| ▲ | Drupon 18 hours ago |
| People greatly overestimate the number of Vietnam vets who were drafted. |
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| ▲ | dualvariable 18 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| It isn't the number that were drafted that matters. It is the number who were enrolled who might have been drafted that matters. |
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| ▲ | JuniperMesos 17 hours ago | parent [-] | | A relative of mine who was of draft age during the Vietnam war, deliberately enlisted in the US army because he thought that this would reduce his chances of being sent to fight in Vietnam And it worked, he spent his time overseas in the military in Japan in a non-combat role. I'm sure many males of draft age made similar choices. |
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| ▲ | nsvd2 18 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| For maybe people, even one would be too many. |
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| ▲ | MengerSponge 18 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| For others' sake, I double-checked: 2.59 million served, of which 648,500 were draftees. Right at 25% Is there a study of soldiers who enlisted but only because their draft number was low? There were substantial benefits to enlisting, because you could choose your branch of service. |
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| ▲ | 0cf8612b2e1e 17 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Should break that down by people who had enlisted before hostilities began. Material difference enlisting during peace time vs when there is an active theater of war. | |
| ▲ | bragr 17 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | It would be more interesting to see those numbers broken down by frontline service. What percentage of the guys actually dying in the jungle were drafted? | | |
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