(Well, other than suicide, that is...which certainly became more prevalent later on, after their return from the war; and still, unfortunately, goes on to this day.) --- It's true that my hero, Mark Twain, once said that "there are only three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." A very funny line, but statistics still do have their place. For one thing, even if they're slightly in error, they still manage to paint us a "bigger picture" of what's really going on. War statistics are no different. If you want some great current ones, by someone who loves statistics, check out my friend Ilona's blog, and in particular, this recent post. However, what I'm hoping to do here is contribute to the "bigger picture" on injury in the Vietnam war. I came across this passage earlier today, and it's remarkable in its ability to demonstrate who was killed by what, and who was injured by what, on the American side. There's going to be a different distribution from the OEF/OIF conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq -- and we already know what the signature wounds of those wars are: TBI, PTSD, and eardrum damage from the blasts. But if you want to look back and better understand what Vietnam was like for our veterans, check this out. I don't think I've ever seen a better list to give us a "picture" of what combatants went through and suffered, albeit externally: "There were three major causes of American combat deaths during the Vietnam war. Fifty-one percent were killed by small-arms fire; thirty-six percent by fragments from artillery fire; and eleven percent by booby traps and mines. The percentage killed by small arms during Vietnam fighting was a substantial increase over that of earlier U.S. wars. During both the Second World War, and the Korean War, only thirty-three percent were killed by small arms. The Vietnam percentage was much greater, because of both the fact that ambush was a major tactic of the Vietnamese Communists, and the Communists’ use of a Russian-supplied rifle, which was high-velocity, rapid-fire, light and extremely effective. American soldiers suffered wounds from four major sources: sixty-five percent from artillery fire; sixteen percent from small-arms fire; fifteen percent from booby traps and mines; and two percent from punji sticks.
Of those soldiers killed in action, thirty-nine percent were hit in the head; nineteen percent in the chest; eighteen percent in the stomach or groin area; seventeen percent in the legs; and one percent in the shoulder or arms; with sixteen percent suffering multiple location wounds. The percentage that died due to head wounds is considered high, and is attributed to the reluctance of many GIs to wear a helmet because of the heat; quite a large number wore floppy cloth hats instead.
Americans who survived their wounds were hit in the following locations: thirty-six percent in the legs, eighteen percent in the arms or shoulders, fourteen percent in the head, seven percent in the chest, and five percent in the stomach or groin; twenty percent suffered multilocation wounds.
Many who were wounded during Vietnam fighting survived because of both the helicopter and improvements in medical treatment. In Vietnam, only 2.6 of those who survived long enough to reach field hospitals died; during the Second World War, almost twice that many died on hospital tables – 4.5 percent."
-- Source: Vietnam: The Valor and the Sorrow, by Thomas D. Boettcher.
Editor's note: Hope you don't mind the sick humor of the beef diagram, above, but it comes from years of working in law firms, where personal injuries are graded according to worth of the body part harmed, and the age (and therefore future life expectancy/earning power) of the injured. Speaking of lists that need to be revised...
