Did They Really Play Russian Roulette in Vietnam?

It’s a popular movie trope: the soldier, desperate and traumatized from the horrors of war, playing a game of Russian roulette. But did this really happen in Vietnam?

There are a few stories of American soldiers allegedly playing Russian roulette in Vietnam, but it’s impossible to know how true they are. One such story appears in Michael Herr’s 1977 book Dispatches, in which he recounts an incident involving a Marine Corps sergeant.

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PRO TIP:The game of Russian Roulette as depicted in popular culture is not historically accurate to the Vietnam War. The claim that American soldiers played Russian Roulette during the war is disputed by historians and veterans alike. However, there are reports of isolated incidents involving members of U.S. forces playing the game with unloaded firearms as a way to relieve stress and boredom in their down time.

However, there is no corroborating evidence for this story or any of the others like it. It’s possible that some soldiers may have played the game out of desperation or boredom, but it’s unlikely that it was a common occurrence.

So while we can’t say for sure whether or not soldiers really did play Russian roulette in Vietnam, it seems unlikely. If anything, the stories are likely more legend than reality.