Has the Pentagon lied about the number of war dead?

[proud2BlibKansan]

Someone told me today that they heard that we have lost at least 4000 in Iraq. She said that if a soldier is injured in Iraq and is taken to a hospital elsewhere, and dies there, that death is not counted. So all the soldiers who have died in Germany and back here in the states from war injuries are not counted as Iraq war deaths.

Anyone else hear this? I think I remember reading a thread on this topic a while ago.

[librechik]

1. all I know is if the Chimp says something (like the number of dead)

you can be sure it is a lie.

[Cleita]

2. Randi Rhodes touched on it today.

She also mentioned videos that the opposition sell showing the heads of those who have been beheaded and one with a blond, American looking man who had been disembowled, yet the army claims that those dead were killed in combat and not otherwise.

[evermind]

3. This was debunked before. Soldiers dying in Germany are

being counted.

I haven't got the link to prove it, I'm afraid, but my memory is clear.

Also, there was a story originating from the Puerto Rican press that alleged many more soldiers died under US command than had been admitted, but it turned out they were referring to Iraqi nationals under US command...

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Thanks

[matt819]

7. Deaths in Germany are counted

Here's the link: http://icasualties.org/oif/Dow.aspx.

Of course, that leads to the next question. What about deaths in the US or elsewhere from injuries sustained in Iraq.

Of course, let's not forget the wounded: http://icasualties.org/oif/woundedchart.aspx. The total, incidentally, is 13,877.

And reports in the MSM have periodically reported that the injuries sustained in this war are far worse than those in other wars.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. Yes, deaths in the US from wounds sustained in Iraq are counted.

A couple of them at Bethesda have died this month and are listed by icasualties for this month: http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=8-2005

No. 824-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 11, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Benson, 40, of Winona, Minn., died on Aug. 10 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of injuries sustained on Aug. 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, where a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck his convoy. Benson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 78th Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at [phone].

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050811-4401.html

No. 807-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 8, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Gunnery Sgt. Terry W. Ball Jr., 36, of East Peoria, Ill., died Aug. 5 from wounds received as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Karmah, Iraq, on June 12. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Media with questions about this Marine can call the 2nd Marine Division Public Affairs Office at [phone].

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050808-4381.html

A good way to look at those is to click on "view fatality names and details" http://icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx and then apply the filter with USA as country of death. I come up with 38 names when I do this, of soldiers who have mostly died in various stateside military hospitals.

There may be some dying that aren't getting reported, but there doesn't seem to be any policy in place to not report the ones who die of their injuries once they get to the states.

[Coastie for Truth]

5. Ray Taliafero (KGO 810, San Francisco) has been saying this for some time

Apparently there's a DOD web site buried deep down in the DOD byzantine puzzle palace that has this data daily.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Interesting

Is he credible?

[Coastie for Truth]

11. Ray says

DOD calls them "training deaths" or "accidents in Kuwait"

During VietNam if a soldier with a combat wound was medevaced to the US - and got a staph infection at an Army hospital in the US - and died -- that was a Viet Nam "combat" death. But not in this war.

This goes beyond Bushco credibility - to eligibility for various Federal and State benefits and various private insurance payment options.

[wli]

8. they're guaranteed fake but that's not how they do it

I'm not sure how they're rigging it, but the word is that it's really something like 9000.

[evermind]

9. So, you really think 7,000 families are covering up the deaths

of their own sons and daughters?

Personally, I find that more than a little preposterous.

Is there any credible source for that allegation?

[wli]

10. no, there are no credible sources

The word is people are trying to get together and independently estimate the number of dead since the "official numbers" are pure BS. I don't expect it to really be very useful as a ballpark estimate but it has been put out as a suspected number. The 9000 number was cited on an earlier DU thread.

I don't have any real guess myself, apart from "it's obviously getting covered up and the numbers must be higher than the official figures."

[evermind]

13. But hold on, the names of all the dead are reported. All you need ...

... is for a family who has lost their child to look up their name on one of the lists (like at http://cryptome.org/mil-dead-iqw.htm for example) and find it's not there - coverup blown.

I can certainly understand reasons to suspect that the figures are skewed, but I can't see how a coverup can rely on 7,000 families on such a sensitive matter, and have any hope of succeeding for 3 years. Just wouldn't work (which is probably the only reason we do have the real figures!)

[wli]

14. we still don't know who realy killed JFK

I don't see any reason why 7000 or some other large number of Iraq war deaths couldn't be covered up.

[evermind]

17. It's down to numbers

in intelligence circles it's a truism that the larger the number of people you're relying on, the more chance of leaks. That's why they do this thing called compartmentalisation, need to know, etc.

A group of 50 is already considered hopelessly risky... 7,000? No way to keep it quiet.

As for JFK - you can bet that if there was a conspiracy at work, it involved less than 50 people, since we still don't really know what happened.. ;-)

[kansasblue]

16. You are right evermind. We go through this topic about

every two weeks. Here we go again. 7000 people don't mind that their son/daughter died from the Iraq war? Not one complained? They weren't shown on Nightline?, no pic in the paper?

I don't buy it. Not one bit of proof yet. I'm not saying this admin would never do it, and I'd be quick to believe it is someone had some info..... but there is nothing.

[shraby]

12. If this administration hadn't lied about

absolutely everything, we could believe the figures. But considering the b.s. that comes down the pike even the death count is suspect.