United States Infantry: Vietnam

The Vietnam War, contrary to popular belief, was in essence an Infantryman's War. When all the panoply of twentieth century firepower and technologically-dependent supporting arms were spent, it was left to the Infantryman, the "Grunt", to close with the enemy. It has been estimated that of the 30,591 Army troops killed in combat, in itself 66 per cent of the total Vietnam casualties, the majority were Infantrymen. It is a currently held misconception that the war in Vietnam was, due to technological developments, largely a mechanised and even a computerised affair. While it is true that advancements in weapons systems continued apace during this period, the day to day life of the Infantryman remained a hellish one.