The numbers mount

[frogcycle]

While bush bobs and weaves trying to figure out how to spin the entire planet on an axis of his choosing, the carnage continues:

One of the more poignant of thousands of press releases, referring to three soldiers killed on Christmas day:

"Killed by an IED southwest of the Iraqi capital Dec. 25. The joint patrol was conducting security operations in order to stop terrorists from emplacing roadside bombs in the area. As they conducted their mission, a roadside bomb exploded near one of their vehicles."

I just updated my personal "virtual wall" that I started back in October. As of yesterday the fatalities for December total 95; still short of October's 115, but well above November's 76, lest anyone be deluded into thinking there is any progress whatsoever. Pay a visit, click through to the other sites, read the obituaries, post a message on the "tributes" page.

http://www.dbc3.com/Fallen/


The most recent have limited information available, due largely to the need to wait for notification.

The links on my site lead to:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_current.htm

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html

[frogcycle]

1. and mount

just saw somewhere that Dec is up to 98 now.

I am trying to aggregate info from multiple sites - sometimes one has a photo and background info; sometimes another does. I suppose it is pointless, but somehow I feel compelled to help make the story of each of these lives available - it is far, far too easy for them to just seem like numbers...

[frogcycle]

3. 100 in december

Counting two from Latvia. I guess they make the lie about a "coalition" valid...

eight yesterday, one today...

[frogcycle]

4. correction

100 to-date. This month is now tied for seventh worst since the war began. It clearly will surpass that, probably end up fourth overall, behind Oct 06 which was 115.

of course, the ratio of severely wounded (ie, permanantly damaged, such as amputee) to killed is huge - I forget the ratio but it is something like five to one or worse.

The emergency medical facilities in Iraq are fantastic - they save the lives of severely wounded who would not have survived in earlier wars. I expect that the trauma centers have gotten better with experience as well, probably raising that ratio over the past three years, making the current surge in deaths even more profound. There is probably an even greater surge in severely maimed, like the Esquire coverguy.

[Gayla]

2. Thank you.

[frogcycle]

5. now 103

one of the most recent - killed 12/23.



Most Americans were doing last-minute Christmas shopping and preparing for a holiday with family.

[frogcycle]

6. Call me a cynic...

But in reading the DoD press releases, I detect more than a hint of overt effort to rationalize.

Link



BAGHDAD – An improvised explosive device detonated near a dismounted Multi-National Division - Baghdad patrol, killing two Soldiers southwest of the Iraqi capital Dec. 27.

The unit was conducting a dismounted security patrol on a well-traveled route when a roadside bomb exploded near them; another Soldier was also wounded in the explosion.

In the last two weeks, the unit involved in this attack successfully found multiple roadside bombs and several large weapons caches during ongoing operations aimed at curtailing terrorist activity in the area.

Less than one week prior to this attack, the unit observed terrorists emplacing a roadside bomb alongside a road in the area and successfully detained five suspects. The unit secured the site while an explosive ordnance team successfully disabled the roadside bomb, consisting of two 122mm artillery rounds.

Of course it is good to know that these guys were successful in several missions prior to the one in which they got blown to pieces. But to me its like saying you managed to protect your sand castle from the first wave of the incoming tide before the next one washed it away. And since the IED's and weapons they found were intended for them, the relative numbers don't mean anything. It's not like they saved any lives with those successes. It's like completing several passes before throwing an interception that is returned for a game-winning touchdown. You still lose, and the completed passes are little solace. It's good to know that if they were actually assigned to something like ferreting out terrorists in New York City they would be good at it. Or defending Iraq, for that matter, if a friendly government were under siege. But here they are just defending themselves against the tide.

On the page with the press release is a list of related topics:

* British troops find huge cache
* Coalition forces wound 1 suspected terrorist, capture 8 others
* Marine killed in Al Anbar
* IA Soldiers find munitions, detain terrorists
* Company unearths weapons cache, detains terror suspects
* Coalition Forces stop terrorist IED emplacers
* Pushing freight: ATOC moves cargo quickly
* Two MND-B pilots killed in helicopter crash
* Iraqi Army gain NCOs and new medical facilities
* Saddam faces trial for attacks on Kurds
* Terrorist leader captured
* MND-B Soldiers capture murder suspects
* Iraqis urged to form government; security forces diminish terrorists' supplies
* Iraqi Freedom Day
* Iraqi, Coalition Forces conduct Operation Bastogne


And this tidbit:

Freedom Facts ::
Women comprise 25% of the Iraqi Parliament, which is the highest proportion in the Arab world and one of the largest percentages worldwide.

The DoD Public Affairs folks are soldiering on, trying their damnedest to make the best of this no-win situation. Of course when announcing these tragic deaths, it would be wrong to say something like "more useless slaughter"; that would be horribly hurtful to families and comrades. I suspect, though, that there is more than one DoD employee muttering that they can't see the emperor's clothes.

In VN the primary means of disinformation to rationalize was to claim roughly a 100-1 ratio of enemy killed to our losses. But our sand castle still washed away.

[frogcycle]

7. Now 107