Vietnam War Statistics This Information Taken From: Vietnam War Statistics

Personnel:

9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (5 August 1965-7 May 1975).

8,744,000 personnel were on active duty during the war (5 August 1964-28 March 1973).

3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the SE 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 (1 January 1965 - 28 March 1973).

Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.

Of the 2.6 million, between 1 and 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close combat support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.

7,484 women served in Vietnam, of whom 6,250 or 83.5% were nurses.

Peak troop strength in Vietnam was 543,482, on 30 April 1969.

Hostile deaths: 47,359.

Non-hostile deaths: 10,797.

Total: 58,156 (including men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties).

Highest state death rate: West Virginia--84.1. (The national average death rate for males in 1970 was 58.9 per 100,000).

WIA: 303,704

• 153,329 required hospitalization
• 50,375 who did not.

Severely disabled: 75,000

• 23,214 were classified 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 in Korea.
• Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.

MIA: 2,338.

POW: 766, of whom 114 died in captivity.

• 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 KIA: 5,977.

National Guard:

• 6,140 served
• 101 died.

Ethnic background:

• 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)
• 12.5% (7,241) were black
• 1.2% belonged to other races.
• 170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam, 3,070 (5.2%) of whom died there.
• 86.8% of the men who were KIA were Caucasian
• 12.1% (5,711) were black
• 1.1% belonged to other races.
• 14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were black.
• 34% of blacks who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms.
• Overall, blacks suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam when the percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the population.

Socioeconomic Status:

• 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
• 75% had family incomes above the poverty level.
• 23% had fathers with professional, managerial, or technical occupations.
• 79% of the men who served in 'Nam had a high school education or better.
• 63% of Korean vets had completed high school upon separation from the service.

Winning & Losing:

• 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of a lack of political will.
• Nearly 75% of the general public (in 1993) agrees with that.

Age & Honorable Service:

• The average age of the G.I. in 'Nam was 19 (26 for WWII)
• 97% of Vietnam era vets were honorably discharged.

Pride in Service:

• 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country.
• 66% of Viet vets say they would serve again, if called upon.
• 87% of the public now holds Viet vets in high esteem.

Helicopter crew deaths accounted for 10% of ALL Vietnam deaths. Helicopter losses during Lam Son 719 (a mere two months) accounted for 10% of all helicopter losses from 1961-1975.

The United Sates military in Vietnam was the best-educated, best-trained, best-disciplined, and most successful force ever fielded in the history of American arms. Why, then, did it get such bad press, and why is the public's opinion of them so twisted? The answer is simple. But first, a few relevant comparisons:

• During the Civil War at the Battle of Bull Run the entire Union Army panicked and fled the battlefield. Nothing even remotely resembling that debacle ever occurred in Vietnam.
• In WWII at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, the Germans overran elements of the US Army. In the course of that battle, Hitler's General Rommel (The Desert Fox) inflicted 3,100 US casualties, took 3,700 US prisoners, and captured or destroyed 198 American tanks. In Vietnam no US Military units were overrun and no US Military infantry units or tank outfits were captured.
• WW II again. In the Philippines, Army Generals Jonathan Wainwright and Edward King surrendered themselves and their troops to the Japanese. In Vietnam no US generals or US military units ever surrendered.
• Before the Normandy invasion, "D" Day, 1944, the US Army (in WW II the US Army included the Army Air Corps which today has become the US Air Force) in England filled its own jails with American soldiers who refused to fight and then had to rent jail space from the British to handle the overflow. The US Army in Vietnam never had to rent jail space from the Vietnamese to incarcerate American soldiers who refused to fight.

Desertion:

• Only about 5,000 men assigned to Vietnam deserted and just 249 of those deserted while in Vietnam.
• During WW II, in the European Theater alone, over 20,000 US Military men were convicted of desertion
• The overall WW II desertion rate was 55 percent higher than in Vietnam.
• During the WW II Battle of the Bulge in Europe, two regiments of the US Army's 106th Division surrendered to the Germans.

  Again: In Vietnam no US Army unit ever surrendered.

As For Brutality:

• During WW II the US Army executed nearly 300 of its own men. In the European Theater alone the US Army sentenced 443 American soldiers to death. Most of these sentences were for the rape and/or murder of civilians.
• In the Korean War, Major General F. Dean, commander of the 24th Infantry Division in Korea was taken prisoner of war (POW). In Vietnam no US General, much less division commanders, were ever taken prisoner.
• During the Korean War the US Army was forced into the longest retreat in its history. a catastrophic 275 mile withdrawal from the Yalu River all the way to Pyontaek, 45 miles south of Seoul. In the process they lost the capital of Seoul. The US Military in Vietnam was never compelled into a major retreat nor did it ever abandon Saigon to the enemy.
• The 1st US Marine Division was driven from the Chosin Reservoir and forced into an emergency evacuation from the Korean port of Hungnam. There, other US Army units joined them, and South Korean soldiers, and the US Navy eventually evacuated 105,000 Allied troops from that port. In Vietnam there was never any mass evacuation of US Marine, South Vietnamese or Allied troops.

Other Items:

• Only 25 percent of the US Military who served in Vietnam were draftees. During WW II, 66 percent of the troops were draftees.
• The Vietnam force contained three time as many college graduates as did the WW II force. The average education level of the enlisted man in Vietnam was 13 years, equivalent to one year of college. Of those who enlisted, 79 percent had high school diplomas. This at a time when only 65% of the military age males in the general American population were high school graduates.
• The average age of the military men who died in Vietnam was 22.8 years old.
• Of the one hundred and one (101) 18 year old draftees who died in Vietnam, seven of them were black. Blacks accounted for 10.5 percent the combat deaths in Vietnam. At that time black males of military age constituted 13.5 percent of the American population.
• The charge that the "poor" died in disproportionate numbers is also a myth. An MIT study of Vietnam death rates, conducted by Professor Arnold Barnett, revealed that servicemen from the richest 10 percent of the nation;s communities had the same distribution of deaths as the rest of the nation. In fact his study showed that the death rate in the upper income communities of Beverly Hills, Belmont, Chevy Chase, and Great Neck exceeded the national average in three of the four, and, when the four were added together and averaged, that number also exceeded the national average.

On The Issue Of Psychological Health:

• Mental problems attributed to service in Vietnam are referred to as PTSD.
• Civil War veterans suffered "Soldiers heart"
• WW I the term was "Shell shock"
• WW II and in Korea it was "Battle fatigue."

To put Vietnam in its proper perspective, it is necessary to understand that the US Military was not defeated in Vietnam, and that the South Vietnamese government did not collapse due to mismanagement or corruption, nor was it overthrown by revolutionary guerrillas running around in rubber tire sandals, wearing black pajamas and carrying home made weapons. There was no "general uprising" or "revolt" by the southern population. A conventional army made up of seventeen conventional divisions organized into four army corps overran Saigon. This totally conventional force (armed, equipped, trained and supplied by the Soviet Union) launched a cross border frontal attack on South Vietnam and conquered it in the same manner as Hitler conquered most of Europe in WW II.

A quick synopsis of America's Vietnam experience will help summarize and clarify the Vietnam scenario:

• Prior to 1965: US Advisors and AID only.
• 1965 - 1967: Buildup of US Forces and logistical supply bases, plus heavy fighting to counter Communist North Vietnamese invasion.
• 1968 - 1970: Communist "insurgency" destroyed to the point where over 90% of the towns and villages in South Vietnam were free from Communist domination. 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). In 1969 Nixon started troop withdrawals that were essentially complete by late 1971.
• Dec 1972: Paris Peace Agreements negotiated and agreed by North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the Southern Vietnamese Communists (VC, NLF / PRG) and the United States.
• Jan 1973: All four parties formally sign Paris Peace Agreements.
• Mar 1973: Last US POW released from Hanoi Hilton, and in accordance with Paris Agreements, last American GI leaves Vietnam.
• Aug 1973: US Congress passes the Case - Church law which forbids US naval forces from sailing on the seas surrounding, US ground forces from operating on the land of, and US air forces from flying in the air over South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This at a time when America had drawn its Cold War battle lines and, as a result, had the US Navy protecting Taiwan, 50,000 troops in South Korea, and over 300,000 troops in Western Europe (which has a land area, economy and population comparable to that of the United States), along with ironclad guarantees that if Communist forces should cross any of those Cold War lines, or Soviet armor should roll across either the DMZ in Korea or the Iron Curtain in Europe, then there would be an unlimited response by the armed forces of the United States to include, if necessary, the use of nuclear weapons.

  In addition, these defense commitments required the annual expenditure of hundreds of billions of US dollars. Conversely, in 1975 when Soviet armor rolled across the international borders of South Vietnam, the US military response was nothing. Congress cut off all AID to the South Vietnamese and would not provide them with as much as a single bullet.

  In spite of the Case - Church Congressional guarantee, the North Vietnamese were very leery of US President Nixon. They viewed him as one unpredictable, incredibly tough nut. 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. Previously the B-52s had been used only against Communist troop concentrations in remote regions of South Vietnam and occasionally against carefully selected sanctuaries in Cambodia, plus against both sanctuaries and supply lines in Laos.

• Aug 1974: Nixon resigns.
• Sept 1974: North Vietnamese hold special meeting to evaluate Nixon's resignation and decide to test implications.
• Dec 1974: North Vietnamese invade South Vietnamese Province of Phouc Long located north of Saigon on Cambodian border.
• Jan 1975: North Vietnamese capture Phuoc Long provincial capitol of Phuoc Binh. Sit and wait for US reaction. No reaction.
• Mar 1975: North Vietnam mounts full-scale invasion. Seventeen North Vietnamese conventional divisions (more divisions than the US Army has had on duty at any time since WW II) were formed into four conventional army corps (This was the entire North Vietnamese army. Because the US Congress had unconditionally guaranteed no military action against North Vietnam, there was no need for them to keep forces in reserve to protect their home bases, flanks or supply lines), and launched a wholly conventional cross-border, frontal-attack. Then, using the age-old tactics of mass and maneuver, they defeated the South Vietnamese Army in detail.

Another Aspect - US Military Battle Deaths By Year:

• Prior to 1966 - 3,078 (Total up through 31 Dec 65)
• 1966 - 5,008
• 1967 - 9,378
• 1968 - 14, 589 (Total while JFK & LBJ were on watch - 32,053)
• 1969 - 9,414
• 1970 - 4,221
• 1971 - 1,381
• 1972 - 300 (Total while Nixon was on watch - 15,316)

Source of these numbers is the Southeast Asia Statistical Summary, Office of the Assistant Secretary or Defense and were provided to the author by the US Army War College Library, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17023. Numbers are battle deaths only and do not include ordinary accidents, heart attacks, murder victims, suicides, etc.

Those who think these numbers represent "heavy fighting" and some of the "bloodiest battles" in US history should consider the fact that:

• The Allied Forces lost 9,758 men killed just storming the Normandy Beaches, 6,603 were Americans.
• The US Marines, in the 25 days between 19 Feb 45 and 16 Mar 45, lost nearly 7,000 men killed in their battle for the tiny island of Iwo Jima.
• 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.

Parallel Point:

• During its Normandy battles in 1944 the US 90th Infantry Division (roughly 15,000+ men) over a six week period had to replace 150% of its officers and more than 100% of its men.
• The 173rd Airborne Brigade (normally there are 3 brigades to a division) served in Vietnam for a total of 2,301 days and holds the record for the longest continuous service under fire of any American unit ever.
• During that 6 year, 3 month period the 173rd lost 1,601 (roughly 31%) of its men killed in action.

Further Food For Thought:

Casualties tell the tale. Again, the US Army War College Library provides numbers. The former South Vietnam was made up of 44 provinces:

• The province that claimed the most Americans killed was Quang Tri, which bordered on both North Vietnam and Laos.
• Fifty four percent of the Americans killed in Vietnam were killed in the four northernmost provinces, which in addition to Quang Tri were Thua Thien, Quang Nam and Quan Tin. All of them shared borders with Laos.
• An additional six provinces accounted for another 25% of the Americans killed in action (KIA). Those six all shared borders with either Laos or Cambodia or had contiguous borders with provinces that did.
• The remaining 34 provinces accounted for just 21% of US KIA.

These numbers should dispel the notion that Vietnam was some kind of flaming inferno or a huge cauldron of burning dissent.

The overwhelming majority of Americans killed, died in border battles against regular NVA units. Looking back it is now clear that the American military role in Vietnam was, in essence, one of defending international borders. Contrary to popular belief, they turned in an outstanding performance and accomplished their mission. The US Military was not "driven" from Vietnam. The US Congress voted them out. This same Congress then turned around and abandoned America's former ally, South Vietnam.

The Battle of Xuan Loc; Mar 17 - Apr 17, 1975 & The End:

Xuan Loc was the last major battle for South Vietnam. It sits astride Q. L. (National Road) #1, some 40 odd miles to the northeast of Saigon (on the road to Phan Thiet), and was the capitol of South Vietnam's Long Khanh province. The NVA (North Vietnamese Army) attack fell on the ARVN (Army Republic of Vietnam) 18th Division. On 17 Mar 75 the NVA Sixth and Seventh Divisions attacked Xuan Loc but were repulsed by the ARVN 18th. On 9 Apr 75 the NVA 341st Division joined the attack. After a four thousand round artillery bombardment, these three divisions massed, and, spearheaded by Soviet tanks, assaulted Xuan Loc; but again the ARVN 18th held its ground. The NVA reinforced with their 325th Division and began moving their 10th and 304th Divisions into position. Eventually, in a classic example of the military art of "Mass and Maneuver" the NVA massed 40,000 men and overran Xuan Loc. During this fight, the ARVN 18th had 5,000 soldiers at Xuan Loc. These men managed to virtually destroy 3 NVA Divisions, but on 17 Apr 75 sheer numbers and the weight of the "Mass" overwhelmed them. Before overrunning Xuan Loc the NVA had committed six full divisions, plus a host various support troops. In the Sorrow of War, author and NVA veteran Bao Ninh writes of this battle: "Remember when we chased Division 18 southern soldiers all over Xuan Loc? My tank tracks were choked up with skin and hair and blood. And the bloody maggots. And the fucking flies. Had to drive through a river to get the stuff out of my tracks." He also writes "After a while I could tell the difference between mud and bodies, logs and bodies. They were like sacks of water. They'd pop open when I ran over them. Pop! Pop!"

The Irony:

It's ironic that in spite of all the hype and hullabaloo about the Viet Cong and the American Soldiers, both were absent from the final battles for South Vietnam. The Viet Cong had been bludgeoned to death (During Tet 1968) on the streets of the cities, towns, and hamlets of South Vietnam. The Americans had left under the terms of the Paris Peace Agreements and then were barred by the US Congress from ever returning. The end came in the form of a cross border invasion. Two conventional armies fought it out using strategies and tactics as old as warfare itself.

A quick word about the South Vietnamese government lacking support from the people and of the so called popular support for the Communists:

• During the 1968 Tet Offensive the Communists attacked 155 cities, towns and hamlets in South Vietnam. In not one instance did the people rise up to support the Communists. The general uprising was a complete illusion. The people did rise, but in revulsion and resistance to the invaders.
• At the end of thirty days, not one single communist flag was flying over any of those 155 cities, towns or hamlets.

Closing Comments:

For those who think that Vietnam was strictly a civil war, the following should be of interest. With the collapse of Communism and the Soviet Union along with the opening up of China, records are now becoming available on the type and amount of support North Vietnam received from China and the Soviet Block. For example:

• China has opened its records on the number of uniformed Chinese troops sent to aid their Communist friends in Hanoi. In all, China sent 327,000 troops to North Vietnam. Historian Chen Jian wrote, "Although Beijing's support may have fallen short of Hanoi's expectations, without the support, the history, even the outcome, of the Vietnam War might have been different."
• In addition, at the height of the War, the Soviet Union had some 55,000 "Advisors" in North Vietnam. They were installing air defense systems, building, operating and maintaining SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) sites, plus they provided training and logistical support for the North Vietnamese military.

When I asked a well known American reporter why they never reported on this outside Communist support, his answer was essentially that the North Vietnamese would not let the reporters up there and because, "We had no access to the North during the war...meant there were huge gaps in accurately conveying what was happening north of the DMZ."

By comparison, at the peak of the War there were 545,000 US Military personnel in Vietnam. However, most of them were logistical/support types. On the best day ever, there were 43,500 ground troops actually engaged in offensive combat operations, i.e., out in the boondocks, "Tiptoeing through the tulips" looking for, or actually in contact with, the enemy. This ratio of support to line troops is also comparable with other wars and helps dispel the notion that every troop in Vietnam was engaged in mortal combat on a daily basis.

Final Entry:

General Dung's Great Spring Victory was supported by a total of 700 (maneuverable) Soviet tanks, i.e. Soviet armor, burning Soviet gas and firing Soviet ammunition. By comparison, the South Vietnamese had only 352 US supplied tanks and they were committed to guarding the entire country, and because of US Congressional action, were critically short of fuel, ammo and spare parts with which to support those tanks.

This Information Supplied By:

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