America's Lost 3,000 (In Iraq)

Time ^ | December 30, 2006 | NATHAN THORNBURGH

[2ndDivisionVet]

The death toll for U.S. soldiers in Iraq has reached 3,000, a number that's both unbearable and, compared to previous military operations, a pittance.

War can make poets. The British World War I soldier Wilfred Owen had lived as a minor disciple of literary giants until he was thrust into the abattoir of Europe's cataclysmic war to discover the brutal theme of his art. "Nor is it about deeds, or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, might, majesty, dominion, or power, except War," he wrote. "My subject is War, and the pity of War." The war invested meaning into his words, giving them a dark significance that still evokes heartbreak.

But can war provide similar meaning to a number? What can now be derived from reaching the grim milestone of 3,000 American dead in Iraq? The public's contemplation of the number should have little to do with the right or the wrong of American occupation, nor with the viability of that seed of peace America is meant to be sowing there. Wars are always paid in blood and numbered in lives lost, the value of that sacrifice doesn't rise or fall like penny stock depending on the popularity of a mission. The 3,000th death is as the first — dying being the pitiable but inextricable consequence of war.

[popdonnelly]

The loss of anyone is a damn shame. But we'll only make the deaths more tragic if we leave Iraq in chaos.

[Doc91678]

Oddly there are approximately 4,000 Americans murdered in one way or another by illegal aliens in the U.S. every year. I have yet to hear a bleeding heart Liberal complain about that.

[mjaneangels@aolcom]

"As do I. By way of clarification, I am not in any way suggesting that lives were wasted. My point was simply that by simply citing numbers of dead American soldiers ignores the whole of reality...of course sticking their heads in the sand is what liberals excel at. Clearly we can't know the exact numbers of lives saved over the next 50 years, but it's quite possible that hundreds of thousands or maybe even millions have been saved...of course liberals are so irrational they can't grasp such things."

I didn't think your comment had any indication you thought lives were wasted, but I am glad you clarified unless someone else did misunderstand.

[LC HOGHEAD]

3000 DEAD GIs. 50,000,000 FREE PEOPLE. SAD BUT WORTH IT.

[neutronsgalore]

"3000 DEAD GIs. 50,000,000 FREE PEOPLE. SAD BUT WORTH IT."

Worth it if they stay that way. I think they'll end up a totalitarian Iranian puppet-state or disentegrate into full-scale civil war.

[CottShop]

philetus wrote [Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.]

Add to that that 13 people are killed by illegal aliens driving drink EVERY single day- combined with htose murdered EVERY single day by illegals that translates to over 45,000 people killed by illegals since 9/11 http://sacredscoop.com

[CottShop]

nuetron wrote [What a lot of this country can't take, and the MSM does not like to mention, is the manner in which they died. Too many PC restrictions on the troops and too many PC decisions by the higher ranking officers.]

Exactly!!! The same media that is making a huge deal over the 3000 who have bravely sacrificed their lives FOR US on the battlefield are the very media that have caused many of those deaths by making sure our military's hands are tied behind their backs due to political correctness and by villifying our military and turning the public against their efforts and by crying foul constantly and emboldening the terrorists!!!

[neutronsgalore]

"...are the very media that have caused many of those deaths by making sure our military's hands are tied behind their backs due to political correctness and by villifying our military and turning the public against their efforts and by crying foul constantly and emboldening the terrorists!!!"

One of the first signs that made me worried about how it was going to go was when some of the reports about looting after the fall of Baghdad included extensive looting of ammo dumps that went noticed, but unopposed, by US troops. One of the things we knew at the end of WWII with the defeated Japan and Germany, but seemed to have been forgotten, was that freeing a people from oppression doesn't mean you allow disorder and chaos. Order must be maintained, even if it means you have to shoot the very people you freed to prevent damaging looting and rioting. Especially since any form of insurgency will take advantage of that chaos. Another lesson learned, but forgotten, is that you don't take over a nation without the manpower to not only be mobile and smash enemy forces where ever they plant themselves, but also to provide effective defense of all needed infrastructure and captured military facilities/equipment/weapons/ammo etc....

As far as PC responses I know the problem was going to get worse when a supply train was derailed by insurgents and we made no move to prevent looting of the train. I don't care what was on the train, the fact it was supplying US forces was enough to elicit a response such as raking fire from a Spectre gunship or a blanket of napalm over the train and everyone around it.

[do the dhue]

3475 Americans lost their lives for Korean freedom in one month (November, 1950).

Four years in the heart of the Middle East (where they burn my flag and hate my guts) and we lost 3,000 intrepid troops.

Four hours at Antietam produced 22,000 losses. 10,000 Rebels and 12,000 Yankees. That was when real men did battle.

And least we forget the half a million brave Americans gave their lives during the four years of World War II.

I am proud of my Troops. All of them. They have done an outstanding job. I wish the media would recognize (early and often) the great job out Troops have done and are doing. May God Bless our Troops forever.



And what happened to the words of JFK? To bad you can't get TankED Kennedy sober enough to see that his brother wouldn't act like a Commie traitor.

[syriacus]

"to assure the survival of liberty"....
Isn't it funny.....

• Kennedy didn't need to find WMDs to justify going into Vietnam
• Clinton didn't need to find WMDs in the former Yugoslavia and
• Truman didn't need to find WMDs in Korea.

It was "okay" for them to free people. But Bush needs to find WMDs.

[do the dhue]

Clinton

Why haven't we pulled our Troops out of Bosnia. I think we have a small number there. Bring them home. They are not being blown up so they are not needed. My Troops in Iraq are still needed. So, if you want to bring Troops home, look at Bosnia first.

And if one were to you ask me, I'd say the war in Iraq has long been over.

Hussein's Military has not fired a shot since the day we rolled into Country. I have not seen where a uniformed Soldier, a Tank, or an Air Craft has fired upon my Troops. I have only seen terrorist blowing themselves up and setting road side bombs off.

Apparently, the media feels that the only thing left to do is turn Iraq over to the terrorist and pack our stuff and come home?????

[syriacus]

Apparently, the media feels that the only thing left to do is turn Iraq over to the terrorist and pack our stuff and come home?????

They would love to have this be the outcome.

[syriacus]

Another interesting point is to note that the military death rate under Carter--in peacetime--was as high as it is now, in war!

Interesting.

[do the dhue]

They would love to have this be the outcome.

Yep, the media, the leaders of the demoratic party, college professors, hollywood actors, and some commie judges would all enjoy it.

They will enjoy it right up until the time they see the bright light.

[Kenton]

U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000

Not to minimize anything, but Robert E Lee lost more than twice that many in one 45 minute charge on July 3, 1863.

Losses for Iraq have been remarkably light.

[GOPologist]

I'll bet that records of auto accidents in 2006 will reveal that over 40,000 people were killed. This number is one that appears every year for quite a few years.

The public really gets upset about this, right? (sarcasm)

I wish the media would stop writing about the numbers of troops killed in Iraq--servicemen have always been killed in battles. If people had complained about the thousands killed in WW II and we ended the war for that reason, and that reason only, we would all be speaking either Japanese or German today.

[Milligan]

"More people die in Traffic deaths every year in California then died in the 9/11 attacks."


http://www.cacrash.org/f9105.html#fyear

"3,000 people are killed and 180,000 are seriously injured annually on California's highways."

http://www.house.gov/garymiller/TEALUStatement.html

[Sword_Svalbardt]

Because like Lindhberg, Kennedy, and other weak kneed individuals, they cannot pay for what they bought - hence liberals have no ability to back up their desires of peace, and lack the moral inclination to say a simple phrase:

You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?

As you said, and I concur - the cost of freedom is high, always in blood, and never on sale.

Of course liberals are always flapping their lips - they got this way because they were at one time aligned with the Soviets during the cold war, and Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy found them. Which is why they hate the government and the military. Of course the trail of liberalism is long and disappears among the folds of time, but the belief that freedom is free is a simple if not "white" lie.

[T. Rustin Noone]

You're correct. The loss of 3,000 soldiers, airmen, marines is tragic in the personal sense, but militarily insignificant.

According to my calculations, we 'lost' over 2,000 non-combatant civilians in New York City over the same 4-year period.

What is our exit strategy from NYC?

[T. Rustin Noone]

Are you sure? I think I saw that there were over 4,000 crimes against persons (including robbery, rape and assault)