Vietnam: Facts, Figures, Data and Tidbits

This thread is about all things Vietnam War from the Gulf of Tonkin Incident 2 August 1964, until the fall of Saigon in 1975.

The major resources for the thread are:

"The Vietnam War: An Illustrated History of the conflict in Southeast Asia" by Salamander Books primarily pages 12 - 16

"NAM: The Vietnam Experience 1965-1975" by Tim Page and John Pimlott Select sections throughout the book.

"Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War" by Harry S. Summers, Jr. Select sections throughout the book.

Select books and sections from the Vietnam Studies Series published by the Department of the Army.

"Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War" by James A. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi


I hope this thread has interesting and unusual information, as well as that chart or set of data you've been looking for. For the most part this thread will not have OOB or TO&E information in it. That's to be put where it's more easily located and concentrated.

Enjoy.

Good Hunting.

MR

American Military Personnel Who Died in Vietnam

Grades E-1 through E-9
Deaths - 50.274
Percent - 86.46%
Average Age - 22.37

Grades W-1 through W-4
Deaths - 1,276
Percent - 2.19%
Average Age - 24.73

Grades O-1 through O-8
Deaths - 6,598
Percent - 11.35%
Average Age - 28.43


8 nurses died-1 was killed in action.


The youngest known US service man to die in the Vietnam War as a US Marine that was believed to be 13. Since he lied about his age to get into the USMC his exact age has never officially been given.

One man killed in Vietnam was only 16 years old (RABER, PAUL J.)

The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE)

11,465 KIAs were less than 20 years old.

One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled.

MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded who survived the first 24 hours died.



E ranks are for Enlisted personnel.

W ranks are for Warrant Officer personnel.

O ranks are for Officer personnel.

The different services use different nomenclatures for the positions. Lower numbers are the most junior on the rank scale, while higher numbers are the most senior.



Good Hunting.

MR

“Chu Lai” was not an actual “place” – not found on any map, not even a Vietnamese name - but rather an unnamed “flat spot to build a runway on”. Unnamed, that is, until Marine LtGen. Victor Krulak, FMFPac Commander, while flying over the area on a recon to find a suitable place to build an airfield and supporting cantonment, named it. “Chu Lai” which are the Mandarin Chinese characters for “Victor Krulak”.

http://mcvthf.org/VPAStarlite.htm

Good Hunting.

MR

While the Vietnam War gained all the headlines there were in-fact several other Communist Insurgencies around the world from the end of WWII until the mid-60's.

Communist Insurgencies 1944 through 1966

Greek Civil War 1944-1949
Spanish Republic Insurgency 1944-1952
Chinese Civil War 1945-1949
First Indochina War 1945-1954
Iranian Communist Uprising 1945-1946
Philippine Huk War 1946-1954
Madagascan National Revolt 1947-1949
Korean Partisan War 1948-1953
Malayan Emergency 1948-1960
Kenyan Mau-Mau Rebellion 1952-1955
Cuban Revolution 1956-1958
Sarawak/Sabah "Confrontation" 1960-1966

This table lists only those insurgencies that are either communist or apparently communist inspired.

Government Winners
Communist Winners

Good Hunting.

MR

Engagements During the Vietnam War: US Forces in response to battlefield situations.

Ambush by Enemy Forces 23.3%
Ambush by US Forces 8.7%

Attack by Enemy Positions 17.9%
  Deliberate Attack (5.4%)  
  Spontaneous Attack (12.5%)

Defense of Position 30.4%
Hot Landing Zone 12.5%
Meeting Engagement 7.1%

Color Code:
US Forces on the Defensive
US Forces on the Offensive
US Forces on the Offensive/Defensive

Of the engagements that involved US troops 66.2% of the time they were on a defensive footing. 14.1% of the time they were on an offensive footing and 7.1% of the time they were involved in a Meeting Engagement. What that comes down to in simple terms is that 2/3 of the time the VC/NVA were initiating the combat.


Good Hunting.

MR

The Battle of Lima Site 85

The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was a battle of the Vietnam War that resulted in the largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members in that war. The site was located atop Phou Pha Thi; a mountain in Viengxay District, Houaphanh Province, Laos, 15 miles (24 km) from the border of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam) and 30 miles (48 km) from Sam Neua, capital of the Pathet Lao.

The term "Lima Site" was derived from the American acronym for map designations of "Landing Sites" within the Secret War zone of the Second Indochina War, an active though covert battleground in the larger Cold War. Because Laos was considered a neutral country by the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos signed in Geneva, Switzerland on 23 July 1962 by 14 nations (including the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, North and South Vietnam and the United States,) existence of these sites was not officially acknowledged until 1986. At the time of the battle, radar technicians whose parent unit was the 1st Combat Evaluation Group (1CEVG) manned LS-85. Like Raven Forward Air Controllerss, they had been temporarily discharged from the military in a process called "sheep-dipping," The technicians had no training in close quarters combat as there were plans in place to evacuate them before it came to that, but they remained on the mountain one day too long.

On 12 January 1968, four Vietnam People's Air Force Antonov An-2 (NATO reporting name "Colt") biplanes lifted off on a mission to destroy the base. The Antonovs reached LS 85 and two Antonovs began dropping 120-mm mortar rounds on the site and making strafing runs.

An Air America Bell 205 helicopter, carrying ammunition to the site, lifted off to avoid destruction. Captain Ted Moore said that the attack “Looked like World War I,” and gave chase to a Antonov as it turned back to the Vietnamese border. Moore positioned his helicopter above the biplane, as Crew Chief Glenn Woods fired an AK-47 rifle down on it. The pursuit continued for more than 20 minutes until the second AN-2 flew underneath the helicopter. Moore and Woods watched as the first AN-2 dropped and crashed into a ridge just west of the North Vietnamese border. The second Antonov hit the side of a mountain 5 km farther north. The other Antonovs escaped, inactive observers throughout. Within hours a CIA Special Activities Division team reached the crashed aircraft and found bullet holes in the downed planes.


Ted Moore and Glenn Woods gained the distinction of having shot down a fixed-wing aircraft from a helicopter, a singular aerial victory in the Vietnam War.


On 27 July 2007, the CIA officially dedicated a painting entitled "An Air Combat First" in an event attended by members of the Air America Board; pilot Ted Moore; Sawang Reed, the wife of flight mechanic Glenn Woods; CIA paramilitary legend Bill Lair; and the donors of the painting, former Air America officers Marius Burke and Boyd D. Mesecher.

The Vietnam People's Air Force Museum, Hanoi has on display an Antonov used in the attack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lima_Site_85

Good Hunting.

MR

Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:

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.

http://www.uswings.com/vietnamfacts.asp

Good Hunting.

MR

The Medal Count

Medals Awarded During the Vietnam War

Purple Heart - more than 300,000

Bronze Star for Service 26,215

Bronze Star for Achievement 2,159

Bronze Star for Valor 6,215

The Army awarded 1.3 million “meritorious” Bronze Stars and Army Commendation Medals in Vietnam, this was hardly unique. After World War II, Army Regulation 600-45 authorized every soldier who had received either a Combat Infantryman’s Badge or a Combat Medical Badge to also be awarded a meritorious Bronze Star. The Army has no data regarding how many soldiers received Bronze Stars through this blanket procedure.


Compare the top three actual gallantry awards, the Army awarded:

289 Medals of Honor in World War II and 155 in Vietnam
4,434 Distinguished Service Crosses in World War II and 846 in  Vietnam
73,651 Silver Stars in World War II against 21,630 in Vietnam

The Marine Corps, which lost 103,000 killed or wounded out of some 400,000 sent to Vietnam, awarded:

47 Medals of Honor (34  posthumously)
362 Navy Crosses (139 posthumously)
2,592 Silver Stars

http://www.jameswebb.com/articles/americanlegion-whywefought.html

Good Hunting.

MR

VIET CONG ASSASSINATIONS AND KIDNAPPINGS:

To 1960:
Assassinations - 1,700+
Kidnappings - 2,000+

1961:
Assassinations - 1,300+
Kidnappings - 1,318

1962:
Assassinations - 1,118
Kidnappings - 1,118

1963:
Assassinations - 827
Kidnappings - 1,569

1964:
Assassinations - 516
Kidnappings - 1,525

1965:
Assassinations - 305
Kidnappings - 1,730

1966:
Assassinations -1,732
Kidnappings - 3,810

1967:
Assassinations - 3,707
Kidnappings - 5,357

1968:
Assassinations - 5,399
Kidnappings - 8,759

1969:
Assassinations - 6,207
Kidnappings - 6,289

1970:
Assassinations - 5,951
Kidnappings - 6,892

1971:
Assassinations - 3,573
Kidnappings - 5,006

1972:
Assassinations - 4,405
Kidnappings - 13,119

Totals for 1960 through 1972:
Assassinations - 36,725
Kidnappings - 58,499

Good Hunting.

MR

In December 1966 the 3rd Brigade Task Force, 25th Infantry Division, completed Operation "Paul Revere" through phase IV, setting the U.S. Army record for the longest sustained combat operation. The operation, begun May 10th by the 3D Brigade Task Force, 25th Inf Div, reached the 230-day mark on 26 Dec. The previous record was 165 days, set by the 25th Infantry Division in WWII during the Philippine Campaign.

Setting such a record required nearly 32 weeks of field conditions and constant exposure to combat -- something never done for this long a time before.



Primary Source:

http://1-14th.com/OpPaulRevere.html


Good Hunting.

MR