Facts of the Vietnam War

[Salty]

From another thread: A Missing Witness Charge
To keep that thread on OP - this one was started:

...Half the names of Army soldiers on the Viet Nam Memorial Wall were conscripts, those whose right to purse happiness, or enjoy liberty, and to life were taken from them. ...

It may come as a surprise to some that 63.3% of all V'nam enlisted casualties were volunteer
Vietnam War Deaths, By Volunteer or Drafted, Enlisted

Casualty Category Number of Records
ACCIDENT..................9,107.............15,64%

DECLARED DEAD.....1,201

DIED OF WOUNDS ...5,299.

HOMICIDE......................236.............0,40%

ILLNESS..........................938

KILLED IN ACTION.....40,934

PRESUMED DEAD............37
(BODY REMAINS
RECOVERED)

PRESUMED DEAD............11
(BODY REMAINS
NOT RECOVERED)

SELF-INFLICTED.............382..............0,65%

Total Records...............58,220

Record counts provided for informational purposes only, not official statistics.

Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics

 

[Salty]

Only 1/3 of Viet Nam vets were US.
How effective draftees in the Vietnam War actually were

 

[Van]

None of the above posts challenges this fact:
...Half the names of Army soldiers on the Viet Nam Memorial Wall were conscripts, those whose right to purse happiness, or enjoy liberty, and to life were taken from them. ...

 

[Salty]

None of the above posts challenges this fact:
...Half the names of Army soldiers on the Viet Nam Memorial Wall were conscripts, those whose right to purse happiness, or enjoy liberty, and to life were taken from them. ...

Now - it is casualties - which would be wounded and KIA
But my link does states that 63.3% were RA.
Which means about 1/3 - NOT 1/2 were US (draftees)

Now, what reference do you have that 50 % were US?

 

[Van]

Now - it is casualties - which would be wounded and KIA
But my link does states that 63.3% were RA.
Which means about 1/3 - NOT 1/2 were US (draftees)

Now, what reference do you have that 50 % were US?

Not sure what you are asking. I said half (50%) of Army soldier names on the wall were draftees.

 

[Van]

Now - it is casualties - which would be wounded and KIA
But my link does states that 63.3% were RA.
Which means about 1/3 - NOT 1/2 were US (draftees)

Now, what reference do you have that 50 % were US?

Not sure what you are asking. I said half (50%) of Army soldier names on the wall were draftees.

My info has 23,366 Army deaths in Viet Nam, with 12,692 being draftees.

And note that 63% of total combat deaths, includes those in Navy, Marines and Air Force, but if only the Army deaths are considered, the number is more than half draftees. Also note that some "volunteers" enlisted to avoid being drafted.

Here is just one of the links supporting the idea of 50%:
One‐Third of Americans Killed In Vietnam War Are Draftees (Published 1970)

In the army, which has shouldered the burden of the ground fighting, one out of every two soldiers who have died in combat have been draftees, even though draftees comprise only 40 per cent of the Army forces in Vietnam. The figure suggests that draftees are more likely than volunteers to be in combat as infantry riflemen.

 

[Salty]

Not sure what you are asking. I said half (50%) of Army soldier names on the wall were draftees.

I am saying that only 35% were draftees (100%- 65% = 35%)
Very simple math

 

[Van]

I am saying that only 35% were draftees (100%- 65% = 35%)
Very simple math

Take around 23,000 and subtract around 12,000 and you get around 11,000. Thus more than 50% (12,000) Army draftees died from Viet Nam combat.