What was the average life expectancy of a door gunner in Vietnam?
between 13 and 30 days
From there, they were taken to a base at Da Lat in the central highlands of that nation. Vlach served with the 54th General Command as a door gunner on an UH1 “Huey” helicopter. “They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days,” he said.
What is the life expectancy of a door gunner?
19 seconds
“A door gunner’s life expectancy is 19 seconds,” Chancellor said. “As a door gunner, I was in combat 240 days.” More than 45 years later, Chancellor said he still scans crowded places looking for those with guns.
How many helicopter door gunners died in Vietnam?
Records show tail numbers for 6,994 Hueys that served in the Vietnam War, almost all with the U.S. Army. There are certainly some missing from these records. Total helicopter pilots killed in the Vietnam War was 2,165. Total non-pilot crew members were 2,712.
What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam?
The life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam was between 13 and 30 days.
Are medevac helicopters armed?
Never mind that our sister services, special operations forces and allies are all able to field armed, dedicated CASEVAC/MEDEVAC helicopters!
What was the deadliest month of the Vietnam War?
May
The May Offensive was considered much bloodier than the initial phase of the Tet Offensive. US casualties across South Vietnam were 2,169 killed for the entire month of May making it the deadliest month of the entire Vietnam War for U.S. forces, while South Vietnamese losses were 2,054 killed.
Why do door gunners wear masks?
The face mask protects the crew chief’s face from dust and cold weather, Pacifici explained, and not all crew chiefs paint them. “Some guys just take it off at the end of the day and it’s just part of the uniform,” he said.
What were the odds of surviving Vietnam?
85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. 97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. 91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
How often did helicopters get shot down in Vietnam?
In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes, 5,607 helicopters and 578 UAVs ). The Republic of Vietnam lost 1,018 aircraft and helicopters from January 1964 to September 1973.
What is a Dust Off pilot?
“Dustoff” soon became synonymous with all helicopter ambulance units operating in Vietnam. The crew usually consisted of four men–two pilots with one acting as a commander, a medic assigned to evacuate evacuating the wounded, and the crew chief whose role was also to keep the chopper in top condition.
What is a dust off helicopter?
Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. “DUSTOFF” is the callsign specific to U.S. Army Air Ambulance units.
How many people died as door gunner in Vietnam?
Leading veterinarian reveals dog food industry’s secrets in presentation. Being a door gunner was NOT a very high casualty job in Vietnam. Were there casualties, yes, but no where near that rate. Roughly 2,700 non-pilot helicopter crewmen were killed during the entire war. During the war we logged over 10 million flight hours in helicopters.
How long was a door gunner in the Army?
Not counting time spent going through basic training and then the specialized training needed to serve in the Army as a door gunner and crew chief on a Bell UH-1C helicopter gunship, followed by a few months in North Carolina, his time as a G.I. “in country” was just a year — or “11 months and 29 days,” as he points out.
What kind of gun did two door gunners use?
The two door gunners each operated an M60 machine gun, which was fed a belt of 7.62 mm cartridges and could fire at a rate of up to 700 rounds per minute. When an M60’s barrel would inevitably get too hot, or worse, jam, the gunners would swap it out with the spare gun barrel they always made sure to have.