Only 10% of the entire military force engage in battle. Military Terms Explained. In Vietnam no US Military units were overrun and no US Military infantry units or tank outfits were captured. As an example: By 1971 throughout the entire populous Mekong Delta, the monthly rate of Communist insurgency action dropped to an average of 3 incidents per 100,000 population (Many a US city would envy a crime rate that low). Blacks accounted for 10.5 percent the combat deaths in Vietnam. However, that does not mean their job is a breeze and their contributions are futile. Only about 5,000 men assigned to Vietnam deserted and just 249 of those deserted while in Vietnam. 63% of Korean vets had completed high school upon separation from the service), 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost. # 2: The 23rd Infantry Division. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? a catastrophic 275 mile withdrawal from the Yalu River all the way to Pyontaek, 45 miles south of Seoul. Even large American companies such as Boeing depend on SMEs. K. G. Sears is an AmCham Governor and serves as senior advisor to a variety of international businesses, governmental and other organizations. By comparison the single bloodiest day in the Vietnam War for the Americans was on 17 Nov 65 when elements of the 7th Cav (Custer's old outfit) lost 155 men killed in a battle with elements of two North Vietnamese Regular Army regiments (33rd & 66th) near the Cambodian border southwest of Pleiku. What percentage of Vietnam veterans actually saw combat? Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Since 1988 The War Library has been working to verify the names of all Americans who served in Vietnam, or were authorized the Vietnam War Service Medal. Enlisted men, warrant officers and commissioned officers who flew or crewed aircraft tended to have considerably more engagements on average. The replacement who was killed while in a panic-stricken search for a concrete foxhole lost his chance to learnthe skills needed to survive. 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. According to statistics, around 60 million people in the United States suffer from being flat-footed. 3. Also, do not forget to share this with others! But what some people may not be aware of is the purpose , A tactical flashlight comes in handy for doing missions or outdoor activities in the dark. . | CherriesWriter, Your email address will not be published. What month is the cheapest to fly to vietnam? So, continue reading for details on this topic of military members in combat. (Answered), What Percentage of Military Marriages End in Divorce? Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Note 1: This group is comprised of the following individual units with no further break down, 17th Field Hospital (An Khe)22nd Surgical Hospital (Phu Bai)71st Evacuation Hospital (Pleiku)91st Evacuation Hospital (Tuy Hoa)95th Field Hospital (Qui Nhon)3rd Field Hospital (III Corps)7th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)45th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)93rd Evacuation Hospital (III Corps)80th Engineer Group121st Assault Helicopter Company18th Military Police Brigade89th Military Police Brigade8th Transportation Group48th Transportation Group11th Aviation Group12th Aviation Group23rd Artillery Group108th Artillery Group35th Engineer Group45th Engineer Group34th General Support Group506th Field Depot, Source: Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, National Archives, US Army Infantrymen (MOS 11B, 11C, etc.) During WW II, 66 percent of the troops were draftees. The best tactical belts are made of strong webbing and durable buckles. A good example of this number pandering can be found in a 1969 Life magazine feature article in which Life's editors published the portraits of 250 men that were killed in Vietnam in one routine week. # 5: The 173rd Airborne Brigade. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military used more than 19 million The same was true for Veterans who saw combat, compared with those who did not. Check us out! This is his great handicap when he enters combat. The new training was effective, and as a result, 55 percent of the infantrymen in the Korean War fired their weapons, and 90 to 95 percent fired them in Vietnam. KIA in Vietnam = 20,460, US Army Helicopter Crewmen KIA in Vietnam = 3,007, US Army Tankers KIA in Vietnam = 725 (equals 27% of all tankers ever assigned to Vietnam), US Marines Killed In Action in Vietnam = 14,836, More US Army Infantrymen died than Marines of all MOSes, The highest loss-rate for any MOS was 11E (Armor Crewman) 27% KIA. However, such occasions were the exception in Vietnam. WW II again. After extensive research of various mortality indexes and sources The American War Library estimates that approximately one-third of those who did serve in Vietnam (approximately 850,000) are alive today [18 Aug 2007]. American soldiers encountered malarial mosquitoes, leeches, ticks, fire ants and 30 different kinds of venomous snake. Why did so many not fire? About 85 percent were considered "negative" for PTSD. In 1973, when the POWs were released, roughly 2,500 servicemen were designated missing in action (MIA). One does not get to be, much less continue to be, a superstar unless one gives one's audience what it wants. Once the dodging anti-war numbers started climbing through the stratosphere it was not in the media's interest to say something good about Vietnam to an audience that was guilt ridden with shame and a deep psychological need to rationalize away the true source of their guilt. I had no business getting involved with the actions of only one company. The Vietnam War was the nation's longest and costliest conflict of the Cold War. An amazing 92 percent of U.S. troops wounded on the battlefield will survive their injuries. ", In a early report the U.S. embassy indicated possibly 100 of the children. The most glaring example of the existence of the dodging guilt syndrome can be found in a statement made by the ranking head dodger himself. Time likewise played its part. The best tactical binoculars can give you full details of the , My old Hatch sap gloves got ruined, so I was looking for a way to make one without buying a new pair due to economic reasons. You will not necessarily be seeing combat even if you are an infantry soldier. The Army lost the greatest number of officers - 4,635 or 59 percent of all officer casualties. Today, about 9 percent of veteransor 1.7 million are women. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. However, most of them were logistical / support types. Marshalls claims did not go unchallenged, but despite the disagreements they were widely accepted as truth both within the nations military and by those writing about the war and its American fighting force. When asked what portion of their fellow soldiers fired during any given engagement, the veterans estimated that about 84 percent of a unit's men armed with individual weapons (rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, shotguns) and approximately 90 percent of those manning crew-served weapons (generally the M-60 machine gun) did so. Some did it over and over. The people did rise, but in revulsion and resistance to the invaders. He had, in 1972, for the first time in the War, mined Hai Phong Harbor and sent the B-52 bombers against the North to force them into signing the Paris Peace Agreements. Then, using the age-old tactics of mass and maneuver, they defeated the South Vietnamese Army in detail. It should not matter if you are firing or helping others fire. Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict. 88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000) were black; 1% belonged to other races. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. No reaction. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former . Members of one group in particular, however, consistently saw much more action: aviators and their door gunners. These numbers should dispel the notion that Vietnam was some kind of flaming inferno or a huge cauldron of burning dissent. Who did the most tours in Vietnam? They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days, he said. (The national average death. By comparison, at the peak of the War there were 545,000 US Military personnel in Vietnam. Nothing even remotely resembling that debacle ever occurred in Vietnam. We compiled these facts from AP & UPI articles that appeared in the Seattle Times, Seattle P-I and New York Times from 4 April to 8 April of 1975. Why? Veterans who responded to the survey regarding their months at war passed on many thoughts regarding their performance, expectations, weapons, training, the 12-month tour of duty and the six-month command tour. Recommended reading: A good example of this number pandering can be found in a 1969, The most glaring example of the existence of the dodging guilt syndrome can be found in a statement made by the ranking head dodger himself. Recently members of AmCham's EE&C (Energy, Engineering and Construction) Energy Subcommittee traveled to Hanoi and presented a briefing on Gas Chain Development to senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office, MPI, PVN (Petro Vietnam) and EVN (Electricity Vietnam). It seemed that all was well. That the American experience in Vietnam was painful and ended in long lasting (albeit self-inflicted) grief and misery cannot be disputed. Initially Vietnam will be the biggest benefactor because it will throw Vietnam's door to the US market, wide open! 170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070 (5.2%) of whom died there. 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will. 88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian, 10.6%, (275,000) were black, 1.0% belonged to other races, 86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (including Hispanics). (Answered). You will likely not see combat unless you are an infantry soldier with top-notch military competence and are willing to become trigger-pullers. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died. Other than the time of service, the likelihood of going into combat fluctuates depending on the military branch that you are serving in. 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost. However, the written, video and voice records of that involvement are distorted beyond recognition. In spite of it's wing problems this was only the second crash of a C-5A after over 190,000 combined flying hours by the USAF but the first crash resulting in loss-of-life. If he fired, he risked shooting his own men. He never once, not even once, ever mentions a single word about revolutionary warfare or guerilla tactics contributing in any way to his Great Spring Victory. The single most lethal day of the war for American troops was Jan. 31, 1968, when 246 personnel were killed or mortally wounded as the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army regulars launched the Tet Offensive. Recommended reading: Great Spring Victory by General Tien Van Dung, NVA Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Volume I, 7 Jun 76 and Volume II, 7 Jul 76. Veterans of the Gulf War share a similar risk, with 12 percent of them developing PTSD, or 660,000 of the 5.5 million American military personnel in that conflict. The Hanoi government hid this information from their people not to avoid demoralizing them, but to avoid a rebellion among their own population. But, Vietnam is catching up. Cinq millions de morts: 20 ans apregraves la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le gouvernement de Hanoi a reacute veacute leacute, lundi, le bilan d'un conflit dent le nombre de victimes avait eacute teacute minore a l'eacutepoque pour ne pas affecter le moral de la population. And the bloody maggots. With that, you have reached the end of this short article about what percentage of the military sees combat. friend and your looking at well in excess of 50,000,000 Americans with a need to rationalize away their draft-dodging cowardice and to, in some way, vilify Vietnam the very source of their shame and guilt. The online research project that includes the 2,709,918 Vietnam veterans officially listed by the Department of Defense [*] is available here where veterans whose Vietnam service is indicated as confirmed or unconfirmed: VETERANS REGISTRY APPLICATION
Finally, one veteran recalled his simply being outgunned as he stood naked on top of a shower stall put-ting water in. Several of those I spoke with were from media outlets that had names containing words such as. Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) How many a1 Skyraiders were shot down in Vietnam? One of their own made a rather astute observation to the effect that they all were smitten (to one degree or another) by a sort of hazy Namstalgia and as a result, had no intention of straying far from those comfortable notions that had been the very foundation of their collective writing and reporting successes (interestingly enough the original meaning of the word nostalgia was to express sadness and guilt!). A mans duty position was one critical element. On this Memorial Day 2021, VA honors their service and recommits itself to . The question seemed inevitable: Had there been a problem with Americans willingness to engage the enemy in World War II? Civil War veterans suffered Soldiers heart in WW I the term was Shell shock during WW II and in Korea it was Battle fatigue. Military records indicate that Civil War psychological casualties averaged twenty six per thousand men. South Vietnamese sources said three militiamen on the ground were killed when the airplane fell. A quick word about the South Vietnamese government lacking support from the people, and of the so called Popular support for the Communists. It was not unusual for an ambush party to let the enemy pass because the Americans were so greatly outnumbered that engaging would have led to disaster. While the more ancient of those media icons were drinking and carrying on with one another, their organization's younger blooded staffers were out trying to gather more bad news. 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