In the drip-drip-drip of daily tragedy coming from Iraq it seems that our nation has lost it’s perspective. We don’t even notice the American deaths anymore, much less the Iraqis. Seeing this today gave me pause:
Jun 7, 8:43 PM EDT
A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
As of Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at least 1,676 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,286 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians.
The AP count is the same as the Defense Department’s tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
The British military has reported 89 deaths; Italy, 25; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Spain, 11; Bulgaria, 10; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Thailand and the Netherlands, two each; and Denmark, El Salvador, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Latvia one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,538 U.S. military members have died, according to AP’s count. That includes at least 1,177 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.
Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 12,861 U.S. servicemembers have been wounded, according to a Defense Department tally released Tuesday.
I remember well the coverage of Bush’s landing on the aircraft carrier in his little dress-up jumpsuit. It was slavish, obsequious, and even worshipful. What would the folks who enjoyed that reportage have thought if they could have seen into the future?
May 1, 2003 was over TWO YEARS ago.
Fifteen hundred and thirty eight families have had the unimaginable horror of servicemen ringing their doorbells since that arrogant little bastard strutted across the deck to tell us it was over.
