MOST IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT VIETNAM VETERANS
The Vietnam Era was arguably one of the most turbulent times in American history. One characterized by the war abroad sandwiched with mass civil conflicts back home in the United States. Due to this uproar, Vietnam veterans all returned home to a homecoming the world is yet to experience again. Unfortunately, this means that the “welcome home” wasn’t what a welcome is supposed to be due to the hostility and lives lost during the Vietnam war.
A war fought by over nine million American soldiers was recorded via a 2020 census to be the largest cohort of veterans in America. Today, over 6 million living vets of the Vietnam War are waxing strong at a median age of 71. About their honor, braver and sacrifices, and service to our beloved nation, March 29 was set aside as the National Vietnam Veterans Day. Here are some key facts to know about the Vietnam generation.
- Most Vietnam War Veterans Were Volunteers
Proof that most Vietnam war veterans were volunteers is evident from the media and pop culture. Men were sent to battle without the required battle skills and against their will. Whereas the reality of it all is that all Vietnam veterans who went to war did so voluntarily. With over 8 million troops who went to battle in Vietnam between 1964 to 1973,
- Over three million were deployed to Southeast Asia,
- And over 2.5 million served and fought in the South of Vietnam
It should be worth noting that, of all those on active duty during the war in Vietnam, only 2.2 million were drafted. This was because only 25% of the total troops in combat zones went through a detailed recruitment phase.
- This War Was the First Main Conflict Fought by a Fully Cohesive Army
President Harry Truman signed an executive order to integrate America’s armed forces in 1948. Although the Korean War lasted for over three years between 1950 and 1953, the United States military was still feeling and experiencing aggravated pain with the newly introduced policy.
Once the United States Government began snowballing its involvement in South Vietnam, different units of the American military were fully integrated, with an estimated 340,000 African Americans, 80,000 Latinos, 42,000 Native Americans, and 35,000 Asian Americans serving in Vietnam.
- Service Members Are Yet to be Welcomed Home After The War
Not all Vietnam veterans made it back home, like in most wars and conflicts. 2,646 Americans were unaccounted for in all theaters of operations at the end of the Vietnam War. Since the end of the Vietnam war, sandwiched with the repatriation of American war prisoners in 1973, it is shocking that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovered and identified 1,062. While this figure calls for celebration, there is still some heartbreak in the 1,584 United States service members who are yet to return home.
- Veterans of the Vietnam War Are Like Most American
An estimated 30% of Vietnam veterans had post-traumatic stress disorder during their lifetime, according to the 1988 National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. In addition, 97% of Vietnam vets are yet to have been honorably discharged. However, about 40.8% of Vietnam War veterans in 1987 were unemployed, with a 6.2% rate experienced by the rest of the United States.
As most Vietnam vets entered their retirement ages in 2018, the Congressional Budget Office looked at their long-term prosperity. They had similar median incomes as nonveterans of the same period. The only disparity was that nonveterans invested more while veterans took in income from VA disability compensation.