Full accounting of war casualties

A newspaper has finally done a tally of US casualties in its two wars.

The U.S. has suffered more than 1,250 casualties killed, wounded and seriously injured since the 9/11 start of the war on terror, according to official figures.
As the toll has mounted, burials at Arlington National Cemetery have again become a near-daily occurrence [...]

With the death of a soldier killed by a sniper in Baghdad yesterday, the U.S. death toll in Iraq since the March 19 start of the war rose to 188, according to the Defense Department, the U.S. Central Command and the military services.

At least 642 have been wounded or injured in incidents ranging from vehicle crashes to drownings [...]

Combat against the Taliban and Al Qaeda cost the lives of 79 U.S. troops and two CIA agents - 32 in combat and 49 in nonhostile incidents. An additional 340 were wounded or injured.

A former Reagan defense department officials warns that Bush may rue his GI Joe/Top Gun moment on the Lincoln, and wonders when the tipping point will come.

I hesitate to write this, because I'll be accused of rooting for more death. But the tipping point will come if the Iraqis can muster a Somalia moment -- a large-scale ambush that kills a large number of Americans or Brits. I'm convinced that's the only way the US media and public will pay attention to Iraq again.

While we at this site may mourn the senseless deaths of one or two of our servicemembers every day, the gods know most people couldn't be bothered. They'll take note when they have no choice but to take note.

50 dead in a month? Who cares? 15 dead in a single ambush, it'll be huge news.

Posted June 18, 2003 11:23 AM | Comments (226)