Military Releases High Casualty Figures
Department Of Defense's Latest Numbers: 31,590 Troops Wounded On Battle Field
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In this photo taken with a video camera, an U.S. soldier carries a wounded child to an ambulance after a bombing in Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, April 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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The Department of Defense has released its latest American military casualty numbers for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the figures reveal non-fatal casualties that go well beyond the more than 4,000 U.S. troops who have died so far.
As of April 5, a total of 36,082 members of the U.S. military have been wounded in action and killed in Iraq, since the beginning of the war in March 2003, and in Afghanistan, where the war there began in October 2001. The 36,082 number breaks down to 4,492 deaths and 31,590 wounded. According to the same DoD "casualty" counts, an additional 38,631 U.S. military personnel have also been removed from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan for "non-hostile-related medical air transports."
"That's a tremendous number," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of the advocate group Veterans for Common Sense, who believes these latest figures paint a more realistic picture of the true cost of the Iraq and Afghan wars. He is concerned troop casualties, including those who have been wounded, killed and medically transported, is now nearing 75,000.
Defense Department spokesperson Cynthia Smith, however, told CBS News the numbers must be carefully interpreted. Smith said the 38,631 "non-hostile-related medical air transports" are not casualties of war even though they are listed in the DoD's "casualty" documents because, she says, they were for "injuries not related to service, they were unrelated to combat."
Smith described the "non-hostile-related" injuries as the types that "could happen to any civilian on the street."
"Our main focus is severe trauma care in the theater," she said. For example, "if a woman needs her annual check up, we don't have the capability of doing that [on the ground in Iraq] so we would air transport her out." According to Smith, the 36,082 tally is a more "accurate" reflection how many military service men and women have been fatal and non-fatal casualties in connection to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as of April 5.
Sullivan points out that the military's casualty reports also exclude the "enormous number [of new veterans] flooding the VA," often with medical problems developed due to the war. A January report by the Department of Veterans Affairs showed 299,585 veterans who recently served in the Middle East had been treated by the VA since 2002. Forty percent (120,049) of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who sought care from the VA did so for mental health disorders.
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Posted by ranger1948 at 06:48 AM : Apr 14, 2008
+ report abuse
Your statement is true in SOME cases but with THIS Administration and THIS Defense Department, I sincerely doubt it. My thoughts is that they are USING this as a dumping ground for Troops who have been harmed in Combat and can be shifted to these rolls. Regardless those ARE people who we must now make allowances in a situation where we have RECORD Deficits and RECORD Debt hanging over us.
I watched Senator Kennedy (D-Mass) on C-Span this past week showing on his charts how 7 million US citizens are presently unemployed. He also showed how presently there are only 4 million jobs available in the United States. How can Democrats push for the amnesty of 20 million illegal aliens, while providing us with the best evidence against it? Now even if the four million jobs available in the US are all jobs American don%u2019t want to do, and so we then give amnesty to 20 million low wage earning illegals to fill up these 4 million available jobs, what about the 7 million unemployed Americans and the other 16 million (then) naturalized citizens?? Amnesty would make an already bad situation much worst.
Posted by pattipace7 at 08:03 AM : Apr 14, 2008
You already incorrectly broke this down along party lines instead of understanding what the scope of the problem really is - these illegals are already here and it''ll cost much more than we can afford or need to spend to get them out, than to prevent others from coming in and absolving those already here through programs that allow growth ..... You site the low number of jobs, that''s a big responsibility of government, providing the necessary support and encouraging job production - we''ve had an unprecedented number of American jobs gone overseas and this is just in the last 7years (all under Repugs) ..... You''d recall that things have also never been this bad until Dumbya. From your posting, are you implying that the Repugs in support of this amnesty (Huckstar, McSame e.t.c) are now dems ??? Besides, this article is about the casualties from a war of Choice - i hope these clears up any cobwebs for you. Cheers!
Is this the accounting where if they''re shot from the "front" it''s a "hostile action, and if it''s from the back it''s not "battle related"?
parrot is just that a right wing tool spouting out
the republicon spin machines Lies.
get real loser
no one wants you guns
no one wants to make your kid gay
no one wants to force you to have an abortion
republicon lies , that is how you poor fools elected
the criminal in the white house
mcbushcain four more years of criminal government
It comes down to the American electorate. Vote for McCain and we continue to pay this terrible price for generations to come. Vote for the Democratic nominee, and we end the Iraq nightmare within 24 months by withdrawing. The Iraqis will then have to sink or swim on their own. As it should be.
but 300,000 thousend dont count..right bush thats 300,000 americans, now have a mental disability..
bush need to be put right on the front line
Yeah, but Bush/Cheney and friend war profiteers made billions and billions and billions of $$$$$$!!!!
Was it worth it?
I guess that depends on who you''re asking.
I hope they enjoy what little time they have left.
The economy, failed by neo cons.
Health care, failed by neo cons.
Iraq, Falied by neo cons.
And the list goes on and on.
What a mess the master race made of things.
terrible...
Bu$h must believe the US public is really stupid...
and they are.
We''re warriors, warriors of the world
Like thunder from the sky - sworn to fight and die
We''re warriors, warriors of the world
God Bless them and their love ones for their service in these trying times !!!
parrot is just that a right wing tool spouting out
the republicon spin machines Lies.
get real loser
no one wants you guns
no one wants to make your kid gay
no one wants to force you to have an abortion
republicon lies , that is how you poor fools elected
the criminal in the white house
mcbushcain four more years of criminal government
Posted by joyous88 at 09:52 AM : Apr 14, 2008
I think you mean ''Pattipace7'' - not parrot .... try and re-read some of these posts. Cheers!
THATS 374,298 AMERICANS ALL THEY SAY IS 4492 DEAD AND 38631 HURT..LETS TELL THE TRUTH SO CALL THEM AND TELL THEM TO SAY THE TRUTH..
MAYBE THEY WILL SEE THAT THIS IS A VERY HIGH NUMBER.
ANYONE THAT TOOK OUT LOANS FROM 2000 TO 2007
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THERE CREDIT LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THIS MESS MOST HAVE LOST THEIR GOOD RATING.
THEY NEED TO COME OUT AND TELL ALL MORTGAGE COMPANYS
TO RE-FI EVERYONE NOW. NO EXCEPTION IF THEY HAVE A
MORTGAGE THAN TAKE 60% OFF THE BALLANCE AND RE-FI THEM AT 1 PERCENT OVER PRIME AND STOP ALL THE BLEEDING FOR ONCE..THAT IS ALL THAT HAS TO BE DONE, SIMPLE,FAST,AND IT WOULD STOP ALL FORCLOSEINGS,BURNINGS OF HOMES,AND STOP 10''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''S OF MILLIONS FROM BEING ON THE STREET..
THIS IS MORE INPORTANT, THAN THIS ***.
OR HOW ABOUT REPORTING THAT WE THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THIS FROM CLINTON AND MCCAIN. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE 374,298 AMERICANS DEAD,HURT,MAIMED IN THIS WAR YOU SUPPOTED FROM THE START..HOW ABOUT ASKING THEM THIS
374,298, 374,298, 374,298 AMERICANS
Posted by forthepeopl1
After the latest draw down, there will only be 140,000 troops left, so in 5 years we''ve "gone through" (horrible expression I know) 2.5 times the number of troops one way or another than we need on the ground now. Is it just me or is that incredible?
I wonder what the death toll would be with Viet-Nam era medicine would be? My guess, at least double what it is now.
During Great Britain''s less than sensible pieces of Empire building, Iraq in the ''30''s, no less than Winston Churchill called the area "an ungrateful tornado." Hasn''t changed much has it?
WOW....
OK, that''s for 5 years of Bu$hwar.
McCain''s number will be 1,400,000 when 100 years rolls around...
It''s a shame that the greediest are running this country in all of its aspects. Let me put up just a few examples:
War
housing
taxation
outsourcing
honesty
integrity
finance
torture
I could go on this all day and still not be able to show disappointed I am in the way this country lies to its citizenry at any time.
What is the latest tale from our fearless leader?
How about We might be in a resesion or how about the great care that our vets are getting when they do return. FTA
Oh, great - more guys on the corner with signs...
So about thirty years ago, Nam vets were saying Agent Orange cause all sorts of birth defects, sickness and cancers.
They were pooh-poohed away.
Denial, denial denial.
And many of them died in the denial process.
Then, slowly, the Vet Administration acknowledgesd "some" sicknesses, cancers and birth defects were indeed a result of Agent Orange.
So my question is - how many decades will it take for the Vet Administration to acknowledge depleted uranium is causing cancers and birth defects?
And how long will it take for these soldiers and marines to have their names on the casualty lists?
Our political leaders appointed, designated, and elected seem to believe and think these are acceptable numbers. They don%u2019t? Then stop making excuses and bring our troops home now. Oh, this is a complicated matter is it?
While we may not be able to end every conflict faster, we should allow our law makers and leaders to experience firsthand all the many wonderful, positive benefits and splendor war cause and create by having it made law they all must serve on the frontline for a minimum of 6 months.
How about have an amendment added to the Constitution which mandates when the number of injured and dead exceed 375,000, then immediately and without fail or exception shall every person in a political position at the state or federal level have all of their children over the age of 18 immediately cease their current standing and be required to serve on the frontline in the military or civilian sector for a minimum amount of time to be no less than, equal or greater to the amount of time of the military member who has spent the longest amount of time in harm%u2019s way.
Where upon a appointed, designated, or elected political leaders has no children, then they will fall under the same circumstances and be immediately sent to the frontlines to support the existing conflict they so willingly send our troops to address.
It may not be an ideal solution, but it sure is a great start.
Posted by Inventagod
---------------------------
It''s called Freedom of Speech - but if the Republicans get back in office like the first 6 years of Bushit - there will be no Free Speech anymore!
Just like your stupid comment here - Free Speech - although I''d like to see you in Cuba getting waterboarded for that stupid comment!
I believe that if Republicans want waterboarding - I say we waterboard every single one of them.
Unfortunately I no longer have the details so my recall of the incident would only be classified as anecdotal.
DOD/US imputes them as a threat.
There is a great depiction of the team responsible for weapons of the masses destruction. WMD...
Oh, well does not matter as long as Halliburton is making 2 billions net profit per quarter and when 30 year cheap crude oil supply agreement is signed with big oil companies.
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by ah64mtp
April 16, 2008 7:43 PM PDT
- Yea, Yea, Yea,... Five pages of mostly sniviling twits who want us to leave Iraq, the central focus of AlQuida, and send them to an armpit called Darfur under the Usless Nations "Leadership." I want a number...How many will die in Darfur before you leave them to fend for themselves.
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Reply to this comment
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See all 44 CommentsFor Clinton, the number was 18 dead and 72 wounded before he ran like a ***-slapped ***. If you can''t pull the trigger and stay in the fight until every one of the *** are dead or captured, you have no business being in a leadership position as Commander in Chief. Oh, BTW one of thos 18 dead was a classmate of mine in flight school at Ft Rucker.