Context - The big picture on American deaths in Iraq [Excellent]

National Review ^ | August 28, 2003 | Michael Novak

[SAMWolf]

Bumping for a good read.

[HiJinx]

I noticed that this morning when Carl Rochelle was reporting on MSNBC. He was practically gloating over the fact that we've had more combat casualties now than we did in the 40 days prior to the 'end of major combat ops'.

What a Clymer.

[dwd1]

This article seems very fair and balanced concerning the numbers in Iraq... It also reminds us that someone's son or daughter is behind those numbers. Politician's typically like to fight wars with other people's money and other people's children... Let us remember to keep the pressure on the politicians to remember that we want them home as soon as the job is done...

[HiJinx]

Even though the page says you need to be a registered user, I managed to access the public database without providing a userId/pwd combination. It's worth looking at, I suppose!

[Ryan Bailey]

'Operation Iraqi Freedom', was one of the most succesful American Military operations of all time (I would consider it's technical point of victory as April ninth, V-I Day, when the capitol city capitulated to Coalition Forces). I subsequently caused a great media controversey when in an article of mine printed in 'The Glassboro Whit' in May, I called the Operation, "arguably the greatest feat of arms since Cortes". I still hold to this and to the basic fact that the Operation was executed flawlessly, much to the dismay of our liberal sector. Today hardly any liberals will even admit that they were wrong when predicting impending doom for any liberating army. Instead they now seek to deflect attentions from their miscalculation and sedition by accusing President Bush and accusing our Valiant Military Heroes of 'losing the peace'. Today the peace in Iraq is not ours to lose. Peace and deliverance from a dictatorial regime based upon the third reich, is a gift of the United States to the people of Iraq, and it is they who must decide how to receive it.
As to the present mortality statistics in Iraq, they are almost negligible compared to the 'democrat wars' of the past. Bob Dole was indeed correct when he pointed out that the dead in all the democrat wars in the past century were extremely many and almost intolerable, why would America want as it's leading party one which had delivered the death of so many of her sons in the name of international socialism. Today's soldier in Iraq is exponentially safer than one fighing in one of the democrat wars of the twentieth century, and President Bush would, at this rate, by my estimation have to remain in office for several centuries to catch up in body count to the likes of Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson. This does not keep current liberals from supporting such grossly inhuman efforts as bushbodycount.com and accusing our National Heroes of incompetence and gross misdeeds although no Republicans made such dissent against any democrat Cdr. in Chf. The unity of a nation at war cannot be over-estimated, and it is just this that the Democratic Party is trying to steal from us, just as they have taken so much else since establishing socialism in this country. Todays crop of Democratic Presidential Candidates, nine give or take that Lying Traitor Gen. Wesley "Benedict Arnold" Clark is, as our friend Enterprise points out, not only lacking in support for our Forces and our Commander in Chief, but actively supporting the enemy. As such these are definitely collaborators with the enemy and arguably de facto terrorists. They are also treasonous and should be respected as such.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Some have been doing comparisons - James Taranto at Opinion Journal:

Here are some more numbers to put things in perspective. The Des Moines Register dubs Afghanistan a "quagmire" because more than 60 U.S. servicemen have died there. The U.S. Army Web site reports that in that branch of the military alone, 178 people died in accidents in fiscal 2003. The Office of the Secretary of Defense links to a chart (PDF form) of total U.S. mliitary casualties world-wide. In 2000--before the intervention in Afghanistan--they numbered 774, of which more than half were accidental. In 2002, the total casualty figure was up to 1,007, again more than half accidental.~ James Taranto, Opinion Journal, July 3,  2003.

*****
....and SOD Rumsfeld:

http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/2003/sp20030527-secdef0245.html.

Remarks as delivered by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, New York, NY, Tuesday, May 27, 2003.

 

"Let me just say a word about looting.  I asked the other day to get me some statistics -- you saw the looting that took place in Turkey after the earthquake, and you remember what happened in the -- after the riots in Los Angeles.  And we know what happens in a football game or a soccer game in England.  I said, "Take several cities and bulk them up to fit the size of Baghdad."  And so they took Albuquerque, New Mexico.  And the average number of murders per month in Albuquerque, if it were the size of Baghdad, would be 50 a month. And the numbers of robberies and larceny and theft would be 33,000 a month.  And these are from the Albuquerque Police Department. Now, the actual were four murders a month last year, but if you bulk it up to the size of Baghdad, it would be 50.  Los Angeles, it was averaging 54 a month, which in the size of Baghdad, would be 82 murders a month and 19,696 larcenies, thefts and so forth. New York would be something like 34 murders a month.  Washington, D.C., where I live -- 215.  If it were the size of Baghdad, it would be 215 murders a month, and 31,700 robberies, larcenies and burglaries.

            "Now, we, apparently, have learned to live with that.  And we didn't have 100,000, plus or minus, criminals disgorged out of every prison in our country.  And it seems to me we need to put these numbers in context a little bit -- just a little bit."

            "Paris would be 93 -- and 36,148 larcenies and thefts." 

*****
The press bashes them for being 'uncaring'.

I have been bashing the press, calling them to account and posting stats for a few weeks, getting the word out to the troops as best I can. I update my homepage daily and post security recaps regularly.

8 Last two weeks in Iraq - a recap of our military's outstanding security efforts  - 8/16/03
8 Analysis of US Casualties in Iraq by Week and Month - post Baghdad Liberation Day - 8/8
8 Last week in Iraq - a recap of our military's outstanding security efforts - CENTCOM + commentary - 8/2
8 ONE DAY IN IRAQ 
8 Our troops took out FAR more bad guys this week. - 7/16

The rest of the story, once again for the press:

Iraq is about the size of California.

Iraq has a population of over 24 million. Baghdad, a population of over 5 million.

 

We have over 150,000 U.S. troops stationed in and around Iraq. (today, around 139,000)

 

Saddam - and other enemies of America - poured weapons into Iraq before the war - filling schools and warehouses and hospitals across the country - within easy reach of even the children. The vast majority of Iraqi people chose not to fight.

 

A small percentage of Saddam loyalists and terrorist wannabes remain - tens of thousands of some of the nastiest low-lifes in history. They have no future in Iraq. OUR press and policiticians give these bad guys false hope daily - every time they hype casualties and ignore the successes of our troops.

 

CLUE for the press and the DEMS - the troops KNOW why they are in Iraq. They aren't risking their lives because of 16 words or 28 pages or because Clinton bombed the Sudan aspirin factory after Monica's grand jury testimony and incited the Taliban jihad against America. When OUR press and politicians exaggerate the dwindling enemy's strength and call four months of outstanding work in Iraq a 'failure of the peace', THEY - and not the troops, the military leaders or the President - threaten the peace.

 

During the two weeks of August 1 - August 14:  17 soldiers died (10 due to hostile action), 29 soldiers were wounded serving their country in Iraq.

 

Over 149,954 U.S. troops responded, as always, with focus, determination, and honor - on behalf of their comrades and country.

 

Quagmire, guerilla warfare, mass US casualties?  No.

 

Not now, not yesterday....in spite of the deliberate efforts of the press, the UN, international socialist NGOs and the Democratic Party of America to undermine the President, the troops, the country, and the will of the people by misrepresenting the situation on the ground to the watching world daily for five months and 9 days - and counting.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I subsequently caused a great media controversey when in an article of mine printed in 'The Glassboro Whit' in May, I called the Operation, "arguably the greatest feat of arms since Cortes". I still hold to this and to the basic fact that the Operation was executed flawlessly, much to the dismay of our liberal sector.

Well said, and thank you for doing so!

Many of us on the homefront in America and around the world are ONTO the "press". We are finding and sharing the NEWS from the troops, DOD, CENTCOM - bypassing the press.

We learned much from the Vietnam vets. We have the internet today, and e-mail. In this post-911 world, with our honorable troops facing serious lowlifes daily, we are not appeasing domestic enemies.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

kattracks posted that she heard a Tokyo Rose broadcast recently - intentionally undermining the morale of our troops - and it sounded just like the AMERICAN mainstream media today.

OUR press's misreporting this war is the biggest scandal of my life, imho. Watergate's a parking ticket compared with what the left is willing to do to our national security, our national sovereignty and our military men and women to win an election.

[Peach]

Bump for a great post and important links. Thanks for all you do. Our work here at home is to support our troops, keep up our own morale, and stand by our moral convictions. You have achieved our goals and continue to do so each day. Kudos.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

That's over 100,000 accidental deaths in the US in the general population in one year.

U.S. is a quagmire? Who knew!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you for the kind words, Peach. It's CENTCOM's fault. Once we followed the briefings and reports daily at the OIF thread, the press accounts demanded attention.

It was either act or shoot my TV. (^;

[CGVet58]

hey RC, another wonderful article!! tx again,\


Juan

[dwd1]

Have you ever heard the expression... "God and the devil are in the details..."

Sounds like there are those who may be afraid of both....

[Only1choice____Freedom]

There are basically two groups who desperately want as many American military deaths and injuries as possible in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice that both groups are diminishing daily in stature and numbers.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

BUMP

[TheDon]

100,000 per year. As a ball park figure, if we know the US population and the military population, we can compute the number of accidental deaths in the military per year. Not the actual figure, but just a number to compare it to the general population and what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[TheDon]

Thanks for the info. One suspects as much. The US media organizations do not serve the public well at all.

[TheDon]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[Marysecretary]

Great post, Cowgirl. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Marysecretary]

We had one area man who died right after he got home from Iraq from a heart attack. Very sad.