Daily U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq - 505 U.S. service members have died

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_deaths&cid=540&ncid=1473

As of Friday, Jan. 23, 505 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq (news - web sites), according to the military. Of those, 349 died as a result of hostile action and 156 died of non-hostile causes, the department said. snip

Since May 1, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 367 U.S. soldiers have died — 234 as a result of hostile action and 133 of non-hostile causes, according to an AP analysis of releases from the Defense Department and U.S. Central Command.

Since the start of military operations, 2,519 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department's figures. Non-hostile injured numbered 397.

more

[fishguy]

1. Two more today in a helicopter crash around Mosul

Cause undetermined

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. I think it took me longer

to get to over 500 posts at DU.

[ninkasi]

3. Each and every one of those deaths...

and the deaths of all the Iraqis killed, are the fault of the pResident of the United States. As tragic as the deaths are, imagine the grieving that their families and friends are going through. Imagine the hell on earch that has become the lot of so many of the horribly wounded who come back.

I have never wanted anything so badly as for Chimp and his gang of criminals to be voted out in 2004. They have caused enormous pain and suffering world-wide.

[Hekate]

4. Landstuhl has received over 8,000 sick and injured; suicides too

It took me a couple of months to track down a rumor from a vet friend of mine, but finally another vet sent me the article below. Those who die from "non-combat related" injuries may be suicides rather than Humvee rollovers.

There is still a two-tier medical treatment and rehab system in the US for Regular Army vs. National Guards and Reserves -- survivors are often severely maimed (the wonders of medical science can save many who would have died of their injuries in WW I and WW II) but non-Reg Army are warehoused at places like Ft. Stewart, GA. Good luck trying to get in for a visit.( http://www.upi.com/index.cfmhttp://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031017-024617-1418r "Sick, wounded U.S. troops held in squalor") The Chickenhawk in Chief has yet to attend a funeral, even at Arlington Cemetary, and photographs of the bodies returning to the US in their "transfer tubes" are strictly verboten.

I hate these unspeakable SOBs. They treat our young like so many GI Joe action figures -- play with 'em until they're broken, then toss 'em in the discard pile. The Chimp in Charge even has his own flight suit to play in.

Write your friends, your newspapers, and your congressman and senators. Just keep it out there, and vote Bush the hell out of the White House.

Hekate

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/dec2003/suic-d05_prn.shtml

Alarming rise in suicides among US troops in Iraq
By Jeff Riley
5 December 2003



The deaths of at least 17 US troops in Iraq—15 Army personnel and two Marines—have been confirmed as suicides over the past seven months, according to a recent Associated Press review of Army casualty reports. Nearly all of the suicides have occurred since May 1, when the Bush administration declared an end to major combat operations.

This number represents more than 10 percent of non-combat deaths there. According to one estimate, US troops in Iraq are committing suicide at three times the usual rate. Dozens of other deaths are currently under investigation, and the real number of suicides could be significantly higher. Over 500 soldiers have recently been evacuated from Iraq for mental health reasons. The Army has sent a team of mental health specialists to Iraq to assess what is perceived as a growing problem of both depression and suicide.

As of December 3, there have been 441 soldiers killed... Of these deaths, 154 are being categorized as "non-hostile." The Pentagon has released the figure of just over 2,145 wounded, 351 of them in "non-hostile" incidents. Out of these injuries, 20 percent have suffered severe brain injuries, and many are left with disabling and disfiguring wounds, including amputations.

It is also widely acknowledged that this is a small portion of the troops suffering serious medical problems in Iraq. As of November 20, the Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany had received 8,093 injured or sick troops for treatment, many for mental health problems.


~~~The US flag is not a corporate logo for Bush-Cheney, Inc.~Hekate~~~

[Hekate]

5. Arlington West project reflects number of war dead

I tried to append a photo of a Santa Barbara, California project called Arlington West but couldn't figure out how, so I'll just direct you to the VFP website.

Every Sunday since Nov. 9, 2003, a virtual graveyard has been installed at the beach next to a major tourist attraction, Stearns Wharf. 500+ crosses is an amazing sight, and a lot of people stop to talk and participate by laying flowers there or by writing the name of one of the fallen on a card and affixing it to a cross.

The cross may not be my symbol, but it is almost universally understood as a symbol of mourning and respect in a context such as this.

And damn, most of them are so young. May their rest be gentle.


Go here and click on the large photo of AW:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Default.htm
which will take you here:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Arlington_west_121003.htm
Scroll down the page for all the photos, then go back up to follow the links on how to do this in your own town.

[saigon68]

6. Powerful Photographs