17-024 Garand Picture of the Day - Army Day Parade 1942

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Army Day Parade, NYC

Date taken:April 1942

Photographer:William C Shrout

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West Point Cadets, 1942. You can't help wondering how many of them weren't among the living five years later.

I was thinking the same thing. That was only a few months into the US entry into the war, and a lot of tough fighting ahead. Probably a good proportion of them unfortunately.

Ed

Well true, but I want to examine the stampings on their rifles.

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Originally Posted by Paul S.

West Point Cadets, 1942. You can't help wondering how many of them weren't among the living five years later.

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this might give you some idea

Of the 58,000 Americans killed in action during a decade and a half in Vietnam, 273 were military academy graduates - less than half a percent. The four-year Korean War saw similar ratios for graduates.

Three West Point classes had battle death rates of more than 10 percent during World War II.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Rochester

this might give you some idea

Of the 58,000 Americans killed in action during a decade and a half in Vietnam, 273 were military academy graduates - less than half a percent. . .

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That statistic doesn't take the O.R. to officer ratio nor the academy graduate officer to other entry officer ratio into account. Mind you, I remember reading that the average age for all ranks within US Forces serving in Vietnam was 20 years and 6 months.