I mention this because it sheds light on the demographic information
presented in the previous post(s). Since the Corps was made up almost
entirely of volunteers, not draftees, the distribution of draftee
casualties by branch of service, though numerically correct, is skewed.
Are you sure about the witdrawal of USMC troops from the Nam starting
in 1969? I went overseas in March of 1970 and met my freshly withdrawn
from RVN unit, VMA(AW)-533, in Iwakuni, Japan in the first week of
March. They were, along with the 1st MAW (Rear) people, among the first
to be withdrawn. They had been in Japan for no more than a few weeks,
still waiting for gear to catch up from the move up from down south.
Everybody that I knew hated being in Japan and wanted to be back down
south. Our admin. was processing AA forms out the wazoo but HQMC
wouldn't hear any of it. We were backing out gracefully and that was the
way it was going to be. Then in January, 1971, there was this mad
scramble to get all available warm bodies back down to I Corps. They had
withdrawn too many troops from in country. Now, in order to trans-pac
back stateside there was this rush to acquire bodies to get units back
up to TO strength.
-- ********************************************************************* Henry C. Beigh (503) 684-5151 x554 ImageBuilder Software 6650 Redwood Lane, #200 henryb@imagebuilder.com Portland, OR 97224 modok@teleport.com