Along about now, somewhere in a several week period, the number of Coalition military dead plus the US wounded has passed the 35,000 mark. This number does not include those who committed suicide or those who suffer long term injuries from stress or brain concussion.
CNN, not given to exaggerations, noted this today,
"There have been 4,469 coalition deaths -- 4,155 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of September 11, 2008, according to a CNN count. (Graphical breakdown of casualties). The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department. At least 30,634 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon."
Adding these up, 4469 and 30,634 equals 35,103. The number is higher if we include coalition wounded (I don't have the numbers). If we speak only of US dead and wounded, the number is a bit short of 35,000 - 34,789.
So roughly 35,000 military and defense department personnel have become casualties of the war in Iraq. The number of Iraqi civilians that are collateral damage of the war and attending social violence is at nearing 100,000 by conservative estimates.
The war has gotten large enough and complex enough that we don't have an actual date when the 35,000th casualty occurs. But one way or another it is close.
Perhaps we might remember that number this day as well. 35,000
ENOUGH.
9/11/2008
4 comments:
OK... Comments, gripes, etc welcomed, but with some cautions and one rule:
Cautions: Calling people fools, idiots, etc, will be reason to bounce your comment. Keeping in mind that in the struggles it is difficult enough to try to respect opponents, we should at least try.
Rule: PLEASE DO NOT SIGN OFF AS ANONYMOUS: BEGIN OR END THE MESSAGE WITH A NAME - ANY NAME. ANONYMOUS commentary will be cut.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
And the price of ignoring the threat and not fighting back, is what?
ReplyDeleteWe'll never know, thank God.
Bob of Fremont
grim and sorrow-filled numbers.
ReplyDeleteCNN's reporting these statistics on the occasion of September 11 continues the Bush ruse that 9/11 and Iraq were historically related, if they omit a comment noting no connection. The facts are that Iraq and 9/11 are related only by Administration lies and Press complicity.
ignoring the threat and not fighting back
ReplyDeleteI believe that these are figures for the War in Iraq, Jim of I-town. That was an unprovoked invasion of a 3rd nation with no connection to the attack in the USA on 11 SEP 2001, Afghanistan, the Taliban or al Qaeda, based on lies!
Lies to the United Nations, the people of the USA, the so-called coalition of the Willing and the rest of us also living in this world.
Please, do not come here and lie some more!
I thought that the invasion of Iraq was stupid and unnecessary, but once we seemed committed to it I thought that the worse thing that could happen for US influence, and therefore peace, was to back down in the face of Saddam's defiance. I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm of the "You Broke It, You Buy It" school of thought, though. Now that we have royally f'd up Iraq, what's our responsibility? If we pull out, will things get even worse? If we stay, will they ever get better? I don't have the answers - my track record proves that; I'm just asking. What do we do now that doesn't f*** up Iraq even more?