I went TDY to Ft Hood (a place in Texas, not hell) for a mixed force exercise in 1973 (yes, I am that old) and were told repeatedly to be very careful on where we chose to sleep - to avoid being run over by a tank/APC. We chose to sleep on top on my Mk-45 commo van.
Further, while we were there, a body, in a sleeping bag (and yes, it was in a rut from a tracked vehicle) was discovered. The soldier had gone missing on an earlier exercise (over a year prior) and with little investigation, he was listed as a deserter.
The war in RVN, rampart drug use and a host of other issues all contributed to the death rate.
And yes, stupidity can be fatal.
Anecdotes do not equal data, I know.
Thanks. My friend was stationed in Germany. He dropped out of college, and signed up for one of those 2 year Army enlistments (back when they were offering them) and returned with GI benefits. Though he loved Germany (and wanted to go back to Europe), he really disliked Army life and that was one of the stories he told. He was an honest guy and the story always sounded plausible to me, though I’ve never been a grunt.