I'm looking for a defensible, statistical image on the Vietnam War.
The question comes from a heated debate I had recently with some
friends regarding the conflict. They painted the typical Oliver
Stone/Full Metal Jacket image of a war waged by drug crazed draftees
for an unappreciative country. I beg to differ, but can't provde it.

So.....

What were the demographics on the average American GI (ie race,
economic status, age, draftees vs volunteers, etc). NOTE: While your
at it, the same statistics for the alternative periods listed below
would be useful here as well.

What were the rates of fragicide (proper term for the killing of an
officer, I think?) and suicide (both during the Vietnam war, and
during WW2, during the Gulf War, and during peacetime).

What were the drug usage rates among GIs (again, during both the
Vietnam War and the alternative periods listed above)?

What are the estimated rates of non combat casualties caused by the
American forces during the conflict (refering to unintentional kills,
only). And what were the documented, proven cases of intentional
homicides, rapes, thefts, etc. committed by American troops (ie, war
crimes).

According to survey (reliable, established sources, please), what were
the primary sign-up motivations for volunteers during the Vietnam War
period? If possible, information gleaned before the men saw combat
would be prefered. And for when the troops returned from a tour of
active combat duty (again, only for those who saw combat, please),
what qwere the attitudes in regards to the war at large and American
involvement specifically?

Finally, what were the results of domestic opinion polls on the
subject before the war, before the Tet offensive, after the Tet
offensive, and after the war.

Thankyou in advance. Sorry for the length of the question, but if the
answers are what Im expecting, it should give me all the ammunition
necesarry to win over a few doubters. Also, feel free to add any
additional information (specifically comparison info for the above)
where you think it may be helpful to lay out my case.

Here are a few statistics about the Vietnam War:

http://www.eiis.net/cmart/vietwarstats.html

The term for murdering a superior officer, usually by fragmentation
grenade, was simply fragging.

hlabadie-ga

Hi glennjr,

Thanks so much for directing this question to me, but I am tied up for
the next few days with prior commitments.

I'm sure that one of my colleagues will be able to help you.

Regards,

Beth