The Vietnam Story

[houstonscott]

During Viet Nam most soldiers were draftees. 2yrs was the obligation. Now we have a volunteer army. You might say they are pro. soldiers. Big difference I think.

During Vietnam only 15% of military we're drafted. A common untruth pushed by media. Interestingly in WWII 85% were drafted.

 

[rhunt]

The VFW has just published a book that may be of interest to some. BRUTAL BATTLES OF VIET NAM America's deadliest days 1965-1972. This book was written by those who were there. A little pricey but facts only, no BS. I was there from Jan16th, 68 through Oct 24, 68. Was sent over short. Bob

 

[6thgpSF]

I guess I missed it houstonscott, what branch and when did you serve?...russ

 

[ustmd]

During Vietnam only 15% of military we're drafted. A common untruth pushed by media. Interestingly in WWII 85% were drafted.

After Dec 5 1942, per Executive Order 9279, you had to be drafted, you could not volunteer for the armed forces. There were concerns about preserving the workforce at home.

 

[houstonscott]

I guess I missed it houstonscott, what branch and when did you serve?...russ

I did thirty years, all active duty, 1974-2004, all USCG, and you?

 

[mjarrels]

Don't get PBS so I will have to wait for NETFIX or some one to upload to one of the steaming channels. Will be interesting to see if the amerasia kids (10's of thousands) are addressed who were left behind in Thailand and the Philippines.

mark

 

[CobyRupert]

During Vietnam only 15% of military we're drafted. A common untruth pushed by media. Interestingly in WWII 85% were drafted.

Where did these numbers come from?

 

[polo1665]

During Vietnam only 15% of military we're drafted. A common untruth pushed by media. Interestingly in WWII 85% were drafted.

Where did these numbers come from?

Here's a snippet of what I read about it: "Although only 25 percent of the military force in the combat zones were draftees, the system of conscription caused many young American men to volunteer for the armed forces in order to have more of a choice of which division in the military they would serve."

The Military Draft During the Vietnam War * Exhibit * Resistance and Revolution: The Anti-Vietnam War Movement at the University of Michigan, 1965-1972

 

[polo1665]

Here's another excerpt about the differences between the draft in WW2 vs. Vietnam.

"I don't know the actual numbers but it is a fact that more people were drafted in to WW2 than volunteered. The opposite was true for Vietnam where despite all the stories of poor draftees getting the shaft more people volunteered for duty there than were drafted.

The explanation is that after the first patriotic rush to join up after Pearl Harbor most young men realized they would end up in the service soon enough whether they volunteered or not so they waited and made a little money in wartime industry until they got their notice. During the Vietnam war there were all kinds of incentives offered by the Army to those who volunteered, i.e. choice of assignment after a tour in SVN or choice of Military Occupation Specialty if you volunteered. These incentives made duty in Vietnam a little more palatable for those who thought it through before they got their draft notice."

Percentage Of America Volunteers/draftee S? | War History Fans

Reading on down the page:

"Sometime in 1942(?), those who were draft age could no longer enlist, but had to be drafted. There were several reasons:"

1. To spread the quailty of recruits over all of the armed forces. (Seems the AirForce, Navy and Marines were getting most of the 'higher' quaility men)

2. To try to prevent manpower shortages in war industries and farming. One of the 'lessons' of WWI was that you could not allow patriotism to strip your factories and farms of their best men.

3. To control the number of men coming into the services at any one time. That way training resources aren't wasted on too few men or strained trying to train too many.

 

[Rock knocker]

Don't get PBS so I will have to wait for NETFIX or some one to upload to one of the steaming channels.

PBS and Netflix are really weird. Their participation together seems really cyclical. You can stream "Vietnam" right now from PBS

PBS: Public Broadcasting Service