Combat Casualties among U.S. Navy Personnel in Vietnam. 1965-1972.
Abstract
This paper provides a descriptive account of combat casualties among Navy enlisted personnel in Vietnam between 1965 and 1972. The Enlisted Medical History File was searched for all hospital admissions which were identified as a battle-related wound or injury. The records of 2,636 sailors who were wounded or injured in Vietnam were identified. These individuals accounted for 7,419 battle-related first hospitalizations with one ore more diagnoses of accidents, poisonings, and violence. Most of the wounded sailors were young (under the age of 25), and almost one half were medical corpsmen. Rockets and bombs, mortars and bazookas, shell fragments, mines and booby traps, and bullets accounted for over 80% of the wounds and injuries. Most casualties were treated at a Naval hospital, hospital ship, or the Naval Support Activity at Da Nang. More than half of these admissions were direct from the battlefield while the remainder were transfers from other medical facilities. The mortality rate of wounded patients was much lower than has been reported for Army and Marine Corps casualties in Vietnam or casualties in previous conflicts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 08, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA189904
Entities
People
- Lawrence A Palinkas
- Patricia Coben
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center