Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberia
The shoulder patch of the US Army’s 45th Infantry division was the swastika.
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Although I have seen it both ways, the following came from a site owned by a veteran of the 45th:
45thSwastika.jpg
Evidently, as is well known, the swastika was popular in many cultures. In some Native American lore, the swastika this way was a sign of good luck whereas the reverse, the Nazi version, was a symbol of bad luck. The 45th was actually an activated division of the Oklahoma National Guard. Oklahoma has a large percentage (perhaps the largest percentage) of Native Americans in the US, and as such so did the 45th. That's why a swastika was chosen. After the Nazis started using it, the symbol was changed to a thunderbird, also a Native American symbol.
patch.jpg
Source:
Lt Robert M. Barnhart, autobiography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geek44
Quote:
Originally Posted by MAGNA
Oops. Makes you wonder what proportion of casualties are due to friendly fire / accidents in other landings.
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I believe that during WW2, among US forces the percentage was around 4%. By Vietnam it had jumped to 14% (I find this less credible for some reason). Just something I read 'somewhere'. |
"Fragging" was talked about a lot during and after Vietnam, but how much of it actually occurred I don't know. And I don't know if that was counted/estimated in the friendly fire statistics.