Is the statistic that only 5% of WWII US combat soldiers fired their weapons true?

by Zachanassian

I once read (in a letter to the editor in a newspaper) the quoted statistic, along with another that during Vietnam, the figure was around 95%.

So, first, is the quoted statistic true, and secondly, if it is true, why was the number so low? How did US military training during WWII differ from latter wars?

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Well, 5 percent definitely isn't true, as the one usually given is 15-25 percent, but even that is very questionable, as discussed in this old response.