Today
(on Vietnam Veterans Day) we remember the American Men and Women who served in
and around South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.
The
Federal Government officially states that a Vietnam Veteran is a person who
served in Southeast Asia from February 1961 until May 1975 (although the US
only had Combat Troops in South Vietnam from the Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution of
August 1964 until the Paris Peace Accords of April 1973.)
2,709,000
American Soldiers served in and around Vietnam during the Vietnam War (out of
the total 9,087,000 American Soldiers worldwide at the same time.)
58,000
Americans died and 300,000 Americans were wounded while serving in and around
Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
It
is estimated that of the 2,709,000 Soldiers there are 510,000 Vietnam Veterans
alive today. They range from 67 years old (those who were 18 in 1975) to those
in their 90s and 100s (many of them serving in either World War 2, Korea and
Vietnam or Korea and Vietnam.) The average age of a Vietnam Veteran is 68 years
old.
Many
Vietnam Veterans were treated poorly by their fellow Americans during and
immediately after the War (despite the fact that Politicians - Congress and the
President create, run and end wars.)
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