(updates Feb. 2019; Jan. 2021). Just as revisionist historians have challenged the notion of valiant British soldier lions being led to slaughter by incompetent generals, so too has the image of the war as one long stay in hell also been questioned. Because artillery destroys enemy formations and demoralizes the survivors, its a target for enemy airstrikes and artillery barrages. Naturally, when working in such limited numbers and with such little support, operators (as they are often referred to) can find themselves in extremely dangerous situations. Turning to the back of Deightons book reveals the source of his information on what he says were the paltry sums paid out. The Office of History maintains copies of these slides and captions in its research collection. . The interior of the tank can reach high temperatures. While riflemen often receive support from tanks and aircraft, they ultimately have to rely on their own skills and training to complete their missions. Of course they just tabbed out meaning they made it. Even though these military jobs are dangerous, people still sign up to help their country in times of peril, showing courage and dedication, and for this, we take our hats off to them! Admit that you still chant "Jerry! For the men, there were 78,758 cases of field punishment, which, divided amongst the more than 5 million men who served in the Army (it was largely an Army procedure). Vietnam had a timer that ran for about ten seconds. We know what we did and what we were capable of. and our Not only do the forward observers have a lack of combat support, but there are also no supply lines, and things can go very wrong very quickly if caught. Related research: Although it is a little difficult to estimate what proportion of those deaths might have happened before a given wounded man went back into the line, and thus what chance he had of being killed subsequently. Field tactical engineers must have a strong understanding of engineering principles and be able to apply them in a variety of situations. Engineers Lead The away! Whether its a well-placed RPG hit, the unpredictability of mother nature or any of the risks associated with rotary aviation, winchmen and pararescue operatives are subject to a whole cocktail of potentially dangerous ingredients. To be sure, this is a smaller portion of those who were killed than in the Crimean War, as Dan Snow has pointed out. MLINY101121760-1 As for psychological wounds, it can be safely assumed that the 1,736 patients treated at Craighlockhart - and, according to the National Center for Biological Information, the 735 unable to return to duty are a drop in the bucket of all those suffering from shell shock, or PTSD. In addition to welding and repairing things that other Marines cannot, they are frequently the first on the scene when a building or facility is damaged or destroyed. Copyright 2023 We Are The Mighty. Combat engineers in Vietnam: the first year Correspondents who covered the Vietnam War typically concentrated on the more glamorous branches of the combat . Army divers are responsible for reconnaissance, demolition and salvaging tasks underwater. In 1851, a few years before the outbreak of the Crimean War, the population of Britain was also only 27 million, as opposed to 65 million today. A lot of security for other engineers(heavy equip, divers, horizontal construction), tons of recon (been all over that wasteland), did some demo, cleared a few structures and some other things. Pararescue U.S. Air Force pararescuemen and a simulated 'survivor' watch as an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter comes in for a landing. The number awarded each year increased, as men came forward or as wounds initially thought to have been cured flared up again. Combat engineers facilitate the mobility of friendly forces while impeding . For more information, read Michael Clodfelters Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopaedia of Casualty and Other Figures Mud, Blood and Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan, Kaiserschlacht 1918 by Randal Gray and British Tommy 1914-18 by Martin Pegler, both from Osprey Publishing, Blood Tears and Folly by Len Deighton, 'Trench Warfare 1914-18: The Live and Let Live System' by Tony Ashworth, 'On a Wing and a Prayer' by Joshua Levine, 'Eye Deep in Hell' by James Ellis and World War I by Ken Hills for an illustrated depiction of the war that might be suitable for servicemembers with children. OoRah, to all of you who are presently serving. In fact, because they are as close to being Infantry as you can get, the engineers of the COMBAT ENGINEERS are more like infantry. Artillery soldiers send massive rounds against enemy forces. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. . In the saddle for the sovereign: King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery prepares for coronation, One of two remaining airworthy Lancaster bombers to fly over Europe for commemorative flight, King's Troop prepared in case of any coronation procession disruptions, RAF airlifted nearly 900 people from Sudan after ceasefire extended, British commander of Sudan evacuation says operation is fast-moving and dangerous, How the military stages a civilian evacuation, Trench Warfare 1914-1918: The Live and Let Live System, In researching my great grandfathers military service, Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopaedia of Casualty and Other Figures, Trench Warfare 1914-18: The Live and Let Live System, Technical Support Citrix and Virtualisation. The Naval death figure 32,208 is inclusive of the RNAS, as well as the Royal Marines. It might even help you decide which career to choose. (Petty Officer 2nd Class. Its all good though. Whatever way you look at it, jobs dont come more intense. Nov 14, 2019 26 4. Cookie Notice Should also include 12c of at least from when I was in. Irish Guards officer Alexander Turner, whom the Forces Network contacted in the course of researchingthis article, noted indeed that one individual who served in his battalion during the war, Neville Marshall VC, was wounded an incredible nine times). The category manager will develop category strategies that use a variety of value levers to increase cost savings, reduce risk, and drive revenue growth. An official website of the United States government, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website, Vietnam So Many Years Later: Remembering Army Engineer Activities in Southeast Asia, 1966-1972, Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program (DNPPP), Regional Environmental and Energy Offices REEOs, Industry Information Re: COVID-19 Support, Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, G-1 Reserve Component Augmentation, Office of Human Resources Directorate, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Away from the battlefield, many others were imprisoned or detained, often for relatively short periods of two years or less, but some received penal servitude, 142 men for life and 7,231 for three years or more. With a rank of 20653, a Military Engineer can expect to serve for an average of sixteen years. Well, it was hardly any better for a number of other military professions. We had movement all around us that night. Most military flamethrowers use liquid fuel, typically either gasoline or diesel, but commercial . Sheep feces (gross). But does stepping this far back really clarify things? The combat engineer is in charge of clearing routes and terrain. These troops search out and destroy the enemy and respond to calls for help when other units stumble into danger. In fact, if the total pensions figure of 835,487 is added to the higher death toll of the war presented in the Virtual Centres report, 994,138 deaths, the total figure comes to 1,829,625. They have since come up with this larger number that they believe is a more accurate accounting of all deaths attributable to the Great War. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tasks as well as construction and demolition duties in and out of combat zones.. The region with the lowest average life expectancy is the African region with a life expectancy of around 61 years. Taken together, these all add up to 1,685,257. 6.4% of 12B Combat Engineers are Black or African American, Most a are White, with 71.2% of 12B Combat Engineers belonging to this ethnicity. The infantry marches at two miles per hour. The engineers also conduct a lot of the route clearance missions to find and destroy enemy IEDs and mines. Of course, even with such authoritative sources, the hunt for a correct figure and an answer to our basic question What really were poor Tommys odds of death? is far from straightforward. ), But a look deeper into the book, and some fact checking with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, reveals that Corrigans figure is incomplete because it is only the number of dead sustained by British men who served within the British Army, albeit inclusive of the Royal Naval Division (sailors who were refashioned as soldiers.). Source: U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics, 2015 Charity Registered in England No. Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel! Once again, stories are circulating on the Internet that working longer can cause you to die sooner, while retiring early might enable you to extend your . Most services have a variant of the aviation survival technician, although the UK has no recognized equivalent of the USs acclaimed Air Force Pararescue branch. The average 12B Combat Engineer is 34 years old. The Vietnam Trip Briefing slide collection provides a valuable historical visual record of army, especially army engineer, activity during the Vietnam years. Admittedly, this is whats needed for judging Tommys odds of death, but outside of the direct experience of the British soldier, the figure doesnt help us to truly understand the impact of the war on the home front. Fortunately, the vast majority of the wounds sustained were recovered from, at least physically. DeltaQuest Media Limited. David Nye, The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Paramount+, Why Your Military PCS Might be Funnier Than You Think It Is (Ashley Gutermuth, Comedian and Air Force Spouse), 'Minecraft Legends' Is a Strategy Spinoff with Some Flaws, 6 Things You Probably Didn't Know About TV Legend and Veteran Jerry Springer. To track down this, as well as the death rates for the successor service, the RAF, the Forces Network consulted Chris Hobsons book 'Airmen Died in the Great War 1914-1918'. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I am sorry, but in my opinion, a Sapper could easily do ALL THE SAME TASKS THAT AN INFANTRYMAN IS TRAINED TOhowever, AN INFANTRYMAN CANNOT DUE a large swathe of what we could doespecially when it came to demolitions. Our job was done. The easiest way to get people and equipment up and down was by helicopters carrying shipping containers. A combat engineer is a soldier who is trained to perform a variety of construction and demolition tasks. If you need to slow down the enemy, they can create sophisticated obstructions for any kind of circumstance, and in all kinds of terrain. In the military, a combat engineer is in high demand. A Coldstream Guards officer, Lieutenant St. Leger, described one such march in which many men fell out, fainted or had fits. You can imagine that the sound and the dust cloud created by those explosions raised a lot of attention for any North Vietnamese Army troops in the area. In the Army, you are given the option of selecting a military occupation specialty (MOS). Each slide is linked to its detailed explanatory caption and has also been provided keywords, subject headings, and geographic locations, when known, thus providing users several ways to search the images on the Digital Library. . On Monday, however, the Army unveiled a $178 billion budget request for fiscal 2021 that eliminated 41 programs and reduced or delayed 39 more across the next five years. On page 76, it shows that in September 1916, the infantry were 42.9 percent of the British Army, and 58 percent of the combat arms, the others being cavalry, artillery, engineers and the Royal Flying Corps. In a similar vein to forward observers, cavalry scouts and recon units tread unchartered ground when it comes to conflict zones. Approximately 50% of deaths are as a result of pneumonia, following complications associated with inability of the person to move or care for themselves. A third (33 percent) would be killed. > life span of a tank might be only a month > or two. They play an important role in all aspects of heavy equipment and construction operations, and they are the Marines most experienced professionals. The BBCs Dan Snow, in an online piece entitled How did so many soldiers survive the trenches?, has likewise used statistics to point out that the war was not necessarily as darkly pessimistic as we might think. It stands to reason that work environments contribute to these factors. Its also worth pointing out that one common error people make is mistaking casualty for dead, when it is, in fact, a combination of all those killed, wounded, missing or made prisoners of war. My name is Stan King. Not exactly shocking that infantry is one of the most dangerous jobs on the battlefield. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy. Interestingly enough, the average age of 12b combat engineers is 30-40 years old, which represents 41% of the population. While this is lumping a few separate jobs together, troops such as Navy SEALs, Army green berets, Air Force combat controllers, and others conduct particularly risky missions. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone who has actually BEEN a Combat Engineer could tell me a little about it, a first hand desription about it, as opposed to the fluffed up explanation the Army would give me. in 2019 the country with the lowest life expectancy is the Central African Republic with 53 years, in Japan life expectancy is 30 years longer. The enemy knows to take them out as quickly as possible since they are usually carrying radios. The Veterans Site thanks all those who have served as combat engineers in the Army, Air Force, Marines, and the Seabees. Aside from the incendiary devices that they have to disarm, recover or destroy, they are also exposed to the same small-arms and IED threats as everybody else. Give the video a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already for more!Subscribe: https://goo.gl/vjNuKg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebenallen/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenAllen175Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ben_alvaradoEmail: benjamin.a.alvarado96@gmail.com Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of 12b combat engineers changed. The character of a given unit was also a factor in the exposure of its members to risk. Unlike jets, they routinely operate in unprepared sites, often touching down in dangerous and challenging environments.. They also help by controlling offensive, defensive and combat support aircraft that intercept and destroy enemy targets. Yes, we did find a lot, though we didn't blow them up. These liaison officers wrote reports, took photographs, and captioned the images. Engineers blow holes in the enemys defense perimeter so that infantry can attack from the outside. They fly, climb, and march to battlefields, catastrophic weather areas, and disaster zones to save wounded and isolated people during firefights or other emergencies. They will monitor and prepare roads. We found most 12b combat engineers work for a private company. 449 S 12th St.Tampa, Florida 33602United States, The Remington 700 Tactical: A Versatile Rifle For Hunting And Target Shooting, Designing Lanyards for Corporate Events: Dos and Donts, Unlock The Benefits Of Stabilized Binoculars: Discover Why You May Need Them And Which Ones Are Best For You. UK would likely become involved if a China-Taiwan war breaks out, defence expert says, Armed Forces aircraft take to the skies for King's coronation flypast rehearsal. You may think, why is that so dangerous? Its easy to see why the monochromatic battlefield of Ypres was easy for Carrington to get lost in, and its worth remembering that, whilst Passchendaele represented the very worst of the hellish weather on the Western Front, the conditions were often extraordinarily unpleasant at other times too. Engineers are in charge of constructing defenses, repairing roads, and providing logistical support for troops in the field. Its an undeniable truth, though, that some are inevitably more dangerous than others especially those where exposure to hostile or hazardous working environments is increased. Engineers typically join the Army, Air Force, and Marines as second lieutenants (2LT) at the O-1 pay grade, which is equivalent to an ensign in the Navy and Coast Guard. The only details provided to support this view were as follows: a. Multiplying the original wounded figure of 1,685,257 by .9 gives 1,516,731 British men wounded, 3.31 percent of the population, if one uses Corrigans figure of 45,750,000 in 1914. To put it another way, demolition training is the same as construction training for a combat engineer. The high quality images depict the wide variety of activities and structures built by army engineers in Southeast Asia, from ports and airfields to barracks and latrines, from roads and bridges. David is a former Fort Bragg paratrooper who deployed with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 4th Brigade Combat Team. Not that many females are physically fit to preform it is much more than that. As for soldiers, it must be borne in mind that that 12 percent death rate for those on the western front wasnt only an average of all arms, but also of all times those who were there from the beginning would have had a higher chance of death (or injury) than men who joined up, or were conscripted, later. Jerry!" For more information, please see our The infantry gets a badge, but the engineer beside them doesnt. MORSE INTERCEPTOR 05K. An army combat engineer is a soldier who is trained in a variety of engineering skills. These comments are right on. While theyre not usually in the line-of-sight of targets, theyre still in a precarious position if theres any return fire from enemies who also have artillery observers doing the exact same thing! What is the life expectancy of a combat engineer? In low-income countries, life expectancy is 18.1 years lower than in high-income countries. By looking over 544 12b combat engineers resumes, we figured out that the average 12b combat engineer enjoys staying at their job for 3-4 years for a percentage of 26%. For instance, most 12b combat engineers prefer to work at private companies over government companies. Infantry soldiers are trained to fight on foot and to use a variety of weapons. Drivers, of course, are also responsible for navigating armored personnel vehicles (APCs) on patrol; this can be a tricky job at the best of times, but even more so when things go wrong, and a swift exit is required. Rephrase from the vulgar but, a combat engineer fuckingawesome my son just went to Missouri to be a combat engineer I want him to be 11 Bravo infantryman cuz Im air assault Infantry but I am very proud of my son before even reading this but not really possible I wish I could call him but hes in basic right now all the options and everything that hes going to train for is great his mother and I are very proud of our son he will will be a great Soldier, I do not agree with what they describe as the difference between 21bs and 11bs because I served and I went on the same Patrols attached to Infantry Units, saw combat in said Unit, etc. It was too late in the day when they blew their charges, and helicopters were busy with other things, so we were forced to spend the night out there on that hill. There are over 11,684 12B Combat Engineers in the United States. In any case, 1.8 x the 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1917 dead listed by Hobson up to October (2661), 4,790, isnt statically significant in this case so it has been left out. By looking through more than 544 resumes, we found that the most popular places for 12b combat engineers are Fort Hood, TX and Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Comparatively, there are 11.4% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.4% of the Black or African American ethnicity. He agreed wholeheartedly that there is far too much guesswork in this area and, happily, ended up recommending a source already consulted: Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During the Great War 1914 1920, an enormous tome filled with all manner of tables and statistics compiled by the War Office a few years after the conflict. In researching my great grandfathers military service, I learnt that his unit, the 1 Grenadier Guards which was about as elite a unit as one could be in at the time sustained an incredible number of deaths and injuries. By June 1918, the Machine-Gun and Tank Corps had both been added to the mix but the combat arms had decreased in proportion from around 75 percent of the Army to about 65 percent. If you have a bachelors degree in Computer Science or a related field, or your equivalent work experience in a related field, plus five years of technology experience, you are qualified. On my 2nd tour I supported a Rome Plow Land Clearing unit in the Americal Div. For example, the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps immortalized in Evan Wrights Generation Kill spent three months as the spearhead unit during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. And the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rapidly changed the jobs that a Combat Engineer was trained to do. In 1974 they transferred the set to the Engineer Museum, part of the U.S. Army Engineer School. The British lost 704,208 dead in the Great War, and if they were to form up in three ranks and march at the standard British army speed of 120 thirty-inch paces to the minute, they would pass in one day, fifteen hours and seven minutes. Battalions were about 1,000 strong at the start of the war, meaning that new members were put in and cycled through the unit several times (4,434 men served within 1 Battalion over the whole course of the war). Being a pilot is dangerous in any situation, but in combat, even more so. Both served in A 2/18 1st Infantry Division For some reason, the written word of this article was somehow deleted and lost. One should not diminish in any way the contribution to the war effort of the BEFs non-combat arms (not to be confused with the Non-Combatant Corps, which was made up of conscientious objectors). Two drunken idiots kicking off every six months or so and picking a fight with their sergeants, for example, might well account for the entirety of its use within a given battalion over the whole course of the war. The Eurofighter Typhoon, for instance, has a top speed of 2,495km/h, while the Apache helicopter according to former pilot Ed Macy in his book Apache requires its pilots eyes to work independently of each other. I got to see some Marine combat engineers in action in Vietnam once. That means that, in addition to the 8.76 percent of those aged roughly 20 to 55 who were killed in the war, 13.24 percent would have been wounded, a grand total of 22 percent of the fighting-age male population. 20002023 The Veterans Site and GreaterGood. Between October 2014 and March 2015, members of theUSACE Veterans Curation Programdigitized approximately half of the slides and worked with caption lists to create a finding aid for the collection. In 2021, women earned 97% of what men earned. Its no easier to advance in the ranks of a Combat Engineer than it is in the ranks of an infantry member. Theyll not only clear a road but build one. lol. Please enable it to continue. A publisher, also known as an organization or individual, is the person in charge of the printing and distribution of printed or digital publications. Primarily the reserve of infantry units (although additional branches or cap badges, such as the artillery, engineers and cavalry, can also fulfill this role), riflemen act as the literal boots on the ground of any military operation. As of 2022, this number had surpassed 4,100. Starting out with the figure of 702,410 as a benchmark, the Forces Network checked this against the numbers listed in Statistics of the Military Effort. It is working to equip them with special payloads to give them enhanced capabilities and offer commanders more options on the battlefield. As a member of the Army, youll quickly and skillfully aid in the navigation of soldiers during combat missions by constructing bridges, clearing explosives, and detecting mines and other environmental hazards. The bomb squad for the military, explosive ordnance disposal technicians used to spend the bulk of their time clearing minefields or dealing with dud munitions that didnt go off. Major Mick Stewart said, In Afghanistan, in the middle of a working day, we were on 4hours noticeto moveto cover diving operations across Helmand. anytime you see two people fighting. Immediately, its easy to see that 83,203 is roughly 10 percent of this total (10.69 to be precise). This might seem unbelievable, but it is in fact comparable to Crimea. Engineers who are in close combat must have a strong set of skills. Our estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Engineers are typically well compensated and have a high level of benefits, such as competitive salaries and comprehensive health and retirement plans. middle class) discipline, perhaps making it at least seem less necessary to go through with punishments. Are there any that weve missed? If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly clear why commo guys weren't expected to last long. We heard the command, Fire in the hole! and all of a sudden the whole top of that mountain erupted with explosions, large and small, and the sky was filled with debris, dust, and falling objects. The high quality images depict the wide variety of activities and structures built by army engineers in Southeast Asia, from ports and airfields to barracks and latrines, from roads and bridges to offices and storage depots, from petroleum facilities to hospitals, cantonments to quarries.

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