% of blacks, hispanics killed in Iraq lower than % of national population

[expatriot]

73.34% white
10.84% black
11.00% hispanic/latino....


http://icasualties.org/oif/ETHNICITY.aspx


Both blacks and hispanics are around 13% of the U.S. population each.

So I looked up stats for Vietnam (thinking that the percentage of black KIA's would be proportionately higher than the black percentage of the general population... but it was only 12.8% (7,800 of the 58,000)and I think that blacks have comprised around the same percentage of the population for quite a while.

I always thought that blacks were disproportionately represented in the military, especially in Vietnam?


http://thewall-usa.com/stats/

[The Magistrate]

1. That Is A Common Misconception, Sir

In fact, for reasons mostly shabby and not worth going into detail over, whites are somewhat over-represented in combat elements. The overwhelming proportion of soldiers are not in combat units, and accordingly take a very small proportion of the casualties.

[expatriot]

3. okay, so minorities are in "support" roles...

a hold over from pre-integration days? like in world war ii, you hear a lot about blacks being cooks, truck drivers, etc. is that right?

[Erika]

6. You got info on the economically disadvantaged?

[expatriot]

8. I got my stats from that link, I don't see economics as a categorization.

icasualties gets their info from DoD press releases, they don't have their socio-economic class in the press release but of course almost all enlistees are economically disadvantaged in some degree or another. rich kids don't sign up because they are going to a good college and don't have to worry about paying for it.

[The Magistrate]

11. That Is Pretty Much It, Sir

There are several factors.

One is the fact that Army culture has indeed traditionally discouraged Blacks particularly from combat elements.

Another is that persons seeking economic advancement by military service, into which category a great proportion of minority enlistees fall, tend to choose specialties in which a long career is possible without necessarily achieving commissioned rank. Infantry has age limits; logistics does not.

[jody]

4. Prove "whites are somewhat over-represented in combat elements." n/t

[LynnTheDem]

7. Also, add in the fact that 50% of the casualties are Rs and NG,

while minorities are more prevalant in the regular services.

This is the first time in US history that Rs and NGs are taking 50-56% of the casualties.

[LynnTheDem]

9. Also add in the fact that of the 30,000 non-US in the US military,

most all of whom are minorities, all are active duty regular military, not Rs and NG.

So if one took ONLY the active duty services and looked at the casualties, far more than the national average are minority.

[Erika]

2. Are there any figures on the economically disadvantaged?

Especially among the inner cities and rural communities? Blacks and Hispanics make up 13% of the population? Check your stats.

[expatriot]

5. yes, my stats are right. they are both near 13%. nt

[w13rd0]

10. You are basing this analysis on percentage of CASUALTIES?

Um, pardon, but shouldn't you, if you were interested in percentage representation in deployed forces, look at the number of those serving, not the number of casualties. Because were that the case, you'd have to factor in the reasons many JOIN the military in the first place. What's the percentage of those with healthcare in the military as compared to the same age and ethnic groups non-military?

For those serving, their environmental "shift" might be divergent as well. I hear shots outside from time to time, far more often I'm sure than someone living in the burbs, but that's far less than someone in a bunker in Iraq likely hears shots fired. One of the bullets I hear could kill me just as assuredly as a bullet in Iraq could, but I'm that much closer to getting killed by a bullet than your average farmboy.