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African Americans played a prominent role in the Vietnam War.The Vietnam War was the first American war in which Black and White troops were not formally segregated, and even saw significant growth in the number of African Americans engaged in battlefield combat, [1] though some de facto segregation still occurred.
It was quite common until the First World War for any soldier to have a beard or moustache. With the 21st century Middle East Military Operations, growing a beard has become more common again, both in the Special Forces community and regular young soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Some Paratroopers use a very distinct moustache.
The first weeks were especially dangerous for young infantry soldiers shipped to Vietnam. Army Pfc. Luia Rodgers, 20, began his tour of duty Dec. 20, 1967. He died in combat 10 weeks later.
Olds during the Vietnam War sporting his trademark handlebar mustache. Olds was known for the extravagantly waxed (and decidedly non-regulation) handlebar moustache he sported in Vietnam. It was a common superstition among airmen to grow a "bulletproof mustache", [91] [92] but Olds also used his as "a gesture of defiance. The kids on base loved it.
It focuses on the role of the First and Second Battalions of the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, the United States's first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War; previous engagements involved small units and patrols (squad, platoon, and company sized units).
This compares with 26 years of age for those who participated in World War II. Soldiers served a one-year tour of duty. The average age of the U.S. military men who died in Vietnam was 22.8 years old. [60] The one-year tour of duty deprived units of experienced leadership. As one observer put it, "we were not in Vietnam for 10 years, but for ...
And, also in August that year, several hundred Black soldiers attacked MPs and military-intelligence agents near the Camp Hansen base in Okinawa. Perhaps the largest demonstration was on January 15, 1971, Martin Luther King's birthday, when about 600 Black soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division convened at a recreation hall near the Korean DMZ.
Olive was born in Chicago, but moved with his family to Lexington, Mississippi at a young age, which was where he finished high school. He joined the Army from his birth city of Chicago, Illinois in 1964, [1] and was serving as a Private First Class in Company B of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment ("The Rock"), 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") in Vietnam in 1965.