19 -- Paul Hardcastle

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war, but it wasn't.
It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting.
In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In Vietnam he was 19.  In inininininin Vietnam he was 19.


(TV announcer's voice)
The shooting and fighting of the past two weeks continued today
25 miles west of Saigon  I really wasn't sure what was going on (Vet's Voice)
Nininini Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19  19,19,19,19  In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served a twelve month tour of duty but  was exposed to hostile fire almost everyday  Ninini 19 nininn 19  Hundreds of Thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam were arrested
since discharge  Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age.
There are no accurate figures of how many of these men have been incarcerated.
But, a Veterans Administration study concludes that the greater of Vets
exposure to combat could more likely affect his chances of being arrested or
convicted. This is one legacy of the Vietnam War


(Singing Girls)
        All those who remember the war   They won't forget what they've seen..
        Destruction of men in their prime   whose average was 19
        Dedededededede-Destruction  Dedededededede-Destruction
        War, War  Dededede-Destruction, wa-wa-War, wa-War, War
        Dedededededede-Destruction   War, War


After World War II the Men came home together on troop ships, but the Vietnam
Vet often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat
Perhaps the most dramatic difference between World War II and Vietnam was
coming home.. .none of them received a hero's welcome  None of them received a heroes welcome, none of them, none of them  Nenene Nenene None of them, none of them,
none of them  None of them received a hero's welcome None of them received a hero's welcome  According to a Veteran's Administration study
Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what Psychiatrists call
Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder  Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt
Some succumb to suicidal thoughts  Eight to Ten years after coming home almost
 eight-hundred-thousand men are  still fighting the Vietnam War


Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19


When we came back it was different.. Everybody wants to know "How'd it
happened to those guys over there  There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
We did what we had to do  There's gotta be something wrong somewhere
People wanted us to be ashamed of what it made us  Dad had no idea what he went
to fight and he is now  All we want to do is come home  All we want to do is come home
What did we do it for  All we want to do is come home  Was it worth it?



The title "19" comes from the documentary's claim that the average age of an American combat soldier in the war was 19, as compared to the claim of World War II's 26. The song incorporated bits of interviews from soldiers as well. Undisputed statistics do not exist, although Southeast Asia Combat Area Casualties Current File (CACCF), the source for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, shows a large number of deaths (38%) were ages 19 or 20. According to the same source, 23 is the average age at time of death         (wikipedia) .