As we are about to get a dose of former hippies telling us what a wonderful, epoch-making event it was to have half a million unwashed stoners listening to rock and roll, the VFW magazine (article not yet available), notes that there is another group of 500,000+ Americans we should remember: those who were fighting in Vietnam during that four day mud-fest.
109 American servicemen died while draft dodgers got laid and listened to music over a bad sound system. Quoting from the article:
They mirrored the population of the time. A full 92% were white (seven of whom had Spanish surnames) and 8% black. Some 67% were Protestants; 28% Catholic. A disproportionate number – more than one third – hailed from the South. Over two-thirds were single; nearly one-third married. Now surprisingly, the vast majority (92%) were under the age of 30, with 78% between the ages of 18 and 22.
Overwhelmingly (87%), they were in the Army. Marines and airmen accounted for 8% and 4% of the deaths respectively, with sailors sustaining 1%. Again, not unexpectedly, two-thirds were infantrymen. That same proportion was lower ranking enlisted men. Enemy action claimed 84% of their lives; non-hostile causes, 16%. The preponderance (56%) had volunteered while 43% has been drafted. One was in the National Guard.
Whom do you think I’ll spend my time remembering?
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