- The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him.
- 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.
- 61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.
- 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
- Of those killed, 17,539 were married.
- Average age of men killed: 23.1 years
- Total Deaths: 23.11 years
- Enlisted: 50,274 – 22.37 years
- Officers: 6,598 – 28.43 years
- Warrants: 1,276 – 24.73 years
- E1: 525 – 20.34 years
- 11B MOS: 18,465 – 22.55 years
- Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
- The oldest man killed was 62 years old.
- Highest state death rate: West Virginia – 84.1% (national average 58.9% for every 100,000 males in 1970).
- Wounded: 303,704 — 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.
- Severely disabled: 75,000, — 23,214: 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 Korea.
- Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII.
- Missing in Action: 2,338
- POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)
- As of January 15, 2004, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.
- 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 killed: 5,977
- National 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 in 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% of total) died there.
- 70% of enlisted men killed were of northwest European descent.
- 86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were 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 at a time when the percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the total population.
- Religion of Dead: Protestant — 64.4%; Catholic — 28.9%; other/none — 6.7%
- Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
- Vietnam veterans’ personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
- 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
- Three-fourths 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.
- 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.
- Deaths by region per 100,000 of population: South — 31%, West –29.9%; Midwest — 28.4%; Northeast — 23.5%.
- There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam veterans and non-Vietnam veterans of the same age group.
- (Source: Veterans Administration Study)
- Vietnam veterans are less likely to be in prison – only one-half of one percent of Vietnam veterans have been jailed for crimes.
- 85% of Vietnam veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.
- 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.
- 74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
- 87% of the public now holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.
INTERESTING CENSUS STATISTICS &THOSE TO CLAIM TO HAVE “Been There”:
- 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.
The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this erred index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365).
Isolated atrocities committed by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while communists who did so received commendations.
From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. – Nixon Presidential Papers.
Vietnam Wall Facts
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
~ Ronald Reagan
These are amazing – and heartbreaking – facts! A little history most people will never know.
Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
- There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.
- The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 55 (62) years since the first casualty.
- The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.
- There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.
- 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.
- 8,283 were just 19 years old.
- The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.
- 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.
- 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.
- One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.
- 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam.
- 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam.
- 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.
- Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.
- 54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia. I wonder why so many from one school.
- 8 Women are on the Wall, Nursing the wounded.
- 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.
- Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.
- West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.
- The Marines of Morenci – They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci’s mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.
- The Buddies of Midvale – LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
- The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.
- The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 – 2,415 casualties were incurred.
For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.
by Fred Childs
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response.
If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website – the button is located at the top right of this page.
I’ve also created a poll to help identify my website audience – before leaving, can you please click HERE and choose the one item best describing you. Thank you in advance!
Reading this again after 7 years and I am still angered and saddened that nearly 14,000,000 men claim to be Vietnam vets. I wonder how many of those were protesting the war, and us 50+ years ago?
LikeLiked by 1 person
134 to be exact.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I am not mistaken, 130 names on the Wall are Canadians.
LikeLiked by 1 person
134 to be exact.
LikeLike
Some statistics are for real but the dying off stats are way off!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
John- Did you mean the youngest Vietnam Vet would be 64? If he was 54 now he would have been born in 1964.
Carl “Skip” Bell bell0845@bellsouth.net (770) 548-7991 (M)
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, the youngest vet today would be 61 yrs. old…
On Mon, Jul 16, 2018 at 12:03 PM, CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
>
LikeLike
I don’t know who makes up these RVN casualty lists but
58267 total KIA’s x {2 (1st + last day)/365} = statistical avg. of 319 KIA’s on 1st/last day in country
I’ve seen ridiculous numbers like these before…2445 guys died on their first/last day in country….logical and statistical horse shit. On top of that, most
guys were not even in the field on either of those days…again greatly shooting holes in that number.
If 33103 KIA’s were 18 and
8283 KIA’s were 19 plus
18 were 15, 16, 17 then
41404 total were 19 or younger
What happened to the 20, 21 and 22 years old since they indicated that 39996 were 22 or younger ?
I think there are several errors here.
This is how my mind works, i.e., knowing how many guys in my unit were younger than me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great read. Thanks from one who was blue water navy thus not included in the in country statistics. Personally , I spent more time closer to north Vietnam than most others otherthan the strike pilots. Our station was called North SAR and we provided both SAR support and a navigational site for strike aircraft. Multiple deployments, 65-67 and 70-72.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great article with lots of great information.
My only question is the youngest Vietnam
Veteran approximately 54.
I left Vietnam in March of 1971 and had just
turned 20 years old on Dec. 31st of 1970.
I’m now 67 years old. This would mean the last guy killed in 1973 could not have been more than 9-10
Years old. Is my math off or was the 54 a misprint?
Not nit picking, just kinda made me scratch my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION…I’M REORGANIZING THIS WEBSITE. THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE 7 YRS. AGO WHICH WOULD INFLATE THE AGES BY AN ADDITIONAL 7 YRS. I’LL MAKE NOT OF THIS ON THE ARTICLE. THANKS FOR BRINGING THIS UP!
On Sun, Jul 15, 2018 at 12:39 AM, CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
>
LikeLike
There is still some confusion about the actual number of names on The Wall. They are continually adding to the numbers. I have heard from a solid source that the total number is 58,413.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The war ended in 1973..embassy fell 1975.. so someone born in 1957 may have served. The youngest possible is 61. 54???? Math is a lost art. Jim95B4P 716th MP71-72
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
a:hover { color: red; } a { text-decoration: none; color: #0088cc; } a.primaryactionlink:link, a.primaryactionlink:visited { background-color: #2585B2; color: #fff; } a.primaryactionlink:hover, a.primaryactionlink:active { background-color: #11729E !important; color: #fff !important; }
/* @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { .post { min-width: 700px !important; } } */ WordPress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
60 / 61 is possible…not 54.
On Sat, Jul 14, 2018 at 11:37 PM, CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
There were several missionaries who were killed in Vietnam just as the war was starting up. One group was up in the Ba Me Tuoit area.curtis
LikeLiked by 1 person