The vast majority of people who deploy to a combat zone end up in no real danger during their tour -- do you agree or disagree?

I have worked on music videos filmed in the hood down in NOLA. Now that was dangerous.

Really when you consider the law of averages, you're going to make it back and un-injured. That's the law of averages. If you are a combat medic, Rangers,SF, then the wonderful Mr. Murphey shows up. Now, you want a safe deployment with no glory, become a titless WAC. (Clerk typist) If you want the decorations, prognostics, and night mares join the Heroes. All of you kids Thank you for putting your ass on the line. Us old soldiers appreciate it.

I like to think of it this way, my chances of being smacked with a mortar is much more likely on a fob in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, or wherever compared to my home in South Dakota. Being deployed in itself is a danger, we are all targets. Everyone always says there is "no danger" in places like Kuwait, which is mostly true, but all it takes is one bad apple.

I disagree, I think there is significant risk just being over there. I didn't have to, but went out on mission three or four times per week when I could have stayed on post. But, there were soldiers who died and never left the wire.

I guess I have to ask what you consider danger. My first deployment (Bosnia) I drove big trucks through narrow mountain passes. We had a guy roll a truck smaller than mine off one of these and down the mountain, killing everyone but himself. We're those mountain passes dangerous, even though I never rolled my truck?
My second deployment (Iraq) I drove "IED alley" approx 400 times (twice a day, 4 days a week for over a year), but never got hit. Was I in danger on the route?
On my next Iraq, I did a lot of one one one work with local nationals, some of whom were armed. They never used their weapons on me, but at least one of them was known to have assassinated other LNs. Was I in danger?
My next Iraq, I got a mTBI from the concussive blast of a rocket. I was definitively in danger for that one.
My last deployment (Afghanistan), the base camp I was on was overrun 10 days after I left, one US dead, multiple injured. No incidents while I was there, though. Was I in danger?

I would argue that in every single one of those deployments, I was in a dangerous situation. The fact that in only one of them did the danger manifest itself in a tangential way does not mean that it was not present.

It is well known that there is between 3 to 5 people in support for every soldier on the front line in a combat zone.
Has been that way from the beginning of fighting.

I lost two guys who were in "no real danger".

Any Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who is deployed to a Combat Zone is most definitely in danger at any and all times. The fact that one is drawing hazzardous duty, emanate danger or combat pay should answer any questions on the subject.

In the 1st


My experience is most are not in danger.But that is subject to change.It depends on ur goals.Rear echelon units normally are safe zones it's what U do or where Ur going when U leave the protective zones.But the rear should always stay woke because Ur a huge target.To disrupt the rear is to demoralize the frontline units.So ur question is who sees combat on regular basis?Physically a few but mentally they all are at some risk.