Question: How many in National Guard Served/Died in Vietnam? (Vanity)

[Mr Ducklips]

Since John Effen Kerry equates Vietnam National Guard service to draft-dodging: Can knowledgable Freepers come up with the total number of Guardsmen who served, and those who died for their country, in Vietnam?

[DefCon]

We had a draft back then, remember?

[xrp]

Vietnam War statistics

[BushCountry]

[FReepaholic]

According to the site listed below, National Guard casualties were 97.

National Archives and Records Administration

[JimVT]

No need to go back that far....many of the troops in Iraq now are Guardsmen.

Vermont just sent another contingent.

[FReepaholic]

CACCF Record Counts by Service Component (as of 12/98)

Service Component	Number of Records
Military Reserves	5,760
National Guard	97
Regular Military	34,475
Selective Service	17,672
Unknown, Not Reported	189
Total	58,193

Record counts provided for informational purposes only, not official statistics

[Bluntpoint]

Bush, like 99.9% of his peers, did his best to stay out of Vietnam.

It had nothing to do with bravery or cowardice. Only the most isolated at the time could not see that this country was sending its young men to possibly die for a war the leaders of that same country were undermining and could not possibly win under the circumstances.

Bush was smart enough to see it.

[randita]

If John F. Kerry and others in his party insist on pressing the point that serving in the Guard is not really serving, they do so at their own peril.

I'd love to see Kerry make this insinuation in a debate and have Bush come back at him with a long list of Guard members who have risked their lives and died in service to this country. Perhaps Bush could show pictures of these men/women with their families.

At campaign stops, he could surround himself with Guard members and families--even have some of them recount their experiences in combat or surviving family members could tell their accounts of a Mom, Dad, sister or brother who proudly served and died.

It won't be long before John F. Kerry will discover that in his quest to insult Bush, he will have insulted millions of hard-working, selfless, patriotic citizens and their families.

Democrats have done much to alienate military people in the past 40 years. If they want to continue down that road, Republicans should lay out the red carpet for them.

[John H K]

Actually the key thing to be aware of in Vietnam is that only a tiny percentage of our troops were actually out in the field fighting. Most were in rear areas in support roles.

While the VC might attack anywhere in Vietnam, the majority of the troops in Vietnam (like, say, Al Gore) were safer than a National Guard F-102 pilot like Bush.

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

This is a non-issue which does not matter. I despise Kerry for his post-service VVAW activities as to all the other VN vets I know (lots). I will do anything to stop this scum from getting elected, and support Bush as a great leader we need in today's troubled times.

[Bluntpoint]

Dean could make the argument that it was more dangerous to be on the slopes of Aspen, than for the average grunt or supply officer in Vietnam.

I'm sure that would of gone down great for those drafted kids stuck in Nam for a year or more.

[Born Conservative]

Well said...

[Republican Red]

Anyone just hear President Bush's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast?

He just singled out a soldier for his charitable work done while on leave from Iraq. He set up the praise by telling everyone this soldier was from the NATIONAL GUARD. The President mentioned National Guard about three times in his praise of this good man.

[Bluntpoint]

Bush's gaurd duty is a non-issue to most americans.

Not because they believe he rationalized that he could do his country a better service by staying stateside while others were drafted and forced to fight, but because he knew it was bad deal.

We all knew it was a bad deal.

My brother got in the guard at that time. He went to every meeting and drill. Why? Because in his unit, those who did not attend were threatened with immediate transfer to the regular army and a trip to Vietnam.

Face it, the Democrats are not really pushing the deserter/coward side of Bush's guard duty, they are trying to tap into privilege.

Such argument is hypocritical for sure. But I do think that is what they are trying to drive home.

[joesnuffy]

The VFW did a study not too long ago which concluded that the majority of Americans who were wounded (WIA) and killed (KIA)

Were Volunteers...they joined- willingly and volunteered for duty in Vietnam
They were from middle class homes with an average of 2 yrs of college...The state that provided the most per capita was California

During the 60s as Vietnam was heating up and the body bags started coming home...
It was pretty well established that if one could get into a guard unit (slots were at a premium) that you had a real good chance at avoiding being activated and sent into combat...

This didnt always work...as guard units got activated and sent to Vietnam...

Admittedly a lot of us looked down on Nat Guard troops...(out of jealousy). In Vietnam on Armed Forces Radio network they even had a comedy sketch called Chicken Man...Wonderfull White Winged Weekend Warrior...started out every morning bout 7 am...with a Bawk Bawk BaaaaawwwK "CHICKEN MAN"....We loved it..got most of the RTOs in our unit to turn up little transitor radios and key the mics on the battalion radio so the TOC would get blasted from twenty field radios with that scaaaawwwwwK....Great fun and it drove the lifer's nuts....

The last unit I was in before returning home 6/31st Inf had quite a few Hawaiian National Guard soldiers assigned to it...they were very good troops...very much at home in the jungle (half the battle right there)

These guys were pretty special imo...as they didnt get a years duty and sent home...they were there for as long as their unit stayed activated ...and didnt have the benefit of knowning or looking forward to the fact that if they made it for 12 months they were going home...

It that sense they had it rougher than all of us..

The National Guard today....is the heart and soul of the battlefield....a whole different ballgame than 65-75

[Pest]

Was Kerry drafted or did he volunteer?

The case could be made that GW was braver because he volunteered for service, while Kerry went because of the draft.

[Mr Ducklips]

We had a draft back then, remember?

I remember it really, really well. I just can't figure out your point.

[Mr Ducklips]

Was Kerry drafted or did he volunteer?

I believe he enlisted rather than being drafted.

[Mr Ducklips]

Thanks for a terrific post.