# What % of U.S. soldiers actually fired their weapons in combat in WWII?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 18, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023 "2003-05-18T06:21:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023/41 "2015-08-06T15:00:44Z")

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**DrDeth** , my dad also fought in the Philippines and New Guinea. He was drafted summer of '42, however. I asked him if he ever shot any enemies. He replied that he shot _at_ a lot of them, but didn’t know if he really got any or not. He was in a field artillery battallion.

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**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023/42 "2015-08-06T15:37:04Z")

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My dad took part in the invasions of Okinawa, Borneo, and at least one more I can’t remember. He was shot AT a lot, by snipers and mortars, but was never able to shoot back. Being in underwater demolition the only weapon he was issued was his dive knife.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023/43 "2015-08-06T17:53:01Z")

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> [@california\_jobcase](#):
>
> **DrDeth** , my dad also fought in the Philippines and New Guinea. He was drafted summer of '42, however. I asked him if he ever shot any enemies. He replied that he shot _at_ a lot of them, but didn’t know if he really got any or not. He was in a field artillery battallion.

Sounds about right. Miserable places, right? Malaria? Dad got it, in the end it killed him (weakened his heart so he died while sick, but at the age of 75, not too bad).

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**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-u-s-soldiers-actually-fired-their-weapons-in-combat-in-wwii/176023/44 "2015-08-06T19:20:01Z")

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Dad’s malaria may have saved him, as he spent two weeks off in the hospital tent being pumped full of anti-malarials. It still bothered him up into the sixties. He had a stroke at 79 and finally succumbed to its complications at 89.

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