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Study: 20 percent of war deaths are blacks
The Commercial Appeal ^ | 4/12/03 | Thomas Hargrove

Posted on 04/12/2003 5:32:41 AM PDT by GailA

Study: 20 percent of war deaths are blacks

By THOMAS HARGROVE April 11, 2003

Nearly a fifth of the fatalities among U.S. troops in the current war in Iraq are black, which will be the highest cost African Americans have paid in any of America's wars if the trend continues.

There are also indications that Hispanics may be over-represented among the war dead, according to a Scripps Howard News Service study.

This isn't the result of minorities being assigned to dangerous duty in front-line units. Elite combat troops like Special Forces units and the Green Berets are disproportionately white, military experts said. The U.S. Army's dash to Baghdad forced supply convoys occasionally to traverse enemy-held territory in southern and central Iraq, leaving minority troops assigned to logistical units vulnerable.

"We opened ourselves up to this by driving forward, leaving long logistical supply lines that must travel territory that we do not militarily control," said David Segal, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Research on Military Organization. "But our combat doctrine is one of deep intrusion after all, to go after the command-and-control centers of our enemies."

The study was based on an analysis of the 105 fatalities identified by the Defense Department as deaths related to the war as of April 10. Scripps Howard was able to determine the race of 98 of these, of whom 19 were African American.

"I was not aware of this and am surprised by it," said Julian Bond, national chairman of the NAACP. "I knew that black soldiers were concentrated in the non-combat positions of the military, which makes this all the more surprising. But clearly, these support troops were subjected to battle conditions unexpectedly."

The study found the race of 19.4 percent of all fatalities in which race was able to be determined was black. African Americans represent 13 percent of the U.S. population and 20 percent of all military personnel.

"African Americans are, relatively speaking, over-represented in the military. But the real point of the spear, groups like Special Ops, are almost lily white," Segal said. "It is just that in the kind of war we are fighting, there is no insulation for people in the rear areas from death or injury."

Three of the dead black soldiers - Spec. Jamaal Addison of Roswell, Ga., Pfc. Howard Johnson of Mobile, Ala., and Pfc. Brandon Sloan of Bedford, Ohio - were killed March 23 when a convoy of supply troops from the Army's 507th Maintenance Co. were ambushed Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Those three and nine others were killed either by enemy gunfire during convoy duty or by accidents while driving military vehicles. The remaining seven are reported to have died in what appear to be non-convoy related combat encounters.

The study also found that 14 of the dead troops (or 14.3 percent) have Hispanic surnames and may consider themselves to be Hispanic. Fewer than 8 percent of all military personnel are Hispanic, according to the Defense Department. However, military experts warn that this is a difficult statistic to prove unofficially since ethnicity is self-defined.

For example, Mexican-born Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar of Escondido, Calif., who died March 30 when the First Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion encountered enemy fire, is officially Hispanic only if he identified himself on military records as Hispanic.

It seems likely, however, that fatalities among black and Latino troops will hit new highs in the second Iraqi war since both groups experienced steadily increasing percentages of combat-related deaths in recent wars.

Very few blacks and Hispanics were assigned to front-line combat units during World War II. According to a study released by the Pentagon's Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, blacks accounted for 8.4 percent of all military deaths during the Korean War.

"Korea was the war during which we racially integrated the military and so African American casualties started to increase," Segal said. "They actually approached parity (with population percent) during the Vietnam War."

The Pentagon estimates that 12.4 percent of the combat deaths in Vietnam were among blacks, almost exactly the percentage of blacks in the American population. In the 1991 Persian Gulf War blacks accounted for 17.3 percent of fatalities.

Hispanic casualties, although difficult to calculate exactly, also appear to be rising. Soldiers who identified themselves either as Hispanic or partially Hispanic represented 2.4 percent of deaths in Korea, 0.6 percent in Vietnam and 4.1 percent during the first Persian Gulf War.

(e-mail hargrovet(at)shns.com)


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: blacks; deaths; iraqifreedom; naacp; stats; war
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To: GailA
We forgot to drop the leaflets that told the Iraqi troops that in order to curry favor with the PC crowd, they had to choose their targets according to the quota system. We should have demanded affirmative action from the Iraqi killers.

Actually, when reexamined, maybe the Iraqis got it right. If the U of M can award extra points for skin color, then maybe the Iraqis can, too. White people killed should count double. Then the quotas might break perfectly.
21 posted on 04/12/2003 6:00:02 AM PDT by randita
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To: 11th Earl of Mar
For a long time, I've been listing my race as "human" on just about any form I get my hands on. I've also considered what you suggest. Tell them to prove otherwise. It would make an interesting court case.
22 posted on 04/12/2003 6:00:21 AM PDT by FreedomPoster
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To: GailA
100 percent of the fatalities among U.S. troops in the current war in Iraq are American heroes who died selflessly to free Iraq and protect Americans.

They deserve our gratitude and respect.
23 posted on 04/12/2003 6:01:03 AM PDT by Samwise (Thank God for our troops!)
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To: GailA
Then the other EIGHTY PERCENT were NON-BLACK, correct?
24 posted on 04/12/2003 6:01:19 AM PDT by WIladyconservative
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To: 11th Earl of Mar
Better yet we can now accuse Iraq soldiers of being racist because they target blacks and hispanics more than whites. Yet another war crime to add to an aver growing list.

We need to spread the word because a majority of blacks ( something like 70%) are against the war. Once we point out that Iraq's are targeting blacks more than whites maybe we can change their mind.

25 posted on 04/12/2003 6:03:12 AM PDT by OneVike
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To: GailA
First, thanks be to God for the soldiers who have performed so well in this conflict. God bless the families of those who have lost thier kin as they left their blood in the dirt of a far away dusty land. Whatever the color of their skin, I am humbled by their service. That said...

Oh boy - thanks for the preview of the content for the Ski and Skinner radio show this weekend. Inquiring minds would like to know what 'color' of the other 80% of the deaths were.

There is going to be such an uproar from the left about every aspect of the war after it is over that I am going to shut the radio off for my own sanity. Wait till Maxine Waters sees this...

A_R

26 posted on 04/12/2003 6:03:33 AM PDT by arkady_renko
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To: GailA
I hate to take up space with this, but maybe it should be included, especially because it lists the circumstances of the deaths.

http://www.boston.com/news/packages/iraq/casualties_names.htm


[snip]

DEATHS:

April 7:

Army Staff Sgt. Lincoln Hollinsaid, 27, Malden, Ill., grenade attack

April 5:

Army Spc. Larry K. Brown, 22, of Jackson, Miss., combat

April 4:

Army Capt. Tristan N. Aitken, 31, State College, Pa., combat

Army Pfc. Wilfred D. Bellard, 20, Lake Charles, La., vehicle fell into ravine

Army Spc. Daniel Francis J. Cunningham, 33, Lewiston, Maine, vehicle fell into ravine

Marine Capt. Travis Ford, 30, Oceanside, Calif., helicopter crash

Marine Cp. Bernard G. Gooden, 22, Mount Vernon, N.Y., combat

Army Pvt. Devon D. Jones, 19, San Diego, vehicle fell into ravine

Marine 1st Lt. Brian M. McPhillips, 25, Pembroke, Mass., combat

Marine Sgt. Duane R. Rios, 25, Hammond, Ind., combat.

Marine Capt. Benjamin Sammis, 29, Rehoboth, Mass., helicopter crash

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fla., combat

April 3:

Marine Pfc. Chad E. Bales, 20, Coahoma, Texas, non-hostile accident

Army Sgt. Wilbert Davis, 40, Hinesville, Ga., vehicle accident

Marine Cpl. Mark A. Evnin, 21, South Burlington, Vt., combat

Army Capt. Edward J. Korn, 31, Savannah, Ga., combat

Army Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais, 23, Ogden, Utah, combat

Army Spc. Ryan P. Long, 21, Seaford, Del., combat

Army Spc. Donald S. Oaks Jr., 20, Harborcreek, Pa., combat

Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn, 36, Longmont, Colo., combat

Army Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, 27, Arvada, Colo., combat

Army Sgt. Todd J. Robbins, 33, Hart, Mich., combat

Marine Cpl. Erik H. Silva, 22, Chula Vista, Calif., combat

April 2:

Army Capt. James F. Adamouski, 29, Springfield, Va., helicopter crash

Marine Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson, 26, Durham, N.C., non-hostile accident

Army Spc. Mathew Boule, 22, Dracut, Mass., helicopter crash

Army Master Sgt. George A. Fernandez, 36, El Paso, Texas

Marine Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner, 19, Ohio City, Ohio, non-combat weapons discharge

Army Chief Warrant Officer Erik A. Halvorsen, 40, Bennington, Vt., helicopter crash.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Jamar, 32, Granbury, Texas, helicopter crash

Army Sgt. Michael Pedersen, 26, Flint, Mich., helicopter crash

Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric A. Smith, 42, Rochester, N.Y., helicopter crash

April 1:

Army Sgt. Jacob L. Butler, 24, Wellsville, Kan., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Maglione, 22, Lansdale, Pa., non-combat weapon discharge

March 31:

Army Spc. Brandon Rowe, 20, Roscoe, Ill., combat

Army Spc. William A. Jeffries, 39, Evansville, Ind., illness

March 30:

Marine Capt. Aaron J. Contreras, 31, Sherwood, Ore., helicopter crash

Marine Sgt. Michael V. Lalush, 23, Troutville, Va., helicopter crash

Marine Sgt. Brian McGinnis, 23, St. Georges, Del., helicopter crash

March 29:

Marine Staff Sgt. James Cawley, 41, Layton, Utah, combat

Army Cpl. Michael Curtin, 23, Howell, N.J., suicide attack

Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon, 19, Conyers, Ga., suicide attack

Army Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon, 20, Palm Bay, Fla., suicide attack

Marine Lance Cpl. William W. White, 24, New York, vehicle accident

Army Sgt. Eugene Williams, 24, Highland, N.Y, suicide attack

March 28:

Army Sgt. Roderic A. Solomon , 32, Fayetteville, N.C., vehicle accident

March 27:

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, Tracy, Calif., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez Del Solar, 20, Escondido, Calif., combat

March 26:

Marine Maj. Kevin G. Nave, 36, White Lake Township, Mich., vehicle accident

March 25:

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, Little Rock, Ark., combat

Marine Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez Flores, 21, Los Angeles, combat

Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., 31, Richmond, Va., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, Santa Rosa, Calif., combat

Marine Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez, 21, New York, combat

Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, Boise, Idaho, grenade attack

March 24:

Marine Cpl. Evan James, 20, La Harpe, Ill., drowned in canal

Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 29, Davenport, Iowa, drowned in canal

Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, Hobart, Ind., combat

March 23:

Army Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, 22, Roswell, Ga., combat

Marine Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, Ventura, Calif., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, Cedar Key, Fla., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, Fort Myers, Fla., combat

Marine Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, Costa Mesa, Calif., combat

Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles, combat

Army Pfc. Howard Johnson II, 21, Mobile, Ala., combat

Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Enfield, Conn., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, Gallatin, Tenn., combat

Marine 2nd Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, Tonopah, Nev., combat

Marine Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, San Diego, combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, 22, Thornton, Colo., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, Yuma, Ariz.

March 22:

Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, La Mesa, Calif., helicopter collision

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, Buffalo, N.Y., machine gun accident

Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, Easton, Pa., grenade attack

Army Reserve Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19, Portland, Ore., vehicle accident

March 21:

Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, Waterville, Maine, helicopter crash

Marine Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, St. Anne, Ill., helicopter crash

Marine 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, Harrison County, Miss., combat

Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 28, Los Angeles, combat

Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston, helicopter crash

Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, Baltimore, helicopter crash

Date not given:

Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, Broken Arrow, Okla., combat

Army Sgt. Stevon Booker, 34, Apollo, Pa.

Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, Smithville, Mo., vehicle accident

Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas, combat

Army Sgt. George Edward Buggs, 31, Barnwell, S.C., combat

Army Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland, combat

Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas, combat

Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, Pecos, Texas, combat

Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, Tuba City, Ariz., combat

Army Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio, combat

Army Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Kansas City, Mo., combat

27 posted on 04/12/2003 6:04:34 AM PDT by syriacus (The Palestine Hotel sniper probably used a silencer, if he had ANY brains.)
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To: 11th Earl of Mar
How about an international law barring the killing of enemy forces unless it is done according to a strict racial quota...

Hmmmmmm... you may have something here. Smart bombs that could detect the race/sex of the person on the ground. The UN should start drafting new regulations now.

28 posted on 04/12/2003 6:04:38 AM PDT by Drango (Two wrongs don't make a right...but three lefts do!)
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To: GailA
,African Americans are, relatively speaking, over-represented in the military.

And the NBA, NFL, MLB, and the Centcom briefing team. Get a clue.

29 posted on 04/12/2003 6:05:12 AM PDT by RGSpincich
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To: homeagain balkansvet
Alternative headline: 80% killed were white! Will we now have quotes in the military instead of the best person for the job? I agree with a previous post that if the media would stop breaking things down as to race and quit giving every crackpot that opens their mouth media time a lot of the racial tension would disappear. Who cares what the race was? They were Americans!!
30 posted on 04/12/2003 6:06:41 AM PDT by Conservative Kay
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To: GailA
Study: 20 percent of war deaths are blacks

80% of reporters/editors are idiots.

31 posted on 04/12/2003 6:07:42 AM PDT by Drango (Two wrongs don't make a right...but three lefts do!)
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To: jimtorr
...Is Segal implying some sort of nefarious discrimination schemes here, or what?....

He is scheming to extract more of American resources to prop up the failed intercity black neighborhoods. Guilt is assuaged with money. He wants money.A few dead black people are worth mega bucks. The man is reprehensable.

32 posted on 04/12/2003 6:08:06 AM PDT by bert (Don't Panic !)
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To: syriacus
Am I mistaken, or does it look like a disproportionate percent of officers were killed?
33 posted on 04/12/2003 6:16:17 AM PDT by syriacus (The Palestine Hotel sniper probably used a silencer, if he had ANY brains.)
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To: GailA
May I suggest another title for this piece?

20% of America's Heroes are black!

34 posted on 04/12/2003 6:16:29 AM PDT by M.K. Borders
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To: OneVike
What realy gets there crank is we rescued the wrong female soldier.

The folks angry about her rescue should aim their anger at the Iraqi lawyer who told the coalition forces where she was being held (while she was being tortured).

35 posted on 04/12/2003 6:20:47 AM PDT by syriacus (The Palestine Hotel sniper probably used a silencer, if he had ANY brains.)
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To: GailA
Brnet Bozell's excellent organization Media Research Center actually did research on journalists in their book And That's the Way it Isn't, and discovered some fascinating stats:

- 64% of journalists came from only 3 states (NY, NJ, Penn)

- 2/3 of journalists came from families that were in the top 10% of the financial bracket (translation: rich kids)

- over 84% of journalists admitted to seldom or never attending church

36 posted on 04/12/2003 6:24:20 AM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (Compassionate Conservative Curmudgeon)
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To: M.K. Borders
"May I suggest another title for this piece?

20% of America's Heroes are black!"


Great point and deserves repeating!

The race baiters will never stop. The glass is always half full or empty with them.
37 posted on 04/12/2003 6:24:26 AM PDT by demkicker (I wanna kick some commie butt)
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To: GailA
"The Pentagon estimates that 12.4 percent of the combat deaths in Vietnam were among blacks, almost exactly the percentage of blacks in the American population."

In trying to make his point that this war is racist, the author disproves the liberal lie that a higher percentage of black servicemen were killed in Vietnam.
38 posted on 04/12/2003 6:39:50 AM PDT by ChipShot
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To: GailA
Another aniti-American liberal rant.

It's the poor, underpriviledged, underrepresented minorities who do the fighting and dying for this country. They are too stupid to resist the blandishments of the military recruiters and advertising. They have no other hope of improving their life. Guess the poor and downtrodden can thank their public schools for failing to give them other options.

We should be taking pride in the men and women who protect our freedoms. Today's volunteers are better educated and motivated. OOHRAH.
39 posted on 04/12/2003 6:43:30 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine's brother (What does the term utilitarian war mean?)
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To: Drango
Oh, come on, guys. The best way to destroy this argument is with mathematics. Out of 250,000 combat troops, 100 have died. That is too small a statistical sample to mean anything. And 60 or so were non-combat related -- mostly vehicle accidents. That reduces the sample even further. This is just laughable, except for what one poster already said: Color blindness doesn't pay. It's a scam.
40 posted on 04/12/2003 6:45:11 AM PDT by MoralSense
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