Vietnam-Era Military Service: A Test of the Class-Bias Thesis

Abstract

In this study, the thesis that the burden of the Vietnam War disproportionately fell on poor Americans is tested with national survey data. It is found that the Vietnam era was not an equal-opportunity era for military service. But Vietnam-era class bias benefited only a relative few near the top of the social hierarchy, and only modestly worked to the detriment of those in the remaining social strata.