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Vietnam
Veterans represent 9.7% of their generation
9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam
era (Aug.5, 1964 May 7, 1975)
8,744,000 GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug. 5, 1964 March
28, 1973)
3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the Southeast
Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand,
and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters)
2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1,
1965 March 28, 1973)
Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964
Of the 2.6 million, between 1 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in
combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed
to enemy attack.
7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam
Peak troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1969)
Hostile deaths: 47,378
Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
Total: 58,202 (includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez
casualties). Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the
changing total.)
8 nurses died only 1 was KIA.
Married men killed: 17,539
Average age of men killed in Vietnam: 22.8 years old
More 21 year olds were killed than any other age group
Highest state death rate: West Virginia 84.1 for every 100,000
(national average 58.9 for every 100,000 males in 1970)
Wounded: 303,704 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured required no
hospital care.
Severely disabled: 23,214 were 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081
sustained multiple amputations.
Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher
than in WWII and 70% higher than in Korea. Multiple amputations occurred
at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.
Missing in Action: 2,338
POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)
27 million men came of draft age from 1964 to 1972
Total draftees (1965-1973): 1,728,344
Actually served in Vietnam: 38%
25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees (In WWII, 67%
were draftees; 33% were volunteers)
Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam
National Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died
Last man drafted: June 30, 1973
88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian: 10.6%
(275,000) were African-American; 1% belonged to other races
86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (includes
Hispanics); 12.5% (7,241) were African-American; 1.2% belonged to other
races
170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam: 3,070 (5.2% of total) died there
70% of enlisted men killed were of Northwest European descent
86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were
Caucasian; 12.1% (5,711) were African-American; 1.1% belonged to other
races
14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were among African-Americans
34% of African-Americans who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms
Overall, African-Americans suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam at a
time when the percentage of African-Americans of military age was 13.5%
of the total population
Religion of Dead: Protestant 64.4%; Catholic 28.9%; other/none
6.7%
26% of combat deaths came from the families in the highest third of
income levels
76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from middle/working class
backgrounds
Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from
middle income backgrounds
Some 23% of Vietnam veterans had fathers with professional, managerial
or technical occupations
79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or
better when they entered military service. (63% of Korean War vets and
only 45% of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation)
Deaths by region per 100,000 of population: South 31; West 29;
Midwest 28.4; Northeast 23.5
97% of Vietnam veterans were honorably discharged
91% of actual Vietnam War era veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy
combat are proud to have served their country
66% of Vietnam veterans say they would serve again if called upon
As of 1985, on 9% of Vietnam veterans had not graduated high school as
opposed to 23% of their non-military peers
As of 1985, a Vietnam veteran was more likely to have gone to college
than a man of his age who did not serve: Vietnam veterans 30%;
non-military peer 24%
In 1985, 8 of every 10 Vietnam veterans were married to their first
spouse and 90% had children
In every major study of Vietnam veterans where the military records were
pulled from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis and the
veterans were then located, an insignificant number had been found in
prison.
In 1994, the unemployment rate for all males over 18 was 6%; for Vietnam
veterans 3.9%
In a study conducted by the Labor Department and Department of
Veterans Affairs more African-American Vietnam veterans work in
white-collar, public-sector jobs than do African-American males who
never served.
Source:
Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine
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