Wednesday, June 7, 1972
Troop Count At 63,700
SAIGON (AP) --The U.S. command announced Monday the deactivation of five small Army units as part of the Vietnam withdrawal plan and said in-country strength dropped by 1,100 last week to 63,700.At the same time, the command said the strength of the 7th Fleet supporting the Indochina war had increased by 1,000 to 42,000.The latest Army cuts will reduce strength by another 215 troops, the command said. President Nixon has ordered U.S. strength in Vietnam cut to 49,000 by the end of this month.However, Nixon has built up U.S. air and naval forces based outside the country to nearly 100,000 men.The latest strength summary for Vietnam issued by the U.S. command as of last Thursday gave this breakdown by service: Army 42,000; Air Force 16,500; Navy 2,700; Marines 2,400; and Coast Guard 100."Troop Count At 63,700", by (AP), published in the Pacific Stars and Stripes Wednesday, June 7, 1972 and reprinted from European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication copyright, 2002 European and Pacific Stars and Stripes.