TABLE I.
UNADJUSTED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF 675.626 ARMY GULF WAR-ERA VETERANS AND DEPLOYMENT TO THE PERSIAN GULF
| Deployed (N = 257.699) | Not Deployed (N = 417.927) | χ2p Values | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | <0.001 | ||
| Male | 91.64% | 87.12% | |
| Female | 8.36% | 12.88% | |
| Agea | <0.001 | ||
| <21 years | 15.04% | 11.07% | |
| 21–25 years | 37.15% | 28.09% | |
| 26–30 years | 22.58% | 21.94% | |
| 31–35 years | 13.56% | 17.64% | |
| 36–40 years | 7.92% | 12.50% | |
| >40 years | 3.75% | 8.73% | |
| Race/ethnicity | <0.001 | ||
| White | 60.85% | 62.82% | |
| Black | 30.67% | 28.63% | |
| Hispanic | 4.15% | 3.96% | |
| Asian/Pacific Island | 1.43% | 1.82% | |
| Indian/Alaskan | 0.56% | 0.50% | |
| Other | 2.32% | 2.24% | |
| Educational level | <0.001 | ||
| Less than high school | 1.21% | 0.89% | |
| High school graduate/GED | 84.35% | 75.29% | |
| Alternative education | 0.03% | 0.03% | |
| Some college | 3.43% | 4.94% | |
| Bachelor’s degree | 7.75% | 10.98% | |
| Graduate degree | 2.10% | 6.67% | |
| Unknown | 1.13% | 1.22% | |
| Marital status | <0.001 | ||
| Single | 43.31% | 34.00% | |
| Married, spouse not on active duty | 49.93% | 56.98% | |
| Married, spouse on active duty and deployed | 1.95% | 0.95% | |
| Married, spouse on active duty and not deployed | 1.57% | 3.65% | |
| No longer married | 3.20% | 4.27% | |
| Unknown | 0.03% | 0.15% | |
| Dependents | <0.001 | ||
| Member only | 44.93% | 36.65% | |
| Member plus one dependent | 17.57% | 17.50% | |
| Member plus two or more dependents | 37.32% | 45.56% | |
| Unknown | 0.19% | 0.29% | |
| Rank | <0.001 | ||
| E1–E4 | 54.39% | 41.33% | |
| E5–E9 | 34.92% | 41.41% | |
| Warrant officer | 2.20% | 1.95% | |
| O1–O3 | 6.53% | 9.08% | |
| O4–O5 | 1.77% | 5.26% | |
| O6–O11 | 0.18% | 0.97% | |
| Time in Service | <0.001 | ||
| Less than 6 months | 3.99% | 4.50% | |
| 6–12 months | 10.94% | 7.89% | |
| >12–24 months | 16.31% | 10.88% | |
| >24–60 months | 31.71% | 26.20% | |
| >60–120 months | 18.34% | 20.13% | |
| >120–180 months | 11.10% | 15.59% | |
| >180–240 months | 6.31% | 11.27% | |
| >240 months | 1.26% | 3.49% | |
| Unknown | 0.03% | 0.05% | |
| Hazardous duty pay | <0.001 | ||
| No hazardous duty pay | 86.41% | 87.08% | |
| Hazardous duty pay one type | 12.81% | 12.37% | |
| Hazardous duty pay two or more types in pay period | 0.78% | 0.55% | |
| Enlisted (n = 575,942) | <0.001 | ||
| Infantry/gun crews | 27.58% | 24.34% | |
| Mechanical equipment repair | 18.99% | 13.38% | |
| Communication/intelligence | 14.01% | 14.13% | |
| Support/administration | 12.17% | 18.26% | |
| Service/supply | 11.76% | 11.15% | |
| Health care | 5.09% | 8.24% | |
| Electrical equipment repair | 4.60% | 5.29% | |
| Technical/allied specialist | 2.93% | 2.96% | |
| Craftsworkers | 2.61% | 1.77% | |
| Nonoccupational | 0.25.% | 0.44% | |
| Other | 0.01% | 0.03% | |
| Officer (n = 85.874) | <0.001 | ||
| Tactical operations officer | 40.86% | 27.02% | |
| Nonoccupational | 12.10% | 19.06% | |
| Health care officers | 12.10% | 18.91% | |
| Supply, procurement, and allied officers | 10.37% | 7.11% | |
| Engineering and maintenance officer | 10.35% | 8.54% | |
| Intelligence officer | 5.24% | 4.50% | |
| Administrators | 4.90% | 7.40% | |
| Scientists and professionals | 3.78% | 6.79% | |
| General officer/executive | 0.26% | 0.52% | |
| Other | 0.05% | 0.15% | |
| Warrant (n = 13.810) | <0.001 | ||
| Tactical operations officer | 49.09% | 37.77% | |
| Engineering and maintenance officer | 26.44% | 25.37% | |
| Supply, procurement, and allied officers | 7.76% | 7.42% | |
| Nonoccupational | 4.91% | 6.31% | |
| Intelligence officer | 4.38% | 7.34% | |
| Health care officers | 3.77% | 3.75% | |
| Administrators | 3.49% | 11.28% | |
| Scientists and professionals | 0.14% | 0.64% | |
| Other | 0.02% | 0.12% |
Values are those documented in June 1990 DMDC records.
a
χ2 test for trend analysis indicated a statistically significant trend of increasing risk for deployment with successively younger age groups, with the odds for deployment being more than three times greater among those younger than 21 years than for those older than 40 (p < 0.001).