Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Vietnam -- According to this, we are all dead

Sometimes what I'm about to add to this blog just cracks me up.


Since I and a lot of other fellow 4th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Officers and enlisted are still alive in 2017, the generalization of the attrition rate really doesn't make much sense.

First off, anyone serving time in Vietnam between 1968 and 1972 was most likely between 19 and 22.Which means that roughly 75% of the soldiers were in the baby boomers age bracket.

The 390 per day figure 

The rest we WWII and Korean War Veterans who needed 20 to 30 years in service before they could retire. These professionals would be pretty much dead by now. They would be 88, 89, 90, 91 and 92.
relative to the 20 year old in 1969, 1970, 1071 and 1972.

With the average lifespan of a male being 74, when the 2009 figures were compiled, the age range for them would have been 80, 81, 82, 83 and 84. In other words, they were pretty much dead between 1989 and 2009.


2,709,918
   677,454    92 per day 
2,032,364.   24 per day

So why is 390 wrong.  Well, if you take 9,087,000 and divide that by 2709819 you would get 3.36 and multiply 92 * 3.36 you get 309.

Do the same for 24 * 3.36  and you get 80.64 or 81. Add 309 to 81 and you get 390.

 





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I served in B Battery 4/77th and met many great people while there, best snake pilots there/anywhere. I'll never forget those men. one pilot was Eddie Rickenbacker, whose grandfather was a pilot in WW1 and the skill's musta been inherited because he was an exellent pilot and officer. Many other's whom i will not name (too many) and a couple years ago, Lt. Starnes, lost his life flying near his home (Kingsport, TN) and he was another "cool" customer when under fire or not, such a loss. so many are gone and it don't seem possible. seems like a month ago when we all were so young and ready and willing to sacrifice for each other...gets lonely when thinking about it....