Hackworth: 14,000 casualties in Iraq so far

[mainer]

Iknow not everyone likes Hackworth, but I do think he's brutally honest:

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By David H. Hackworth



Almost daily we’re told that another American soldier has sacrificed life or limb in Iraq. For way too many of us – unless we have a white flag with a blue star in our window – these casualty reports have become as big a yawn as a TV forecast of the weather in Baghdad.



Even I – and I deal with that beleaguered land seven days a week – was staggered when a Pentagon source gave me a copy of a Nov. 30 dispatch showing that since George W. Bush unleashed the dogs of war, our armed forces have taken 14,000 casualties in Iraq – about the number of warriors in a line tank division.



We have the equivalent of five combat divisions plus support for a total of about 135,000 troops deployed in the Iraqi theater of operations, which means we’ve lost the equivalent of a fighting division since March. At least 10 percent of the total number of Joes and Jills available to the theater commander to fight or support the occupation effort have been evacuated back to the USA!




http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Hacks%20Target%20Homepage.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=46&rnd=603.3944573571122

[Frodo]

1. Forget the numbers! That's incredible!

What kinds of protective gear have we got that keeps 19 out of 20 injured soldiers alive?

[wingnut]

2. It's not the gear, for the most part

Althought the newer armor that line troops wear is lightyears ahead of old flak vests.

It is mostly the immensely better emergency medicine, which is also much closer to the action.

[htuttle]

4. Forget the numbers?

How is that supporting the troops, Frodo?

There's a difference between supporting the president, and supporting the troops, you know...

:eyes:

[TacticalPeek]

3. A dismal math.

Hack rings some bells:

"So at the end of this turbulent year, we must ask ourselves: Was the price our warriors paid in blood worth the outcome? Are we any safer
than before our pre-emptive invasion?

Even though Saddam is in the slammer and the fourth-largest army in the world is junkyard scrap, Christmas 2003 was resolutely Orange, and
2004 looks like more of the same. Or worse."

...

"Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and retired Gen. Tommy Franks should be required to report to a congressional committee convened to
investigate both the invasion and the planning – or lack of planning – for the occupation of Iraq."


:evilgrin: