How many did this in Vietnam, Korea, or during WWII?
Not sure about Vietnam or WWII, but here is a pre-Vietnam (1958) report from the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) detailing communist Psychological warfare, and it’s impact on American POWs during the Korean War.
See this article:
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/globalism/Congress.htm
“..As an example of the success the Communists are achieving, Mr. Hunter cited statistics on American prisoners of war in Korea.
“Never before in history had so many captured Americans gone to the aid of the enemy.
“For 2 years the services studied the records of the prisoners. What they found was not pretty.
“A total of 7,190 Americans were captured. Of these, 6,656 were Army troops, 263 were airmen, 231 Marines, 40 Navy men.
“In every war in American history some men have managed to escape. Korea was the exception.
“Roughly 1 of every 3 American prisoners collaborated with the Communists in some way, either as informants or as propagandists.
“In the 20 prison camps, 2,730 of the 7,190 Americans died, the highest morality rate among prisoners in United States history. Many of them died unnecessarily. They either did not know how to take care of themselves of they just lay down and quit. Some sick or wounded died of malnutrition abandoned by their comrades.
“For the first time in history, Americans — 21 of them — swallowed the enemy’s propaganda line and declined to return to their own people.”
Another insightful article here:
http://www.fhu.com/articles/brainwashing1.html
Point is, some did. 21 is not a lot of people, especially in light of how many were captured. But these people weren’t active, willing deserters or defectors - they were turned while in the POW camp, probably by a combination of torture, beatings, mental and physical abuse, Pavlovian conditioning of punishment and rewards. you name it.
This POS just up and WALKED into their arms, evidently expecting to be welcomed and cherished as an ally.
In Vietnam there was a city life with booze, hookers, drugs, nightclubs and girlfriends, to go to, or forget to return from.