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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