MORTALITY AMONG AUSTRALIAN CONSCRIPTS OF THE VIETNAM CONFLICT ERA. I. DEATH FROM ALL CAUSES

A retrospective cohort study of mortality was conducted to assess whether Army service of young Australian men in the Vietnam conflict influenced the subsequent risk of premature death....Of these veterans [studied] 19205 served in Vietnam while 25677 served only in Australia. All men were traced from the end of their national service engagement (between 1966 and 1973) until January 1 1982. For both groups death rates were statistically significantly lower than expected for Australian males of the same age. Overall mortality of Vietnam veterans was 1.3 times that of non-Vietnam veterans.... (EXCERPT)