An email from the Reserve Officers Association making the rounds of Vietnam veterans has some interesting figures drawn from official statistics and census data for 1995 and 2000:
"9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. Of them 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation…
"1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August 1995 (census figures). During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country was: 9,492,958.
"As of the current Census taken during August 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe—losing nearly 711,000 between ’95 and ’00. That’s 390 per day. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not."
This reminds me of a young man I am encouraging to join the Army reserves on the strength of the statement that "this is your generation’s war." He is resisting, insisting that his generation did not start the war. Of course my generation didn’t start the Vietnam exercise, either, but some historians will forever think of it (and write of it) as our generation’s war.
No wonder there are wannabees.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 