How old are the youngest Vietnam veterans today?
The average age of the Vietnam Veteran is 68 years old. Is your Senior Living prepared for them? Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximated to be 60 years old.
Population estimates for 2023 show: 7.8 million living U.S. veterans, or 43%, served in the Gulf War era. 5.6 million living veterans (30%) served during the Vietnam War era from 1950 to 1973. Around 767,000 veterans who served during the Korean conflict in the 1940s and 1950s are alive today.
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. In a New York Times story, Bullock's father had said his son had hopes to become a pilot or a firefighter.
Most Vietnam Veterans Saw Combat. Actually, the opposite is true; only a relatively small percentage were ever involved in combat. In fact, it is likely less than 30% of all who served there ever saw combat of any sort during their war.
However, over time, exposure to dioxin has been linked to the following in Veterans' children: Neural Tube Defects. Congenital Heart Disease. Spina Bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord.
B) "Vietnam veteran" vs "Vietnam-era veteran"
In association with (A) above, the Commemoration uses the term "Vietnam veteran" to describe those who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location.
About 1.3 million Vietnam veterans, nearly 25 percent, collected disability compensation from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2018; their average annual payment was $18,100. Those payments boosted average income for all Vietnam veterans by $4,300.
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. Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. Elmwood Cemetery, Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, U.S.
No, Tom Selleck did NOT serve in Vietnam, and upon receiving his draft notice in 1967, Selleck joined the California National Guard and served in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard from 1967 to 1973. He also served six months active duty status in the United States.
Conscription in Vietnam has existed since 1975 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 (18 to 27 for those who attend colleges or universities) to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.
What were the odds of surviving Vietnam?
According to the book Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War, approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in the Vietnam War. About 1.8% were killed in action (KIA) or 18 out of every 1000. About 5.6% were seriously wounded and survived or 56 out of every 1000.
The average age of the military men who died in Vietnam was 22.8 years old. Of the one hundred and one (101) 18 year old draftees who died in Vietnam; seven of them were black. Blacks accounted for 10.5 percent the combat deaths in Vietnam.
California had the highest number of Vietnam War casualties among all states, with 5,575 deaths. The state had the highest number of soldiers deployed to Vietnam, which contributed to the high number of casualties.
During the Vietnam War, all services of the US Armed Forces report- ed markedly increased prevalence of STIs. A study which involved the crew of a US Navy aircraft carrier demonstrated an annual rate of gonorrhea at 582 cases/1000 soldiers and of non-gonococcal urethritis at 459/1000 [12].
The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing. Roughly 300-thousand veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure -- that's almost five times as many as the 58-thousand who died in combat.
Millions of Vietnamese are living with the effects of Agent Orange and more are being born with defects linked to the herbicide. Many living in poor villages do not receive the health care and rehabilitation they need, simply because they cannot afford to seek treatment.
Look for discharge papers, pictures, medals,etc. Look for clues about where he or she lived and served. Dates of enlsitment or selective service registration will be helpful along with the name military units they served with.
The VFW initially refused membership for Vietnam War veterans. At the time, most incumbent VFW members were World War II and Korean War veterans.
Vietnam Veterans may be eligible for a wide-variety of benefits available to all U.S. military Veterans. VA benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial.
How much do Vietnam vets get for Agent Orange?
If you or a loved one are eligible for disability benefits due to Agent Orange-connected medical issues, you may receive approximately $40,000 per year or more. It all depends on the details of your case, whether you have any dependents, and your overall disability rating.
Only 20 to 25% of U.S. Troops In Vietnam Receive Combat Pay.
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. Of those killed, 17,539 were married. Average age of men killed: 23.1 years Enlisted: 50,274; 22.37 years Officers: 6,598; 28.43 years Warrants: 1,276; 24.73 years E1: 525; 20.34 years Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
In the final tally, 48 SEALs lost their lives in Vietnam and more than 200 were wounded. Estimates of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese (NVA) soldiers killed by SEAL operations run as high a 2,000. (The UDTs also deployed to Vietnam but not in the numbers of SEALs.
After a year of negotiations, the remains of Cpl. Charles McMahon and Lance Cpl. Darwin Judge, the last two U.S. service members killed in the Vietnam War, were returned to the U.S. via a military terminal at Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.
References
- https://journals.viamedica.pl/international_maritime_health/article/download/IMH.2020.0037/52004
- https://www.vvmf.org/stories/Dan-Bullock/
- https://www.veterans.nd.gov/news/agent-orange-its-affecting-veterans-and-their-kids
- https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_Vietnam_War_1964_to_1972
- https://post3legion.org/Vietnam_Statistics.pdf
- https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3013636/vietnam-war-44-years-birth-defects-americas-agent-orange-are
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_of_Foreign_Wars
- https://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swenssonjohn/ewrt2vn/essays_mikekelley_myths.html
- https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/about/clarification_of_commemoration_terminology/
- https://www.quora.com/If-you-had-been-drafted-to-fight-the-Vietnam-war-what-were-the-chances-of-you-being-wounded-and-getting-killed
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Vietnam
- https://ptsdlawyers.com/agent-orange-effects-on-offspring/
- https://www.benefits.va.gov/persona/veteran-vietnam.asp
- https://www.quora.com/Did-Tom-Selleck-fight-in-the-Vietnam-War
- https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56696
- https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/vietnam-war-casualties-by-state/
- https://www.vva310.org/vietnam-war-statistics
- https://ptsdlawyers.com/average-compensation-for-agent-orange/
- https://www.wbur.org/news/2015/04/29/kennedy-vietnam-war-final-marines
- https://www.nytimes.com/1965/02/26/archives/only-20-to-25-of-us-troops-in-vietnam-receive-combat-pay.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Bullock
- https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2012/january/seals-50-years-and-counting
- https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/vietnam-veterans-by-state/
