B 17 crew?

Nothing in the peacetime lives of thousands of young Americans had prepared them for the violence that lay ahead. Although such statistics were not circulated among Army Air Forces crews, the average life expectancy of an Eighth Air Force B-17 in late 1943 was 11 missions.

How many helicopter pilots died in Vietnam War?

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.

Did the US throw people out of helicopters in Vietnam?

When the US military pushed helicopters overboard to make room for the last evacuees of the Vietnam War, 1975. On the last two days in April 1975, Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Vietnam, ended a twenty-year agony for the United States. A trial for America was done.

What was the life expectancy of a ball turret gunner?

When the gunner tracked a fighter plane attacking from below, he revolved with the turret. The fighters who attacked him were armed with cannons firing explosive shells. “I later learned that the life expectancy of a ball turret gunner was just a mere 37 seconds.