MovieChat Forums > Hamburger Hill (1987) Discussion > Vietnam War: Fact vs Fiction

Vietnam War: Fact vs Fiction

posted 14 years ago by FourthIVY
15 replies | jump to latest

Having viewed a couple of posts on other boards with fictional "facts" about the war, I did some research and found some interesting rebukes of these myths. In this post, I will address four of my choosing. Some of you will already know these.

The majority of the soldiers who served in Vietnam were drafted.

75% of the soldiers who served in Vietnam volunteered to go. Approx. 38% of those killed were draftees.

Black soldiers served in disproportionate numbers during the war.

Approx. 10.5% of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam were black. The black pop. of the US at the time was 12.5%. Blacks volunteered at approx. the same rate as whites.

The US military used uneducated, poor grunts as cannon fodder.

79% of US servicemen had a high school education or better. Infantry officers, who suffered high casualty rates, and pilots were college educated. Some did slipped through the cracks unfortunately (Calley).

The average age of the US soldier was 19.

Based on KIA statistics, the average age of the US soldier in Vietnam was 22.

[–] druss44121-1 14 years ago

Where did you get this information?

[–] blackjackxxx 12 years ago

It's fact.

Push the button, Max

[–] FourthIVY 14 years ago

Stolen Valor by B.G. Burkett
http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html

[–] wulfthar 13 years ago

Aahhahaha! Westmoreland & McCaffrey...to be honest Mickey Mouse and Howard the Duck would be more accountable.

Juliet Parrish: You can't win a war if you're extinct!

[–] tay-15 14 years ago

Some of the "data" comes from generals who made speeches and simply pulled the numbers out of thin air.

As far as all the material coming from Burkett, he's a notorious crackpot hated by vets for belittling all their concerns and making up fake statistics. Plus he lied on national TV about John Kerry. He has zero credibility.

If you want to throw "facts" around, then you have to back them up with real, published research.

Stuck in purgatory.

[–] nickm2 14 years ago

Citation please; cite Burkett's 'lies' & the Vets' hatred of him...

NM

[–] FourthIVY 14 years ago

Just type in "Vietnam War Myths" in google. Many of these are veterans websites, and much of it is taken from KIA statistics and surveys of returning veterans.

[–] tedrutkowski 13 years ago

in the 1990's the VA admin.published a report that said basicly the same thing.it also said that more marines were wounded in vietnam than in WW2.and in WW2 20% of the injuries were from small arms fire.80% from support.in vietnam those figures were reversed.

[–] rwsmith29456 13 years ago

I would say simple that more white people could afford college deferments. This doesn't mean that many bright, well-off young white people didn't die in Vietnam.

[–] kb01 12 years ago

75% of the soldiers who served in Vietnam volunteered to go. Approx. 38% of those killed were draftees.

I don't really know anything about the numbers, I'm just assuming they're true.

My gut reaction is that the disparity implies volunteers were more likely to volunteer for non-combat MOSs, which resulted in their lower death rates.

[–] defensorvindexbrat 11 years ago

I dunno about Vietnam but I remember reading that in the 21st century combat arms units are disproportionately white and middle class.

Wouldn't be all that surprised if it was similar in the 60's.

[–] nickm2 11 years ago

Early on, the 'first in' units (Marines, Paratroops, Airmobile) had a certain 'macho-cachet' that attracted young black & latino men for the discipline & to prove themselves. They had a disproportionate number of minorities in them; once draftee units began to be used the number of men in combat units began to reflect the society. Nowadays, with our high tech/high maintenance armed forces a fellow can pick up a lot of career skills by going into the Navy or the Airforce or even the Army's motor pool. Now it seems 'bored young white men, looking for adventure' are going into 'the sharp end' in disproportionate numbers.

[–] defensorvindexbrat 11 years ago

Fair enough. Thats pretty interesting btw.

[–] sized-2 11 years ago

Well, if we we talking facts and fiction, Hamburger Hill is a much more factual story line than Apocalypse Now. I worked with a West Point grad, Ranger Lt. In Vietnam, decorated and wounded. He said the the hated Apocalypse Now because the idea of a rogue col. doing what Brando did was so far fetched he hated the movie.

[–] cara-stone 10 years ago

KIA means killed in action, so the average age of U.S. soldiers KILLED in Vietnam may have been 22