Interesting Vietnam War Facts

Interesting VN War Facts
Contributed by
CSM (RET) Joseph M.Bossi

Facts, Statistics, Fake Warrior Numbers, and Myths Dispelled

 

• Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958.
• 58,148 were killed in Vietnam
• 75,000 were severely disabled
• 23,214 were 100% disabled
• Of those killed, 17,539 were married
• Average age of men killed: 23.1 years
• Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. The oldest man killed was 62 years old.

*** Interesting Census Stats and “Been There” Wanabees:

• 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.
• Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.
• 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.
• 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.

THE UNITED STATES DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM, THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID.

• 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.