[econ_grad]

Soldiers die in war. Why do you think it makes such a big difference between 1700 or 1791? Are you suggesting there is a conspiracy to underreport only 5% of the fatalities?

[andyk]

U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005.

This is the claim they're trying to make.

[lugsoul]

I don't think that's what his numbers say, though that seems to be what the headline says. Looks more like he is saying it isn't 1700, or 1791, but 7000.

That being said, if medevacs aren't included in the total, that would likely be more than 90 or so. We've had several thousand medevac'd from Iraq, and one could assume they are the serious cases. I doubt the fatality rate would be that low.

[lugsoul]

I'd call 91 soldiers, sailors, and marines a pretty big difference.

But, to answer your question, I'd think that if a program were instituted to limit reporting of casualties there would be no way of knowing, ahead of time, how the numbers would be affected by that program.