Click here is see a sample of how the Marines reported their casualties as a measurement statistically of how the war was going. This PDF if from the year 1968. U. S. Marines in Vietnam Casualties Year 1968
US Marines Killed In Action in Vietnam = 14,836
Casualties – US vs NVA/VC
Note: NVA casualty data was provided by North Vietnam in a press release to Agence France Presse (AFP) on April 3, 1995, on the 20th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The entire press release is reproduced below.
US casualty information was derived from the Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, and The Adjutant General’s Center (TAGCEN) file of 1981, available from the National Archives. Additional information was derived from the sources listed at the end of this document.
| Entire War | ||||
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 47,378 1 | 304,704 2 | 2,338 3 | 766 4 |
| ARVN | 223,748 | 1,169,763 | NA | NA |
| South Korea | 4,407 | 17,060 | NA | NA |
| Australia | 469 | 2,940 | NA | NA |
| Thailand | 351 | 1,358 | NA | NA |
| New Zealand | 55 | 212 | NA | NA |
| NVA/VC | 1,100,000 | 600,000 | NA | 26,000 5 |
Note 1: there were an additional 10,824 non-hostile deaths for a total of 58,202 Note 2: of the 304,704 WIA, 153,329 required hospitalization Note 3: this number decreases as remains are recovered and identified Note 4: 114 died in captivity Note 5: Does not include 101,511 Hoi Chanh
Legend: KIA = Killed In Action
WIA = Wounded In Action
MIA = Missing In Action
CIA = Captured In Action
| 1968 Tet Offensive | ||||
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 1,536 | 7,764 | 11 | unknown |
| ARVN | 2,788 | 8,299 | 587 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 45,000 | unknown | unknown | 6,991 |
Casualties By Year
1961-1965
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 1,864 | 7,337 | 18 | unknown |
| ARVN | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| NVA/VC | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
1966
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 5,008 1 | 29,992 | 61 | unknown |
| ARVN | 11,953 | 71,584 | unknown | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 71,473 | unknown | unknown | 3,247 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,045 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,053
1967
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 9,378 1 | 56,013 | 113 | unknown |
| ARVN | 12,716 | 76,299 | 529 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 133,484 | unknown | unknown | 6,065 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,680 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,058
1968
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 14,594 1 | 87,388 | 176 | unknown |
| ARVN | 28,800 | 172,512 | 587 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 208,254 | unknown | unknown | 9,462 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,919 non-hostile deaths for a total of 16,511
1969
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 9,414 1 | 55,390 | 112 | unknown |
| ARVN | 22,000 | 131,780 | 683 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 132,051 | unknown | unknown | 5,905 |
Note 1: there were an additional 2,113 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,527
1970
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 4,221 1 | 24,835 | 101 | unknown |
| ARVN | 23,000 | 137,770 | 727 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 86,591 | unknown | unknown | 3,934 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,844 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,065
1971
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 1,380 1 | 18,109 | 16 | unknown |
| ARVN | 19,901 | 123,545 | 727 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 19,320 | unknown | unknown | 2,304 |
Note 1: there were an additional 968 non-hostile deaths for a total of 2,348
1972
| Military Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
| US Forces | 300 1 | 3,936 | 11 | unknown |
| ARVN | 25,787 | 139,731 | 727 | unknown |
| NVA/VC | 4,261 | unknown | unknown | 1,349 |
Legend: KIA = Killed In Action WIA = Wounded In Action MIA = Missing In Action CIA = Captured In Action
Note 1: there were an additional 261 non-hostile deaths for a total of 561
Sources:
A Bright Shining Lie, Sheehan, Neil, New York: Random House, 1988
After Tet, Ronald H. Spector, New York: Random House, 1993
Code Name Bright Light, Veith, George J., New York: The Free Press, 1998
Inside The VC And The NVA, Lanning, Michael, New York: Random House, 1992
The Rise And Fall Of An American Army, Stanton, Shelby L., Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1985
The Vietnam War, Nalty, Bernard C., New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1996
Vietnam: A History, Karnow, Stanley, New York: Viking, 1983
Vietnam At War: The History 1946-1975, Davidson, Phillip, New York: Oxford Univ Press, 1988
The Agence France Presse (French Press Agency) news release of 4 April 1995 concerning the Vietnamese Government’s release of official figures of dead and wounded during the Vietnam War.
HANOI (AP) – April 4. Cinq millions de morts: 20 ans apregraves la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le gouvernement de Hanoi a reacute veacute leacute, lundi, le bilan d’un conflit dent le nombre de victimes avait eacute teacute minore a l’eacutepoque pour ne pas affecter le moral de la population.
Selon Hanoi, il y a eu pres de deux millions de morts dans la population civile du Nord et deux autres millions dans celle du Sud. Quant aux combats proprement dits, les chiffres sent d’un million cent mille militaires tueacutes et de 600.000 blesseacutes en 21 ans de guerre.
Ce dernier bilan comprend a la fois les victimes de la guerilla vietcong et les soldats nord-vietamiens qui les eacute paulaient. Les preacute ceacute dentes estimations de source occidentale faisaient eacute tat d’un bilan de 666.000 morts parmi Ies combattants Vietnamiens.
Loose Translation