Perspective

Gordon Shumway · #1 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Recently the Iraq War reached 4000 American combat deaths. It seems like much of the media have been tracking this number like a Jerry Lewis Telethon. There should be nothing political about this number. Yet, it seems that's what has driven the touting of this number for what seems like the past two years. While I certainly don't want to diminish any single death, I'd like to put some perspective on American combat deaths in the Iraq War.

Iraq War --- 2003 - present:
U.S. battle deaths = 3,247
U.S. other deaths= 753
U.S. Total = 4000

Civil War --- 1861 - 1865:
Union battle deaths = 140,414
Union other deaths = 224,097
Union Total = 364,511
NOTE: this doesn't even include Confederate deaths

World War 1 --- 1917 - 1918:
U.S. battle deaths = 53,402
U.S other deaths = 63,114
U.S. Total = 116,516

World War 2 --- 1941 - 1945:
U.S. battle deaths = 291,557
U.S. other deaths = 113,842
U.S. Total = 405,399

Korean War --- 1950 - 1953:
U.S. battle deaths = 33,746
U.S. Total = 36,516

Since Obama & Clinton like to claim that McCain wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years, it would take at least that long to come close to WWII total deaths at the rate we've seen thus far in the Iraq War. However, the casualty rate has been steadily declining since the surge began. And, they don't seem have a problem with the 65 year & counting occupation of Germany. Besides, McCain never said he wanted to stay in Iraq for 100 years. Although, we may be there that long if that's what it takes. When we reach 100 years in Iraq we will have been in Germany for 160 years.

saltwn · #2 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 09:26 PM

Second Indochina War (1960-75): 3 500 000
Vietnam War (1965-73): 1 700 000
Most historians of the Second Indochina War concern themselves primarily with the American Phase of the conflict, 1965-73; however, many do not specify whether their estimated death tolls cover only this phase of the war or the whole thing.
South Vietnam military between 181,483 and 650,000

North Vietnamese military and Viet Cong
between 444,000 and 1,100,000
South Vietnamese civilians
between 50,000 and 2,000,000

North Vietnamese civilians between 1,021,442 and >3,100,000

Misc. Atrocities: including civilians assassinated by VC/NVA and executed and 3,000 missing after Hue was captured by VC/NVA and civilians massacred by USAns in the area of Son My village, incl. 175-200 in My Lai hamlet, 1968 and victims of pesticides and indescriminate American bombing and indiscriminate Communist rocketing, artillery and terrorism. death in prison death after or during relocation -
-I quit calculating. They are numbered sometimes in the hundreds as murders and some as half millions as in 12 million civilians in the country of Laos alone.

That's why folks are concerned about death tole. We don't want these numbers to be an every day occurance in our kids' minds like they were for us listening to the news and finding out the other totals after that war.

saltwn · #3 (**permalink**) 03-27-2008, 09:29 PM

How many US soldiers died in the Vietnam War?
58,196

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