In case you haven't been
paying attention these past few decades after you returned from Vietnam, the
clock has been ticking. The following are some statistics that are at once depressing, yet in a larger sense, should give you a HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE.
"Of the
2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, Less than 850,000 are estimated to
be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran's age approximately 60 years old."
So, if you're alive and reading
this, how does it feel to be among the last 1/3rd of all the U.S. Vets who
served in VietNam?
I don't know about you guys, but it kinda gives me the chills, Considering
this is the kind of information I'm used to reading about WWII and Korean War
vets...
So the last 14 years we
are dying too fast, only the few will survive by 2025...if any. If true, 390 VN vets die a day.
So in 2190 days...from today, lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive... in only
6-10 years.
These statistics were
taken from a variety of sources to include: The VFW Magazine, the Public Information
Office, and the HQ CP Forward Observer - 1st Recon April 12, 1997.
STATISTICS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN
UNIFORM AND IN COUNTRY VIETNAM VETERANS
9,087,000 military
personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (August 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975).
8,744,000 GIs were on
active duty during the war (Aug 5, 1964-March 28, 1973).
2,709,918 Americans served
in Vietnam, this number represents 9.7% of their generation.
3,403,100 (Including
514,300 offshore) personnel served in the broader 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, 1968).
Agent Orange is taking a huge toll
on Vietnam Veterans with most deaths somehow related to Agent Orange
exposure. No one officially dies of Agent Orange, they die from the exposure
which causes ischemic Heart Disease and failure, Lung Cancer, Kidney failure
or COPD related disorders.
CASUALTIES
The first man to die in
Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis
Station in Saigon was
named for him.
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 -- 1 was KIA.
61%
of the men killed were 21 or younger.
11,465 of those killed
were younger than 20 years old.
Of those killed, 17,539
were married.
Average age of men killed:
23.1 years
Total Deaths: 23.11 years
Enlisted: 50,274; 22.37
years
Officers: 6,598; 28.43
years
Warrants: 1,276; 24.73
years
E1: 525; 20.34 years
Five men killed in Vietnam
were only 16 years old.
The oldest man killed was
62 years old.
Highest state death rate:
West Virginia - 84.1% (national average 58.9% for every 100,000 males in 1970).
Wounded: 303,704 --
153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.
Severely disabled: 75,000, --
23,214: 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 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)
As of January 15, 2014,
there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for, from the Vietnam War.
DRAFTEES VS. VOLUNTEERS
25% (648,500) of total forces in
country were draftees. (66% of U.S. armed forces members were drafted during
WWII).
Draftees accounted for
30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.
Reservists killed: 5,977
National Guard: 6,140
served: 101 died.
Total draftees (1965 -
73): 1,728,344.
Actually served in
Vietnam: 38% Marine Corps Draft: 42,633.
Last man drafted: June 30,
1973.
RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND
88.4%
of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000)
were black; 1% belonged to other races.
86.3% of the men who died
in Vietnam were Caucasian (includes Hispanics);
12.5% (7,241) were black;
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 North-west European descent.
86.8% of the men who were
killed as a result of hostile action were Caucasian; 12.1% (5,711) were
black; 1.1% belonged to other races.
14.6% (1,530) of
non-combat deaths were among blacks.
34% of blacks who enlisted
volunteered for the combat arms.
Overall, blacks suffered
12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam at a time when the percentage of blacks of military age
was 13.5% of the
total population.
Religion of Dead:
Protestant -- 64.4%; Catholic -- 28.9%; other/none -- 6.7%
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
Vietnam veterans have a
lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
Vietnam veterans' personal
income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
76% of the men sent to
Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
Three-fourths had family
incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds.
Some 23% of Vietnam vets
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 the 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 --29.9%; Midwest -- 28.4%; Northeast -- 23.5%.
DRUG USAGE & CRIME
There is no difference in
drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age
group.
(Source: Veterans
Administration Study)
Vietnam Veterans are less
likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans
have been jailed for crimes.
85% of Vietnam Veterans
made successful transitions to civilian life.
WINNING & LOSING
82% of veterans who saw heavy combat
strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will.
Nearly 75% of the public
agrees it was a failure of political will, not of arms.
HONORABLE SERVICE
97% of Vietnam-era
veterans were honorably discharged.
91% of actual Vietnam War
veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their
country.
74% say they would serve again, even
knowing the outcome.
87% of the public now
holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.
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