Presentation Name
annakurzydlo2020Average soldier experience
“The brave men and women, who serve their country and as a result, live constantly with the war inside them, exist in a world of chaos. But the turmoil they experience isn’t who they are; the PTSD invades their minds and bodies.”
-Robert Koger, Death's Revenge
Anna Kurzydlo
Living conditions
living in Vietnam
- the extra weight was hard to carry so soldiers would have no sleeping bags or other comforts -each soldier bag was 65 pounds
- if planning on staying in one spot for a long time, soldiers would build cocoons from tree to tree
Soldiers at camp and fighting
http://vnafmamn.com/VIETNAM_media.html
https://sites.google.com/site/nam2011ap/soldier-life
Enemy
Traps part 1
- Bamboo shaped into sharp spikes were dipped in pee, poo or other bacteria. The bacteria would infect a soldier's leg after having the spike dug deep into the leg and wound them greatly. These were called Punji Sticks
- conditions of maldy skin disease such as boils, ringworm, jungle vot, severe rashes, infected cuts and lesiones
wounded soldier (right) http://www.atvaudio.com/ata_vietnamwar.php
punji sticks (left)
http://peteralanlloyd.com/general-news/viet-cong-booby-traps-during-the-vietnam-war/
Enemy
Traps Part 2-Snakes
- poisonous snakes were often used by Viet Cong as weapons
- the "two-step Charlie" would bite you and then kill you after two-steps
- snakes were nailed to trees to strike at victims faces
- snakes were dropped in entrances to tunnels to protect the system
young Viet Cong women learn how to set up a snake booby trap (right)
http://peteralanlloyd.com/general-news/viet-cong-booby-traps-during-the-vietnam-war/
US soldier fighting off poisonous snake (left)
http://www.stripes.com/blogs/archive-photo-of-the-day/archive-photo-of-the-day-1.9717/well-fed-snake-in-vietnam-1967-1.209304
enemy
Weapons Faced
- spiked logs would be swung on a rope- they would hit multiple US Soldiers out right away
- Mocking Viet Cong flags would be hung for the US to see. If a soldier tugged at the flag, rigged explosives would blow up close area
The US soldiers examine the spiked logs
http://www.stripes.com/news/marine-expert-shows-how-vc-turn-lost-a-bullet-into-a-deadly-mine-1.54474
Conditions
Weather/Water
- there was a rare occurrence of water for soldiers
- during the rainy season, bomb craters would be used as baths and drinking water
- the water would be murky and smelly so after 30 of dropping chemicals in, it would be "safe"
- kool-aide was used to mask the musky taste of water
soldiers wading through flood-filled pond
http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/combat/patrolling.php
Clothes
uniforms
- uniforms would be ripped by thorns, soaked in sweat, and worn by crawling
- uniforms never came in the right size
- new uniforms were rare so when a soldier would get a new one- their old one could "stand up on it's own"
average US Soldier uniform
http://houstonairsoft.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-12992.html
Food/base camp
what they ate
- average food for a soldier in the jungle was c-rations (meat-hash meals served in small boxes)
- they also had pizza, pork, spaghetti, and pudding at base camp
- at base camp, things were plentiful, they could eat, drink, sleep, and shower as much as possible but they were only there for three days
average food for a United States Soldier
http://comesasoldierswhisper.com/a-vietnam-war-flashback/
Tunnel rats
most dangerous job
- tunnel rats were the thin and short soldiers who could fit in the tunnels
- they went on underground searches and destroy missions **Soviets used this sort of method in the Afghan War**
- tunnels were free-fire,-most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and devastated area in all of warfare
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/356277020497893191/
https://cherrieswriter.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/the-vietnam-war-tunnel-rats-guest-blog/
tunnel rats doing their job
statistics
what were the troops made up of?
- 1 in 10 soldiers was killed or injured
- **average age of soldier in WWII was 26, while in the Vietnam war, it was 21**
- **average infantryman in WWII saw 40 days of combat in 4 years**
- **average infantryman in Vietnam war saw 240 days of combat in 1 year**
- soldiers were allowed 1, 5- day rest and recover leave during a year
- 58,214 American Soldiers died in Vietnam between 1956 and 1975
- 1,700 soldiers went missing
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Vietnam_War
