What was 'Fragging'？ (The Vietnam War)

What was fragging? The Vietnam War. As the Vietnam War became more controversial and morale dipped, a disturbing new phenomenon emerged in the U.S. military called fragging. Fragging would see soldiers turn on authority figures murdering their superior officer or NCO. Although it wasn't always the case, the term fragging came about because these intentional killings were often attempted with a fragmentation grenade. The grenade would be thrown at the officer when he was sleeping or during combat, therefore making it appear as an accident or as a casualty during an engagement with the enemy. On top of this, as a grenade detonates, the evidence is destroyed. The disgruntled soldiers who carried out fraggings were often in support units rather than combat units. Their motives for carrying out this crime would vary. One motive was the level of discipline or harassment by the officer upon the subordinate. It was difficult to instill discipline when officers were rotated every six months between units, forming little connection to them. Respect for officers could also be tarnished by racial tensions and the popular youth culture of challenging authority figures. Another motive might have been the risk to the soldier's life. Their officer may be too incompetent or on the other end searching for glory and gung-ho, employing dangerous tactics at the expense of men under his command so that he can achieve medals and praise. Drug and alcohol use may also be a motive, and problems were often caused when officers tried to intervene in their men's use of narcotics, something that was easy to obtain in Vietnam. If caught fragging their officer, perpetrators would be court-martialed and often charged with a life sentence. Although fragging had been apparent in past wars in the U.S. military, it was rare until the Vietnam War, where there were hundreds of cases reported. Subscribe for more Vietnam War history videos. Get Simple History The Vietnam War and Simple History The Cold War today. Thank you for all your support on the Simple History YouTube channel. If you enjoy the channel, please consider supporting us at Patreon.