US Army. Second Lieutenant was the most junior commissioned rank in the Army and experienced squad leaders often had to make up for their commanders lack of experience in the field, and with the Army overall. 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. As a result, Army Infantrymen 11B are trained to conduct mobilization in a variety of settings on land. Learned a lot from him. It was a daily challenge to know who your real enemy was. The Browning Automatic Rifle, of which each infantry rifle squad had one (and which was incidentally a favored weapon of Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame) was also a .30 caliber weapon. The fact is that most machine gunners, RTOs, junior officers and other extremely dangerous jobs survived the war. 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 Army considered its use as an embarkation point a secret, and so warned the young soldiers when they arrived. Some unfortunately also came home with physical scars. I was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Infantry. Our patrols were typically about 14 hours 24/7 We operated of old LSTs and large barges. Then we all, loaded on C-147 cargo planes. Ambulances are not supposed to be armed (either) though in training, medics are told they and their vehicles will be a prime target. All the comments and replies are of absolute truth, I was only 18 when I got to Nam ,Im a country boy from NC so here I am I never understood why they didnt put M60s on Medevacs (once the VC shot them down) but then, we now know they never intended to win that war in the first place. At this time- senior Army leadership ordered us all to read the Geneva Convention to our troops because of the My Lai debachle. There are a number of civilian job opportunities for an Army Infantryman (11B) following discharge from the U.S. Military. Thank You Roger!!! Infantrymen are renowned for being great at handling high-stress situations and are often natural-born leaders. For example, troops in the south of France were moved first by rail, then by Army trucks, to their destination blocking elements of the German army from reinforcing and resupplying the assault in the Ardennes. I would carry when on ambush. never happened,we lost two sweep team members and some Different strokes for different folks in war fer sure. There must have been a real mathematician to come up with those calculations. An infantryman was trained to fire a full eight-round clip in battle before reloading the weapon. First thing we did was, Set up a complete circular perimeter. Additionally, soldiers might record operational information on maps. They endured faulty equipment, inadequate clothing, the errors of logistics and judgment which found them being delivered winter boots in summer and the opposite in cold weather. 15 May he was killed by friendly fire, and a host of us were WIA, myself included. my left and saw this rice paddie farmer and his ox and I was trying to motion him to get down he just looks at me and starts I lost my cherry very early. Artillery, and ground forces. A much better approach would be/have been: of all the combat-casualties, what was their Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division. When Roeski got hit, I took over the M-60. As of July 2019, the Army had 19,820 11B Infantryman on active duty. The overwhelming majority of the combat infantrymen deployed during the Second World War carried as their primary weapon the Garand M1 rifle. Not much different than his unit. I remember hearing somewhere about an RTO who wasnt getting the info out correctly and the Lieutenant (Kennedy) grabbed the mic and said My RTO Is Foxtrot Uniform. Your email address will not be published. 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. The infantryman ate, slept, marched, fought, and died with his squad. Men in the field soon learned to carry as many extras as they could, frequently stuffing them under their shirts and in empty pockets. The early days of May 1970, I arrived at the Airport, next to Saigon. Others were encampments such as Camp Myles Standish, outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Bravo, 3/187th Inf, 101st Airborne Div, 2nd Plt, 2nd Sq, Hamburger Hill, May 69. I was an RTO for 9-1/2 months for Hawk Recon 2/327 101AB from dec, 1969 to sept 70. Both my tours were in the Delta (IV Corps) where the only ground troops were regular ARVNs and RUFF/PUFFS. The fact that PDoggbiker cant find any decent calculation/explanation, tells us a lot. Altogether his burden was over eighty pounds. It was an HONOR and a privilege to serve with these brave men for my 11 month tour. For his actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal if Honor. It began just as, it was getting dark. I was a REMF but Ive heard of 05Cs that were stuck out in the boonies on a firebase. Combat lifesaver course - Wikipedia Great information. Some reported not having the ability to shower for as long as several weeks. But I made it back in one piece. Soldiers that are assigned to Bradley or Stryker units also must learn how to drive and perform maintenance on their assigned vehicles. Required fields are marked *. I saw aircraft loaded with troops explode in mid-air. The cars were antiquated, dating back to before World War I, and were unheated. Also, it would mean the killed RTOs died within seconds of the fight (it doesnt distinguish between ambush or regular fight, eg. An Rtos job was essential, tough,(Carrying the extra weight of the radio transmitter along with his rucksack), and dangerous. American parachute infantry advance in the Huertgen Forest in February, 1945. Dap, Hope this helps. 1st Cav, 101st, etc. Infantrymen learned to survive without any creature comforts for the simple reason that anything that they kept they had to carry. 5 (April 1944) What the Soldier Thinks, no. Related Article Marine Corps Infantry Assault (MOS 0351): Career Details. He decided to stay even though he had a deep feeling he wasnt going to make it. Soldier Life Expectancy in Ukraine 'Meat Grinder' Is 4 Hours: Marine 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. A Day in the Life of an Infantry Point Man in Vietnam The 11X recruiting program is designed to pipeline Army Basic Training to the Army Infantry training program. Sept 69 to Sept 70. 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. Many were killed or wounded ! It means, IF (!) If a battle ensued, a triumphant army would lose 5% of its men but a defeated army would usually lose around 15% of its force. A sled laden with ammunition is dragged by US infantrymen towards the fighting during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. 82nd 2/505th. I was sitting on the ground one day trying to dry out my gear and better configure my ruck when my squad leader came walking over to me and said, Gow, youve got the radio. As he turned and walked away! The Bn & Company I was assigned to, was on the last row of Bldgs. 2 tour Nam Vet, Free Sample first six chapters of Cherries both Written and Audiobook, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran. It doesnt make any sense statistically/mathematically it is impossible. Of the American combat troops which served on the continent of Europe during the Second World War about 15% were frontline infantry. Was a door gunner and crew chief for just shy of 18 months (I extended to get out early). I was to have that experience two more times before it was over. Appx: 6 months in, all of the 543d TC joined forces with the 572d TC. During training, you will spend close to a week on vehicle platform training. Additionally, you will learn to handle a large volume of weapons, military vehicles, as well as Prisoners of War (POWs). Access to the field kitchens provided the men not engaged in combat with hot meals, though complaining about the food in all situations was a time-honored tradition, as in all armies. of what was usually 5 or 6 going in and many times the leads would find traps, punji pits or the VC waiting. * Basic training and advanced job training are combined into a single course. See you in the next life!!!!! In his work The 1865 Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, August V. Kautz writes that a soldier "should learn to wait: a soldier's life is made up in waiting for the critical moments.". Many of the skills you learn while in the U.S. Army are universal to just about every type of job. Michael Doolittle..I was with 1/8 inf, 1st Brigade, and that day, March 22nd was also our darkest day. National Archives. Your article was quite interesting. Four platoons in a rifle company. One went back to headquarters to notify them of the death, the other remained at the grave so that the body could be identified. approaching a village and a firefight starts). Ambushed on October 4th,1967. Infantrymen in the Second World War quickly learned that everything they needed to know to survive in the field was not part of the training curriculum in basic infantry school. Out of the 3,000,000 men and women in our armed forces and reserves, we have lost 4,500 in this 9 year war. /. 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. Its just (bad) luck, fate, randomness theres no right or wrong, no justice or fairness, no reasoning. Ernest, Im glad that your first tour with the VN airborne was rewarding. The 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in the US Military | Military.com As they approached and entered the Alsace region this welcome became less enthusiastic. Holding approximately 36 gallons of water, the bag was suspended about five feet above the ground. During the Second World War in all theaters, it was the infantry which bore the brunt of combat, be it ground units of the US Army or the Marines. I was an FO back in the day. Welcome home brothers and sisters. Your email address will not be published. a RTO got killed, it happened within 5 seconds but not that always ALL RTOs got killed. The life expectancy of a soldier fighting in Iraq, wether medic or infantry, is measured in terms of years, however, because of the low number of deaths in Iraq (3,000 + in a 5 year war is unheard . They lived in the mud and snow, not in the deep trenches of the First World War but in foxholes they dug themselves, or in shell craters created by the artillery of both sides. Sore feet and sore backs were part of life. The Life Expectancy of Roman Soldiers. He encountered the open fields and farmlands of France, the dense woods of the Ardennes, the mountainous terrain in Italy, Les Voges, and Alsace, in all weather conditions. Some wounded received convalescent leave far behind the lines. The infantry rotated troops to and out of the front, either as it receded while the Germans withdrew to new defensive positions or as replacement troops took over, giving the squads an opportunity to rest, shower, obtain fresh clothing and recover from combat. During the Second World War, the US military purchased about 1.9 million Colt .45 semiautomatic pistols, manufactured by Colt Firearms and under license by the Remington Rand Typewriter Company, Singer Sewing Machine Company, and other contractors. We were probably not too far away on that day. In my humble opiniona maneven leaders should often recalculate their adversaries capabilities and limitations and his own limitations as wellwhen 10,000 miles from home against a determined worthy foein a strange landThe objective of Lam Son 719? I carried the PRC-25 Radio most of that time. At age 55, World War 2 Veterans How Awful Life Was For A Napoleonic Soldier - historynet.com Stops on the march of more than a few minutes were to be used to grab any sleep they could. A typical Patrol Boat River (PBR) was about 31 feet long and had twin 50s forward an M 60 midships and a 50 aft. BS but ia a way you are correct. Really? Now, the wisdom of this soldier tough but humanly compassionate warrior ethos can be assessed through the 2d Bn recordNO complaints about mistreatment of prisonerswhile achieving the most combat SUCCESSES IN THE BRIGADE. I always found life expectancy numbers interesting in that I could never find any supporting information that could be validated. Even during the period of rest, the possibility of a sudden attack was always present. Cameron Rogers from 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, plots points on a map during the fire . Land navigation is also a point of emphasis for U.S. Army Infantrymen. 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. But it was my jobso I tried not to think about it much. Look at the armament options in this article---those are all LRPF guns from .50cal to 30mm to 105-120mm cannon---and no "area saturation," "area destruction," and "mass fire" that China and Russia have. The theory is the longer you serve in the U.S. Army the more you will make. 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). Camp Standish was both a staging area for embarking troops and a prisoner of war camp. Veterans of the 289th Infantry Regiment on the road to St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. I felt the same way jumping off the chopper with my m-60, 300. rounds of ammo,grenades,sandbags and six canteens of water. Happy to Know on Twitter: "RT @starsandstripes: New York Army National The ASVAB is short for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery which is a series of tests that help you better understand your strengths in the U.S. Military. Motorized elements of the division and the supporting logistics facilities traveled by road. Those determined to be too severely wounded to continue their recovery in theater were sent to either England or the United States on hospital ships, and then routed to recovery hospitals on specially equipped hospital trains. The Army provided waterproof boots and galoshes, which made the feet sweat on marches and could cause the same problems. 1: physical position (in the field / column) As I carried a PRC25 radio for over seven-months in the > Nam, I was curious to find out what I did RIGHT to surv >, One MOS I figured was a sure short timer was POL{Fuel} Truck Driver. In a strange country scared shitless .I was a minesweeper.My first time out on a mission they put me on the drag line fifty yards from the road which was route 1, Then all hell broke lose