Vietnam Facts
Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall Courtesy of Roger Hatcher More Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall Courtesy of Al Saltzman Fatalities and Wounded - All Forces in Vietnam - 1961-1967 Courtesy of Bernie Dugan US Ground Forces in South Vietnam - Part 1 Courtesy of Bernie Dugan US Ground Forces in South Vietnam - Part 2 Courtesy of Bernie Dugan US Forces in Vietnam - up to 1967 Courtesy of Bernie Dugan Vietnam War   Australian Involvement in the Vietnam War Courtesy of Neal Schwartz New Zealand Involvement in the Vietnam War Courtesy of Neal Schwartz Canadian Involvement in the Vietnam War   South Korean Involvement in the Vietnam War   Great Britain Involvement in the Vietnam War Courtesy of Neal Schwartz 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). CASUALTIES: The first man to die in Vietnam was Robert Fitzgibbon, in 1956. 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 11B MOS: 18,465 22.55 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, 2004, 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% SOCIO-ECONOMIC 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. INTERESTING CENSUS STATISTICS & THOSE TO CLAIM TO HAVE "Been There": 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August,1995 (census figures). During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country was: 9,492,958. As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. That's 390 per day. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not. The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this erred index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365). Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. - Nixon Presidential Papers. Common Myths Dispelled:   Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population.   Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. 'The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group.   Myth: The Common belief is that the domino theory was proved false.   Fact: The domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism.   Myth: The common belief is that the fighting in Vietnam was not as intense as in World War II.   Fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II ....75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border).   Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972.....shown a million times on American television....was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang.   Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. 'We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF,' according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding  General of TRAC at that time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. They were Kim's cousins not her brothers.   Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam.   Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. General Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a major military defeat for the VC and NVA.   THE UNITED STATES DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM, THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID . Read on........   The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973.   How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? We fought to an agreed stalemate. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. Thanks for the perceived loss and the countless assassinations and torture visited upon Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians goes mainly to the American media and their undying support-by-misrepresentation of the anti-War movement in the United States.   As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. General Vo Nguyen Giap, the designer of the Tet Offensive, is considered by some as ranking with Wellington, Grant, Lee and MacArthur as a great commander. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. It resulted in the death of some 45,000 NVA troops and the complete, if not total destruction of the Viet Cong elements in South Vietnam. The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy becoming the perceived truth. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous.   Home | Table of Contents | Contact Us | Site Map Copyright © 2008 - 2025 by 1/83rd Artillery Association. All rights reserved.