Today, Vietnam Veterans range in age from 61 to 103 years old.
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.
Ages range from 97 to 55 years old (born between 1918 and 1960). Median age is 68 years.
Today, there are fewer than 850,000 living Vietnam War veterans, many of whom who are eligible for VA benefits.
VA's Veteran Population Projection Model estimates the number of living Vietnam War Veterans to be 6.1 million (11). In 2019, approximately 3.4 million Vietnam War Veterans were enrolled for Veterans Health Administration services (12).
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.
The passing of the WWII generation
Every day, memories of World War II—its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs—disappear. Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their 90s or older.
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.
After extensive research of various mortality indexes and sources The American War Library estimates that approximately one-third of those who did serve in Vietnam (approximately 850,000) are alive today [18 Aug 2007]. (Vietnam veterans are dying at about the same rate as their WW2 fathers.)
Vietnam War
New soldiers pocketing $78 would have a salary that equates to 642.71 now, while those with over four months of service who pocketed $83.20 were receiving the equivalent of $685.56 in today's dollars.
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.
Unlike veterans of other wars, Vietnam veterans did not return home to cheers and ceremonies. Most Americans wanted to forget the trauma of the Vietnam War and move on. As a result Vietnam veterans were seen as a reminder of defeat and of a time that should be forgotten.
Complications from Agent Orange exposure were life-threatening and caused death. Over 300,000 U.S. veterans and over 400,000 Vietnamese people died from exposure to Agent Orange from 1962 to 1971.
Jorge A. Otero Barreto (born 7 April 1937) is a former United States Army soldier. He earned 38 military decorations during his career. He has received recognition from numerous organizations and has had buildings named after him.
Veterans who served in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos during the Vietnam War have a higher prevalence of mental health issues, particularly PTSD, compared with both other Vietnam-era Veterans and non-Veterans, according to an analysis of data from the Vietnam Era Health Retrospective Observational Study (VE-HEROeS).
Because PTSD became a recognized psychiatric disorder in 1980—five years after the Vietnam War officially ended—the veterans who served in that war were the first to be told about, assessed for, and treated for PTSD.
997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam .. 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam.
While Vietnam veterans came home to an indifferent-to-hostile society, the biggest catalysts for homelessness were the lack of mental health care, addiction treatment and job training. Several of the root causes of homelessness were abundant among veterans at this time, and there were few resources to address them.
Soldiers who had served in Vietnam finally began receiving recognition and marching in holiday parades across the country. In 1985, Newsweek reported that "America's Vietnam veterans, once viewed with a mixture of indifference and outright hostility by their countrymen, are now widely regarded as national heroes."
Vietnam era veterans are those who served during the time of the Vietnam war but didn't set foot in the country of Vietnam. The Vietnam vet is one who was assigned within the combat zone of the country and it's surrounding waters.
A few thousand D-Day veterans may be still alive; the youngest are in their late 90s. A few dozen are in Normandy for the 79th anniversary.
Calvin Leon Graham (April 3, 1930 – November 6, 1992) was the youngest U.S. serviceman to serve and fight during World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy from Houston, Texas on August 15, 1942, at the age of 12.
Lawrence Nathaniel “Honey” Brooks, the oldest known US WWII veteran at age 112, was born on September 12, 1909, in Norwood, LA. He departed this earthly home surrounded by his family on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.