Probably a pretty close average for Army also. I was in country 7 months and joined a line unit just over 3 months in. Got my WIA just a little over 3 months Feb to May 68 chasing Tet remnants around the country. But averages can be skewed at times, had a new Platoon Sgt. join mid April and he was KIA first week of May so he lasted all of about 3 weeks. I know the Marine field retention average during Tet was horrible, but look at the meatgrinder they ended up getting fed to and the lengthy battles involved.
Down South, after the first 4-5 days of Feb 68 Tet we pretty well ended up in continuous air mobile insertions to interdict the enemy units trying to withdraw back over to Cambodia and not in a protracted urban fight like Marines at Hue.
I was there earlier and was sent out with a rifle company in December ‘66 and I was hit in May ‘67 - so we lasted a similar period of time. I missed Tet but remember all the casualties arriving at Camp Pendleton Naval hospital when Tet hit.
It was a meat grinder - it’s hard to imagine how it could have anything else. The damn enemy was really good at mines and booby traps, ambushes, night attacks and using mortars.
Proud of us, though - we did what we did for our country and we’ll always have that.
Welcome home.