*VIETNAM VETERANS:

CASUALTIES

*Hostile deaths: 47,378
*Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
*Total: 58,202(includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties).
Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the changing total.
*8 Nurses died--1 was KIA.
*Married men killed-17,579
*61% of men killed were 21 or younger.
*highest state death rate:
West Virginia-84.1(nat'l. avg. 58.9 for every 100,000 males in 1970
*Wounded:
303,704--153,329 hospitalized+150,000 injured not req. hospitalization.
*Severely disabled:
75,000--23,214(100%);
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
*POWs: 766(114 died in captivity).

DRAFTEES VS VOLUNTEERS

*25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees.
*Draftees accounted for 30.4%
(17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.
*Reservists killed:
5,977
* Nat'l Guard:
6,140 served; 101 died.
*Total draftees
(1965-73): 1,728,344.
*Actually served in Vietnam: 38%
*Marine Corps draft: 42,633.
*Last man drafted:
June 30, 1973

RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND

* 88.4% of the men who actually served om Vietnam were Caucasian;
10.6%(275,000) were black;
1% belonged to other races.
* 86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian(includes Hispanics);
12.5% (7,241) were black;
1.2% belonged to other races.
* 170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070(5.2%) died there.
* 70% of enlisted men killed were of Northwest European descent.
* 86.8% of the men killed as a result of hostile action Caucasian;
12.1%(5,711) were Black;
1.1% belonged to other races.
* 14.6%(1,530) of non-combat deaths were among blacks.
* 34% of blacks who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms.
* Overall, blacks suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam.
percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the population.
* Religion of dead:
Protestant---64.4%;
Catholic---28.9%;
other/none---6.7%.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS

* 76% of the men sent ot Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
* Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income back grounds.

* Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial or technical occupations.

* 79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better
when they entered the military service. (63% of Korean War vets and only 45%
of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation.
* Death by region per 100,000 population; South--31; West--29.9;
Midwest--28.4; Northeast--23.5.

WINNING AND LOSING

* 82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost
because of lack of political will.
* Nearly 75% of the public agrees it was a failure of political will, not of
arms.

HONORABLE SERVICE

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

SOURCES