Peace Movement Gears Up for Global Protests on War Anniversary

[struggle4progress]

Katherine Stapp

NEW YORK, Feb 24 (IPS) - At Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. army installation in the world and home to the famed 82nd Airborne Division, the mood is not exactly buoyant.

''There are people here who are being deployed for the third time,'' said Lou Plummer, a veteran with a son on active duty. ''At least 50 people from the base have been killed in Iraq.''

The total U.S. death toll since the start of the war is now 1,480, according to Pentagon officials. As for the number of civilians killed, the British group Iraq Body Count estimates a figure between 16,000 and 18,000.

In a sign of mounting discontent, the military also concedes that about 5,500 servicemen have deserted, although Plummer believes the real number is probably much higher. <snip>

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