A STATISTICAL PROFILE
IN UNIFORM AND IN COUNTRY

Page 8 of 11

These are results of a new survey from
THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL FUND
Washington  DC.

It deals with preconceptions some folks might have
about who Vietnam Veterans really are.

VIETNAM WARRIORS: 

Vietnam Vets:

• 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 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)

CASUALTIES:

(a.Hostile deaths: 47,378
b  Non-hostile deaths: 10,800 Total: 58,202
(includes formerly classified as MIA and Mayaquez casualties),
subsequently died of wounds account for the hanging total.

(a) 8 nurses died-1 was KIA.
(b) Married men killed: 17,539.
(c) 61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.
(d)  Highest state death rate: West Virginia- 84.1 (national average
58.9 for every 100,000 males in 1970)
(e) Wounded: 303,704-153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured
requiring no hospital care.
(f) Severely disabled: 75,000-23,214 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs;
1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
(g) Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities
were 300% higher than in W.W.II and 70% higher than in Korea.
(h) Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4%
compared to 5.7% in W.W.II.
(i) Missing in Action:
2,338. POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity).

DRAFTEES VS. VOLUNTEERS:

(a) 25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees.
(b) (66% of US armed forces members were drafted during W.W.II).
(c) Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.
(d) Reservists killed: 5,977.
(e) National Guard: 6,140 served, 101 died.
(f)  Total draftees (1965-73)1,728,344.
(g)Actually served in Vietnam 38%.
(h)  Marine Corps draft: 42,633.
(i)  Last draftee: June 30, 1973.

RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND:

(a) 88.4% of those who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian.
(b) 10.6% were black.
(c) 1% belonged to other races.
(d) 86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian     (includes
Hispanics)
(e) 12.5% (7,241) were black
(f)  1.2% belonged to other races.
(g) 170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070 (5.2% of total) died there.
(h) 70% of enlisted men killed were of Northwest European descent.
(i)  86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were
Caucasian
(j) 12.1% (5,711) were black
(k) 1.1% belonged to other races.
l14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were among blacks.
(m) 34% of blacks that enlisted, volunteered for the combat arms.
(n) 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:

(a) Protestant-64.4%
(b) Catholic-28.9%
(c) Other/none-6.7%.

SOCIETY-ECONOMIC STATUS:

(a) 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle and working
class backgrounds.
(b)3/4ths 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.
(c) 79% who served had a high school education or better. (63% of Korean
War and only 45% of W.W.II vets had completed high school upon separation).

DEATHS BY REGION PER 100,000 OF POPULATION:
(a) South-31
(bWest-29
(c)Midwest-28.4
(d) Northeast-23.5.

WINNING AND LOSING:
(a)82% of vets who saw heavy combat strongly believe
the war was lost because of lack of political will.
(b) Nearly 75% of the public agrees it was a failure
of political will, not arms.

HONORABLE SERVICE:

(a) 97% of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged.
(b) 91% of actual Vietnam War veterans and 90% of those
who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country.
(c)66% of Vietnam vets say they would serve again if called upon.
(d) 87% of the public now holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.