Does that statistic apply to ALL who served? I know a lot of guys volunteered so they could get easier, or safer, duty as did I. Most people preferred four years in the Air Force or Navy (Six, if you wanted a tech school) to two in the infantry, one of which would almost certainly be spent as a grunt in Viet Nam.

I was able to get a maximum 2-year hitch in the Naval Reserve, a program which closed just weeks after I signed up in 1966. If I hadn't been able to get into the Reserves, I probably would have volunteered for the draft, like Harold did. You would almost certainly wind up in a rifle company, but in those days getting out quickly seemed more important than a guarantee of getting out alive. I know better, now.

As it turned out, I spent 13 months in the Fleet, and two years in Reserve drills stateside. Other than one night we spent anchored in Da Nang harbor, all my time there was spent just out of sight of land. I can't help it if I'm lucky.

I'd be curious to know how many volunteered for the infantry. In those days, the Marines were drafting, and even Navy and Air Force personell might find themself assigned to a support activity in-country. You might not have to carry a rifle, but you could get shelled while in your own base.

My friend Harold volunteered for the draft, which meant he would have to accept whatever duty he was given, but it would be for a maximum of two years. But after he served his first 13 month tour in-country, he volunteered for another. He was one of those who discovered he enjoyed combat.

World War II was different. You couldn't get out of it by going to college or getting pregnant, or shipping over for a behind-the-lines MOS, everybody knew the Navy was going to see lots of action, and there was no Air Force. And of course, everybody knew they were going to be in it for the Duration.