(hey and let's not even talk about the over 600,000 Iraqi casualties)
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/22859US Iraq casualties rise to 55,681
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2007-05-24 03:29. Media
By Michael Munk
US military occupation forces in Iraq suffered at least 209 combat casulties in the week ending May 22, as total casualties reached at least 55,681.The total includes 28,357 killed or wounded by what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and 27, 323 (as of May 3) more casualties from "non-hostile" causes such as accidents, suicides(107) and illness serious enough to require medical evacuation.
US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by routinely reporting only the total killed (3,431) as of May 16 and rarely mentioning the 25,549 wounded in combat. To further minimize public perception of the cost, they cover for the Pentagon by ignoring the 26,701 military victims who suffered "non-hostile" injuries and illness (through May 3), although the 3,431 reported deaths include 623 (up one from last week) who died from those same causes.
Although not defined as "casualties" since they have been discharged from active duty, as of the end of 2006 more than 180,000 U.S. military veterans of Iraq and Afganistan had filed disability claims.
Another group of unreported casualties are the more than 12,971 dead (971) and injured (12,000) "contractors" of American companies through March 31. Since 156 (as of April 3) of the dead are reported as Americans, we can assume the rest are foreign nationals--including everyone from food service workers to military mercenaries.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
