How many days of "actual combat" do you think an Infantryman deployed in support of OIF/OEF experiences over a year-long deployment?

Depends on unit and location. I think the intensity of the actual combat is much more pronounced.
But dealing with the day to day stress of hostile environment takes its own toll.

The real question is how many days are soldiers under a state of alert in a combat zone? Every day! Nobody likes being under a threat 24/7.

When I was in Afghanistan our COP was regularly attacked 2-5 times a day nearly every day for the 6 months I was there. Defining whether that would be combat or not depends, the Taliban were such shitty shots that most of us weren't worried about the mortars or RPGs. They fired an rpg at a fixed OP on the top of the mountain and missed. Now when we went out on patrols and regularly got ambushed is a different story.

I'm sorry but I would say that just having to do patrols, guard duty, GACs, and all the other crap you deal with down range all takes a toll on the body and mind......then there is the is the ever present rocket attacks....we took over 60 in a very short period....now because we did not return fire it was not classified as "combat" for medals....but as to mental health and well being I assure it sure felt like combat and i'm pretty sure if I'd been hit Mom and Dad would've been told I died in "combat." Anyway what i'm getting at it the threat of being killed on a daily basis may not be "combat" by some terms but you know ....it probably should be.....not like there are rockets being fired at Ft Bragg.......anyway moving on and hope this makes sense.

As everyone else has stated it depends how you define combat. While I was living on FOB Shank we caught 100 mortar attacks that hit the FOB in a 90 day period, for a total of over 150 rounds, most of which landed within 200 meters of where my unit lived and worked. I'm not sure I'd consider that combat but others would. I've also been on a deployment where I was on the road every day for over a month and was never attacked, is that combat? I'd once again I'd say no but other would say yes. I'd strongly encourage you to read LTC Grossman's books On Killing and On Combat.

Depends on location, time and year. When I say time I mean season

Considering that an enemy round travels at a couple thousand feet per second, even a heartbeat can be a lifetime, so even one day is one day too many.

That's an unaswerable question, unless you refine it to apply only to a specific unit or person. You've got way too many variables otherwise.

Only takes one to get you killed.

I keep coming with an of 310 days based off of the fact "life and death". Granted every moment spent in country is life and death. Yes, like some those have said mortar attacks on a FOB are days of combat. Granted you may not have had hardly any firefights or attacks, it's averaged out amongst the entirety and not just one persons/units expiernce.

I don't think infantrymen have done anything average in the last 14 yrs. our missions and operations as Infantrymen have changed so drastically and expanded to such an expanse of rolls that it would be unfair to affix an average to combat time experienced. That's completely ignoring the definition of combat that people and the Army seems to be confused about these days.

There are many factors to consider in order yo.answer that question. It has been said By a GO that one year of deployment could equal to 7 years of Military experience. Not sure how that's broken down but I trust the source who told me being a 2 star. So there must be a average calculating process/ Formular out there.

It's tough to really determine, because so many joes are in areas that aren't hit as much, which would bring down an average.
If you take into consideration every event that is worthy of a CIB, over a year-long deployment, that would probably narrow it down.
This would have to be scientific in nature. Any part of a scientific paper includes a methods section, so this is very important, and the reason for everybody's input on this.

I'll bite, though. Based on my standards of combat (CIB-worthy incident), I've been involved in about 20 over a one-year deployment. This includes accurate, inside-the-wire IDF, that landed very near my cot (2 occasions). The rest were an assortment of tower guard engagements on a crew-served gun, mounted and dismounted TIC's, and 1 legitimate IED scare. Every one would permit awarding a CIB.

I guess it all depends on how you define "actual combat". If you never fire your weapon, but you are on a FOB that gets hit by IDF every other day, does that count as being in combat?

I cannot speak for other however my site experienced 114 firefights in just over 3 months.

I am not all sure exactly what kind of answer you want, because it differs so much on what AO you are in and what is going on there at that time. I was in Iraq during the Surge... and 6 months out of that I was in Al Anbar province, not on a FOB but on a few OPs. We saw alot of action, friends more south didn't see that much... but again, depends on the time of year, and what is going on.

Sounds a Bit Rough but nothing would surprise me.

Please keep your comments professional.

As an infantry machine gunner with the First Infantry in Viet Nam who spent the entire year in combat
I would say I was in harms way at least 360 days. I took no R & R or leave of any kind because we were always so short of people.

365