Age of casualtys

[DMZ-LT]

In Viet Nam I was really the old man in the platoon. I was 24 and most of my people were 19/20 years old. I was an 0-2 next highest rank was an E-5. At the most I had 25 men in my platoon , most of us were single. Georgia just sent the 48th Brigade Combat Team to Iraq and last Sunday they lost their first 4 men to an IED. KIA's were a 44 year old SSG , a 33 yr. old SGT , a 35 year old Sgt and a 30 yr. old SP/4.They were all married and all had children. The unit is at full strength and trained together for months before they left. Lots of changes in the last 34 years but we are still putting boots on the ground and the familys of the dead still grieve. Keep movin brothers and thank you from me and my family. Scouts Out !!!

[Gimpy]

I saw this in the paper (I still get the Atlanta Journal delivered to my home here in Florida, it's about a day or so late, but I still like to read it anyway to keep up with happenings around home) and it broke my heart when I read about it.

God Bless them all and I pray for them and their families.

Thanks for posting this.

[Andy]

I?m no smarter than average but it seemed you could tell if a guy was married or not. Us 19 year old single guys seemed to always be the crazy ones, the married guys weren?t cowards by any means but seemed to exercise a little more caution.

When in injun? country you never looked forward to sending out anyone on LP or Ambush, but didn?t you feel a little more uncomfortable when you sent married guys out side the perimeter?

A 30 year old Spec 4? Don?t think I ever saw one of those.

This is all very sad. But two things happen in all wars, you break things and people die.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Bandman]

I do understand what your saying Andy, but I keep thinking of some thing my uncle said after my first tour. He mentioned how much differences in age there seem to be between the men of WWII and those of the Vietnam War. He said even though there was an age difference they had one thing in common, those that died didn't get to get any older .

[catman]

Guys...the Guard does not work like the Regular Army per se. These guys are not competeing for promotion slots against the whole Army, just the 150 or so other members from the Company, Troop, Battery or whatever. EX...an E-7 retires, the senior E-6 is moved into his slot, the senior E-5 is moved into that guys slot and so on. Manatory retirement for the Guard is 55, last I heard there was no QMP and thus you can have a guy retire with 25 years of service as an E-4.

Personally, I think that is not such a bad thing, think the active duty folks really screwed the pooch when they did away with the career Private.

.....to the families of the fallen, God bless, and to the soldiers, thank you and may you rest in peace.

Trav

[Arrow]

to the families of the fallen, God bless, and to the soldiers, thank you and may you rest in peace.

What Trav said.....

[39mto39g]

Feeling sorry for those that die in a war is something we all feel and most say this with words. I never have felt the great feelings that some people feel. People die, its part of living. We are born we grow we die, the end. Those guys didn't die for anything more than a cop that stops a car and gets gunned down or a carpenter that falls off a roof. Yes , nobody wants to see anybody die, but we all will die, its just a matter of when.
When things get Hard for Army unit and people die, it makes the rest of the guys in that unit stick there chest out just a little futher, they are proud to be part of that unit because of the Hard, and that they made it.
I was in the 4th inf and 25th inf in VN and when the movie Platoon came out and those guys were walking past the camera with that 25th patch on I felt a little proud that I was part of the 25th, Because of the Hard.
Im rambiling,

Ron

[frisco-kid]

I know exactly what you're saying and agree, Ron. I've pretty much walked away with the same mind-set as you; people die in wars, PERIOD. To feel sorry for their loss is natural and okay. I am just one of those guys that don't beat themselves up over it too much. I was always well aware of my job description and what was expected of me to do over there. I knew there was a very good chance of being killed doing it, and that it was guaranteed that people around me were going to die. But I've never suffered from Survivor's Guilt [thank you God] or the guilt of having killed people. I've NEVER felt that I murdered anybody. Big difference. This may sound like I'm a hard ass or bragging, but those of you who personally know me know it's not so.

I have always had a big sense of unit pride. Especially in the 101st. We were a quick reactionary force that was handed some of the toughest jobs at that time of the war and went in and did them. Also, I've always been proud of the fact that I served with them during the last time in their history that they fought a foreign foe as an all-paratrooper unit. I take pride in being with the 82nd also, but it's not the same. I spent 7mos. with them stateside and didn't really like it. I deployed to Nam with them, but only spent 3mos. with them before being reassigned to convoy security.

Some of my rambling, also.

[exlrrp]

I know there were some married guys in the 101st with me but I'm danged if I can remember one in the lrrps.
Phil Sheridan wanted all his riders 19 years old and unmarried--their the greatest risk takers, they don't have the experience yet to know when theyre in great danger.
I agree with Ron too, when its your time, it doesn't matter what youre doing. If youre fated to drown, you will not die in battle (unless, perhaps, youre in the Navy)
The tragedy is life cut short but its all volunteer. Some of us just volunteer to die too early. And we need to take our hats off for those that do.

"No man is an island, entire of itself
Therefore Do not ask for whom the Bell tolls
It tolls for thee"
-John Donne

Stay good
james

Still happy just to be alive

[PHO127]

of the Georgia National Guard went to Iraq in June and has lost 9 KIA, 4 this week from a 500 lb IED that blew up under their Hum Vee. Two were in their late 30s.