[FreedomCalls]

Iwo Jima: 6,318 U.S. Marines dead among the 25,581 casualties for a single island.

Okinawa: 12,000 Army, Navy, and Marines dead among 36,000 casualties in yet another battle in a larger war.

We've had casualties before. We'll have more before Baghdad is freed. It won't stop us.

[LenS]

Those islands were not urban environments. The US track record in cities in WWII, Korea and Vietnam is very good. We tend to stand back and blow the hell out of buildings holding the enemy.

The caves of those Pacific islands were harder nuts to crack for heavy artillery and air attacks. Small openings compared to buildings. Plus, near misses didn't cause the ground around them to collapse as they would for buildings. Also, urban environments also provide a lot of cover for attackers to get up closer than one could in Okinawa.

Finally, friendly fire seemed to have caused a very high percentage of casualties in those battles. Our own naval bombardments and air attacks were very dangerous to our troops in that type of hilly terrain.

[Illbay]

The thing about it is, we have left a lot of dead on battlefields where we didn't have an urgent danger to our Republic involved in that fight.

This is different. I think we all agree that Saddam Hussein represents a DIRECT THREAT to us, and the consensus on FR at least is that he should have been taken out twelve years ago.

This is unfinished business, and if it costs some of the best blood of the rising generation to accomplish, isn't that what our military is for?

Sorry if this offends, but there was a time when such sentiments would have gone without saying.

[sam_paine]

We've had casualties before. We'll have more before Baghdad is freed. It won't stop us.

I wonder if that US blood is the sacrifice at the alter of credibility owed to make up for the cruise-missile lobbing Clintoons?

I mean, the terrorists continue to think we're weak livered, and that's why UBL attacked WTC, Saddam bullied the UN and Kim Jong Dong is launching missiles.

Sadly, maybe only a swath of blood down the highway into baghdad will jerk their respect for the Star-n-Stripes back?