Reply #9: Thanks all--now I think I'm more confused than before. [View All]

[Jackpine Radical]

I've often wondered if there were some way for them to be hiding the true number. Maybe telling some of the families that the names of their lost loved ones can't be released for security reasons?

And if, as has often been suggested, the ones who die after being evacked to Germany or wherever aren't counted, how are the families handling that? "Our boy was sounded in Iran but died in Germany. Therefore he isn't an Iraq war fatality."--Maybe that's the way it works: "No we didn't put Johnny on the KIA list because he died in Germany." Maybe there are a lot more "died in Germany" & therefore uncounted deaths than is actually the case--i.e. Junior got his head blown off in Iraq but got pronounced dead in Germany, so the family is told that he was wounded but later died in Germany or Bethesda & therefore wasn't listed KIA.