AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A VIETNAM VET? in Agent Orange, Heart Disease, Prostate and Parkinson's Forum

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AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A VIETNAM VET?

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ggold7211

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A VIETNAM VET?

Lead

[-]

Posts: 3708

Jan 9 10 4:12 PM

Can we keep this thread civil?
I am looking for Statistics!
--------------------------------------
I can find little statistics which answers this question. I post it here because we don't have a thread dedicated
to Vietnam Vets. I am using this thread as proxy. I can understand if you disagree but I don't see it in Social
Chat and I am maybe overruled by the Admins. I am will be 64 on 1/14/2010. I have been fortunate
to not have come down down with any of the presumptive conditions. Our life experience
"MAYBE" influecnced by the :
1-Being in Service.
2-Vietnam
3-Agent Orange
4-Ptsd
5-etc bad water,how cigarettes, boooze .....
I am not saying they influence our life expectancy but they might. I am not
looking to start that fight. The comparison would be between "Jody"
who never went to service and those who did go to Vietnam.
The "Bluewater" folks always site that our life expectanty is about
10 years less that non serviceman. I not saying Bluewater, Brown or Green
water affects longevity but I can find no other statistics.

GG
My risk factors:
13 months in Vietnam
12 months in Thailand
No presumtive diseases
Career VHA employee
Born in NYC have lived in North Carolina since 1979
Relatively good health
Weight and Blood pressure Okay
On a Satin
Married 3 daughters (19,23,and 29) High Stress
64 years of age

Member here since 2002.

Edited 2 times by ggold7211 Jan 9 10 4:22 PM.

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mr G777

#1

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Posts: 5779

Jan 9 10 4:32 PM

all i can tell you is ,i'm going to be 67 this march, i have DM II , PN , retinopathy,kidney failure,PTSD,heart problems , no one in my immediate family has DM II , my mother is 85 years old, my father is dead, from over medication in local hospital , gave him demerol and morphine , his heart gave out at 77 yrs old , aunts and uncles mostly all still alive !!!cousins too !!!
went to a class re union a few years back , found quite a few of my hi school; friends dead (a guess is 10%)!!! mostly heart disease ,shocked the hell out of me , both men and women (very few went to nam )!!!
only made contact with a few of my VN buddies,who came home, all still alive !!!

Edited 1 time by mr G777 Jan 9 10 4:34 PM.

ggold7211

#2

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Posts: 3708

Jan 9 10 4:43 PM

G,
Your going it make to 90.
Your doing good for an old man!

Take care,

GG

daklander

#3

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Posts: 988

Jan 9 10 4:47 PM

A report in 1999 shows Australian Vietnam Veterans life expectancy at 56 years.
For US Vietnam Veterans it's about 66 years vs just about 78 years for non vets.

mr G777

#4

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Posts: 5779

Jan 9 10 4:51 PM

ggold7211 wrote:
G,
Your going it make to 90.
Your doing good for an old man!

Take care,

GG

thanx , to tell you the truth , i feel good and do expect to live a long life !!! always optimistic !!!

jdave

#5

[-]

Posts: 6596

Jan 9 10 6:32 PM

Daklander,

I won't believe unless you present a valid link.

jDave
Member since January 2003
SRU # 3 1965-66
2/8th Cav 1967
MAT IV-22 1968
I operate on the philosophy: "No BS straight answers based on genuine experience and knowledge"

ggold7211

Statistics about the Vietnam War

#6

[-]

Posts: 3708

Jan 9 10 8:59 PM

Interesting but not on point!

http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html

ggold7211

MORE STATS

#7

[-]

Posts: 3708

Jan 9 10 9:04 PM

INTERESTING?

http://www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics.html#religion

Stillhere

#8

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Posts: 6639

Jan 9 10 10:01 PM

If we factor in all the Vietnam vets including the 2/3 that have already died. I would suspect it would be right around mid 50's! When I get a chance I will do some research and get back to this thread.

I was fine up to 50 and then all the s&(T started hitting the fan.

Of course my first son in 81 was born with a serious heart condition and spend the better part of his first 2 years of life in the Children's Hospital in
washington,DC.

Our second son was due on the 4th of July 3 years later and died in the womb of unkown causes. He was perfectly formed and the autopsy showed no cause. We were then suggested to not try again.

SteamJockey

#9

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Posts: 7763

Jan 9 10 11:16 PM

I'm already 67, only DMII is presumptive. I still work full time. Father died of coronary occlusion at 57. Uncle died at 42. Mother still alive at 99. I just did one of the life span predictions online. Result shows I should have died at 58. sigh

Regards;
SteamJockey, resident curmudgeon
50 years service to the Navy and the nation.

cacti35

61

#10

[-]

Posts: 1275

Jan 10 10 12:28 AM

"Will you still need me, will you still need me when I'm 61" Now I know what John Lennon must have been thinking!

My brother died when he was 49, 20 yr AF, electronics nerd, Europe and stateside only. 4 pack a day guy, heart attack.

I had Hodgkins first time 03, presumptive. 1 re-occurrence. Both kids excellent health.

I would be too if it weren't for damage from chemo and radiation!

cacti

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Rougetet

#11

[-]

Posts: 751

Jan 10 10 2:53 AM

legend in his
own mind

ggold7211 wrote:

Can we keep this thread civil?
I am looking for Statistics!
--------------------------------------
I can find little statistics which answers this question. I post it here because we don't have a thread dedicated
to Vietnam Vets. I am using this thread as proxy. I can understand if you disagree but I don't see it in Social
Chat and I am maybe overruled by the Admins. I am will be 64 on 1/14/2010. I have been fortunate
to not have come down down with any of the presumptive conditions. Our life experience
"MAYBE" influecnced by the :
1-Being in Service.
2-Vietnam
3-Agent Orange
4-Ptsd
5-etc bad water,how cigarettes, boooze .....
I am not saying they influence our life expectancy but they might. I am not
looking to start that fight. The comparison would be between "Jody"
who never went to service and those who did go to Vietnam.
The "Bluewater" folks always site that our life expectanty is about
10 years less that non serviceman. I not saying Bluewater, Brown or Green
water affects longevity but I can find no other statistics.

GG
My risk factors:
13 months in Vietnam
12 months in Thailand
No presumtive diseases
Career VHA employee
Born in NYC have lived in North Carolina since 1979
Relatively good health
Weight and Blood pressure Okay
On a Satin
Married 3 daughters (19,23,and 29) High Stress
64 years of age

Member here since 2002.

From the research I have done, it appears that information (current specific mortality rates for all U.S Vietnam vets as compared to general population) will not be that easy to find. Although reports from the Australian government, Ranch Hand studies, Army Chemical Corp studies are all available that do at least attempt to have a continuing participation in determining mortality for their limited groups, the latest overall relevant U.S. studies I found (the CDC VES study) seem to be around the 1988 time frame with a subsequent update around 2004 (http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/veterans/default1c.htm) and do not seem to be particularily helpful for what you are asking (besides being dated). Review it at the link though to determine for yourself. There may be some more current information you could glean from the 2008 IOM AO Report (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12662) on the overall Vietnam Vet mortality by searching through it, but I haven't bothered to take that time other than to note that the word "mortality" appears 744 times in that report.

Personally, I believe that the "true" statistics to determine more conclusively what you ask, can not be available until we reach the point that the average Vietnam Vet's age (calculated for all those who participated whether surviving at that point or not) is greater than 78, the average mortality age for the US male population. Don't believe we are there yet (I am assuming that the average participating Vietnam Vet's age is currently somewhere in the mid-60s but that is a guess on my part). Until that point, too many extraneous variables will probably be present in any statistics that could be found related to what you are apparently seeking. Of course if there are no Vietnam Vets left living at some time prior to the average participatory Vietnam Vet age of 78, that certainly would be a conclusive statistic. Another somewhat conclusive statistic would be to produce mortality bell curves for both all Vietnam vets and a separate one for all males around the same average age - I doubt data is readily available to do that though.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe in the latter half of the "Give the person
a fish...teach a person to fish..." philosophy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
...every day on this side of the "dirtnap" is a good day!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"A man good enough to shed his blood for his country is good
enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that
no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have."
- Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, 1903
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Before questioning my experience that determines
the focus and tone of my replies on this board,
you may want to at least click on my name to
determine how my experience focuses my replies -
We all contribute here in the way we are able...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited 3 times by Rougetet Jan 10 10 3:27 AM.

vietnam vet

#12

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Posts: 288

Jan 10 10 9:15 AM

I have too agree with StillHere. my medical problems, started when I was 50.( not includeing ptsd ) Heart attack at age 50& 55 leading too congestive heart failure. followed by daibetes.

Stillhere

#13

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Posts: 6639

Jan 10 10 9:46 AM

A few on here will probably come up with it was caused by the aging process. I don't buy that at all.

If 50's is old and the average age of living is 78. That is quite a few years a head trying to deal with all these AO disabilities.

My only dx at present that is not SC is AS and hearing loss/tininitus. Everything is AO except for the recent addition of PTSD.

Dm2, PN, Heart disease. Having these chronic diseases are bound to effect your mortality.

I did a risk factor for insurance a while back based on 0-100 I was rated 77 so the insurance was denied. I am high to VERY HIGH risk factors.

AirCav8

#14

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Posts: 778

Jan 10 10 10:05 AM

When one considers all factors of Vietnam veterans life expectancy, I think we have to include accidents, and I believe this: Veterans of any war have to be considered throughout their lifetime to have been exposed to more accidents than non veterans. Old saying: " Cut your exposure rate and you will cut your accident rate".

In other words, I believe if you were to check cause of death of each 64 year old person who dies in 2010, and compare vietnam veterans to non veterans, I suspect (but have no proof) that more veterans would die as result of accident than non veterans. This is because we are more prone to risk passing that truck at the crest of the hill than a more conservative non veteran. Another old saying: " There are OLD pilots and there are BOLD pilots, there are no OLD, BOLD pilots".

I spent two years in Vietnam, all of it as a pilot of both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. After about twenty bullet holes in your machine, you tend to lose count except for the ones that also clip you. Should I now take the position that I lived through that so now I can pass on a hill, I run the same risk of killing myself as any non veteran . I suspect that some portion of us would be more prone to take an unnecessary risk than non veterans, thereby raising the exposure rate.

etihwr2

#15

[-]

Posts: 97

Jan 10 10 10:16 AM

If you served in combat, bilateral hearing loss and Tinnitus can be easily proved. If you have the CIB, an award, unit citation or buddy letters showing you were in combat operations, the DVA has to concude the orgin of your issues are service connected. If you had these issues prior to coming into the military, you can forget SC for Tinnitus since it is only a 10% disability. But, if you had hearing loss prior to coming in, all you have to do is show how much worse it was from when you came in and the DVA will award you the difference. An example would be, if you had sleep apnea but didn't need a CPAP, the rating would be 30%. But they found you need a CPAP while in service, then your entitled to a 50%. You subtract 50%-30%=20%. Thus you'd have a 20% disability for sleep apnea. If you have heart issues, you should also be check out for sleep apnea. It causes DM and heart disease among many other issues.

marine49

hearing loss & tinnitis

#16

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Posts: 613

Jan 10 10 10:35 AM

I will take a chance on posting and hope it don't come to a screeching halt. I filed for hearing loss back in 1970 and again in the 80's and was denied. I filed again in 2008 and was granted 20% hearing loss 10% tinnitis 50% PTSD and 8% cloracne. On the hearing loss should I have been paid back pay from 1970 ?

As far as what age Vietnam Vets reach I don't worry much about that because I am a firm believer that the only guarantee's in life are:
1) being born
2) paying taxes
3) dying
And getting screwed along the way

cruiser

#17

[-]

Posts: 17618

Jan 10 10 11:10 AM

AirCav8 wrote:

In other words, I believe if you were to check cause of death of each 64 year old person who dies in 2010, and compare vietnam veterans to non veterans, I suspect (but have no proof) that more veterans would die as result of accident than non veterans.

The CDC study confirmed this but it only held true for the first five years after the person's return from overseas. After that initial five years the mortality rate from both accident and disease was essentially the same for Vietnam veterans and others who did not serve in Vietnam. Perhaps more current studies will show a different mortality rate as these folks age, but in my little slice of the world I'm not seeing it. I've had quite a few friends die prior to age 65 (my high school class has been decimated for whatever reason) and I have to really struggle to think of even one that was a Vietnam veteran. Most were not military veterans at all, quite a few were women, and death in most cases was from cancer, although there were more than a few that were drug and alcohol related. My college girlfriend died at age 37 from cancer, my best friend from high school died at 49 from cancer, and my brother died at age 54 from liver failure. None were Vietnam veterans.

I think that what happens is similar to what happens in a forum such as this. Everybody talks about how their claims were denied and pretty soon it sounds like everyone who files a claim gets denied. Of course we aren't hearing from the much larger group which doesn't have the same level of dissatisfaction with the process. The same process holds true when our friends get sick or die.

Veterans who surround themselves with other veterans such as spending a lot of time at VA Medical Centers or Vet Centers or VFW clubs, etc. tend to start seeing the world through that core group of acquaintances. Many military veterans do this without even realizing it. I see far too many veterans who still live their lives through their military service four decades ago. They seem to forget that there is a big world out there not centered on the military. I had a veteran tell me one day that he just couldn't seem to forget the military. I suggested to him that he could probably begin the process by getting rid of all the military paraphanalia that he was wearing, go buy himself some regular clothes, and stay out of the Army Surplus Store which is where many seem to shop.

Overall I would have to say that my Vietnam veteran friends are as well adjusted and healthy as my non Vietnam veteran friends, which isn't to say that they are all well adjusted and healthy. Some have prostate cancer and some have diabetes, but so do some of the non Vietnam veterans. Hell, I'm beginning to think I'm the only person I know who doesn't have diabetes and sleep apnea, veteran or non-veteran. I just wish I had bought stock in the CPAP industry several years ago. These appear to be equal opportunity diseases and death is an equal opportunity event.

Cruiser

mr G777

#18

[-]

Posts: 5779

Jan 10 10 11:42 AM

cruiser wrote:
................................... I've had quite a few friends die prior to age 65 (my high school class has been decimated for whatever reason) and I have to really struggle to think of even one that was a Vietnam veteran. Most were not military veterans at all,.........................

just about the same experience that i've had with my hi scool class vs. VN vets !!!

Grayghost

#19

[-]

Posts: 62

Jan 10 10 12:45 PM

It's not the 14th yet but close enough, "Happy Birthday GG". I will be 64 in March, a Nam Vet. I've had bladder cancer (two surgery to remove and 6 chemo treatment and go back on the 14th for my yearly check), two heart attack resulting in stenting the first time and triple bypass the second, hypertension, total knee replacement in both legs at the same time, tinnitus (was in artillery) and now DM11. My father side does have a history of heart problems but no one on either side has ever had diabetes. I'm presently doing cardio rehab and it is the best thing I've ever done. I can feel my heart getting stronger day by day.

Just curious, perhaps I'm crazy but did anyone have this feeling when they left Nam. I had the feeling when I left Nam that I had picked up a bug, a disease call it what ever you want, but my body was telling me something. No bull, I felt this way and just curious if it only happen to me.

Edited 1 time by Grayghost Jan 10 10 12:54 PM.

SteamJockey

#20

[-]

Posts: 7763

Jan 10 10 1:10 PM

I had the feeling when I left Nam that I had picked up a bug, a disease call it what ever you want

Perhaps it was the company you were keeping.

Regards;
SteamJockey, resident curmudgeon
50 years service to the Navy and the nation.

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