The+Vietnam+Soldier

=The Vietnam Soldier=
 * Army foot soldiers in Vietnam were called "grunts"
 * The average grunt was was white, 21-22 yrs old, and came from rural or small-town America.
 * Soon after arriving at the Danang or Saigon airport, new combat soldiers were taken to a base camp or firebase "in the bush"
 * Platoons, which consisted of 20-40 corporals and privates, were dropped off into the interior and were left there for days.
 * At least on man in a platoon had some medical training
 * Every platoon had at least one RTO or radiotelephone operator, which was vital because without them, a platoon couldn't contact help.
 * A grunt's pack typically weighed between 35-70 pounds.
 * Most grunts carried a M-16 rifle or a machine gun.
 * "Cherries" were newbys, without much experience
 * An assigned march, or hump, was measured by "clicks". They tried to travel about six "clicks" a day
 * Grunts faced dehydration, rats and pythons
 * VC booby traps killed many, and was one of the many dangers in Vietnam
 * The NVA/VC built an elaborate underground tunnel complexes, and "tunnel rats" tried to destroy them
 * Grunts felt as though they were in a different world, and considered "the world" the United States
 * Ambushes by the enemy were feared, and left soldiers wounded and very frustrated, because they would attack and escape very quickly