5-Second Life Expectancy: Radiomen in Vietnam

When the Viet Cong planned their ambushes on American units, the one thing they didn’t want to deal with was the full weight of Uncle Sam reigning down on them in the form of directed artillery and air support. To prevent this, the Viet Cong always targeted a specific person first, the radio operator. This made being a radioman one of the worst jobs an American infantryman could have during the Vietnam War.

Radiomen were essential for their units, as they were the only means of communication and coordination between other units and command centers. They were crucial for directing artillery and air support, serving as the lifeline and tactical advantage infantrymen depended on in the field. The Viet Cong were very aware of the importance of these radios and their operators, making radiomen target #1 at the opening of any ambush or firefight. Throughout the war, the military would face a constant need to fill replacements for this role because of the incredibly steep casualty rate.

The dense jungles and ever-hidden Viet Cong already made a living hell for U.S. soldiers, on top of this, the last thing you wanted to do was carry a 54-pound target strapped to your back. Numbers vary depending on the source, but radiomen were given an expected lifespan of 30 seconds from the outset of a firefight. And that number is on the optimistic side of the spectrum. The majority of statistics list it as closer to 5 seconds.

The PRC-77 radio equipment varied from 13.5 pounds to 54 pounds fully equipped. It also came with two antenna options, a 3-foot length and a 10-foot length for use in the dense jungles. This not only made them big targets for small arms fire but the antennas were also used as pinpoints for the Viet Cong to throw grenades and launch mortars. Officers were generally right next to the radiomen, as they were the ones who would receive and convey the information to and from the command centers. This gave the added benefit to the Viet Cong of potentially eliminating an officer as well as the unit’s only communication source.

This is why they would collectively target the soldier with the antenna sticking out of his back at the outset of an ambush. In addition to this, the Viet Cong would also set up booby traps in the tree line for the antenna to catch and set off. As far as jobs in the field went, being a radio operator was among the worst and deadliest.