There was an Army study done after WWII that showed something like only 10% of US GI's on Okinawa actually fired their weapons (I'm going by memory here). What emerged from this was a pivot in training soldiers from competency to making them killing machines. This fed the surge of PTSD in Vietnam vets, as Vietnam was the first conflict this training was put to use in.
There are different perspectives on these matters.
AI Overview
There is no specific statistic for the exact percentage of GIs on Okinawa who fired their rifles; however, historical accounts and bullet usage statistics indicate that riflemen expended enormous quantities of ammunition during the battle, debunking the myth that only a small fraction of soldiers fired their weapons. For example, the 7th Division alone fired over 1.6 million bullets, averaging about 481 bullets per rifleman.
Here's why a precise percentage is difficult to find but the overall implication is clear:
Abundant Ammunition Use:
The fighting on Okinawa was intense, with riflemen firing vast amounts of bullets.
Focus on Individual Units:
Accounts often detail specific units, such as the 7th Division's bullet expenditure, rather than providing an overall percentage for all GIs.
Debunking a Myth:
The high volume of rifle fire contradicted the previously held belief that only 15–20% of soldiers fired their weapons in combat during World War II.
Ubiquitous Combat:
The nature of the fighting, which often involved close-quarters combat and extensive artillery, meant that many soldiers, especially those in rifle companies, were directly engaged in combat and firing their weapons.
One of the better non fictional accounts of what it is like on the front lines is described in this book. I knew this fellow, personally. He wanted to leave a book for his grand children. If you are interested in this kind of stuff, highly recommended.
Wayne saw a lot of action, more than most foot soldiers. He was part of a small first batch in outfit, that lead the way. If they survived they got better at what they did, the army liked that, and then would use them repeatedly, on the next campaign.
Wayne and my father crossed paths on Luzon, but did not know it, at the time. Wayne was coming out, headed to R and R, my father was going in as a BAR replacement rifleman.
I have read a lot of war history, mainly WW II and Nam. I can assure you that those in the shit came home and suffered from PTSD, including my father. Wake up at night, cold sweats, screaming, yelling, etc. For quite a while. Including Audy Murphy. I think after Nam it became more recognized, Nam vets had their own issues, for one they were not well respected, for years.
AI Overview
Yes, Audie Murphy slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow to cope with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which he suffered from after World War II. He also experienced chronic nightmares and insomnia, which led him to sleep with the lights on in his garage and keep the pistol as a form of protection and to manage his "battle fatigue".
Keeping an army supplied requires a lot of support personnel. So yes there are a decent number who never fire a shot. From what I have read Nam was at the top of the heap for these. The Americans went in and built these big super nice camps, where most hung out. The less fortunate had to go out and protect the camps, engage in other battles, and otherwise hump it. More or less the term REMF came into the fore in Nam, Rear Echelon Mother Fucker. There were lots of those. Not to go into detail here, the whole scene lead to a lot of 'fragging' of platoon leaders, who were perceived as being just plain dumb or maybe too over zealous.
A while back you noted something about Japan's surrender. I think you were partially correct. But at that point the Japanese were done, flat done. They barely had any fuel to fly a kamikazi. My father sent a letter home to the hired man on the farm, about 1st of August 1945. He was just coming off the front lines and going on R and R, had been humping it for weeks and weeks, as the Yanks tried to corner Yamishita. All he said about the battles, was a whole lot of lead had been flying around, and he hoped it was over. They all knew it was getting close to the end. Later in life he never talked about it to any extent. At the end of WWII every division had to write a detailed accounting of their war history, I was able to buy a used copy of my father's division. The shit they went through, is hard to imagine. Was generally before the days of armored personnel carriers and such. Lot of humping, with heavy loads on your back. In particular if you were a BAR man.
Well not to bleat on too much, one of the best books I have ever read is this one. Really explains how Nam went down, but there are a lot of similarities to how things go on in the world we know and live in. Some vets don't like Hackworth, I have no issues with what he did to end his career. In case you don't know he resigned his command, mainly cuz he did not agree with how the Nam war was being handled. And really that is what you should do, if it gets to that point for you.
Tweets
I know the guy in the pilot seat. He wanted to be an aviator, but with only an 8th grade education, could not pass the entrance exam. In the end in any war, like Ukraine, boots on the ground are a requirement. You cannot hold territory otherwise, who knows maybe in the future it will be done with robots.
Taken post the surrender. Not sure where, if I had to guess probably around Santiago, Luzon Highland country. Not sure of the plane model, never tried to look it up. Looks like a small fighter bomber since it has a back seat.
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