WAR: U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Nears Record

From the war many would like to avoid, as with any war the news is not always good. and really there is no good way to put spin on this kind of news. It has been a near record month in Iraq, a record many hope is not fully broken. The downside of war is the fact that people die. It is worse when you know that those who will pay the ultimate sacrifice for our country are our own. Today news shows that as many as 133 U.S. troops have died in Iraq so far this month only the second time it has topped 100 in any month.




It is a war, people die, they are only seen in the U.S. media as numbers or casualties. I have heard some say that when compared to other wars this one is "nothing"... But is it really?

From rough estimates so far in this war:

1235 Fatalities

4319 Wounded and returned to duty

5007 Wounded

These numbers may seem small to you when compared to other wars. However each one of those numbers above has a face, either have or had a life, family, friends, and stories of the hell that exists in Iraq for every Soldier, Marine or any military personnel.

We do not see the dead come home, as I am sure the current Administration would like to keep it. We do however see numbers.. But to each number belongs an untold story, a life of a human unknown to us but who faced the dangers in Iraq for us in the name of a country, and in a war that many seem to believe now has gone in the wrong direction.

Can the reality of war be hidden in numbers?

Interesting Web Site:

Casualties

[edit on 29-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]

When you attach a name and a face to a number it becomes human and it will get a reaction on the population.

But keeping it as a number we become DE-attach and and desensitized so that is what the government wants for us not to have feelings or reactions to the death.

Our present administration does not want to many feelings running deep in the harts of the American people for the death of our children, husbands, wive and friends.

Originally posted by marg6043
When you attach a name and a face to a number it becomes human and it will get a reaction on the population.

It is that reaction I believe the Bush Administration is most afraid of.. If the humanity of the death of this war shows its ugly face in the U.S. media even more damage to an already unpopular war could occur.

We do not see our dead come home, and for good reason, as far as the Bush adminisration sees it.

Give them numbers not bodies!

Try searching for the key words "US Soldiers Coffins" in a google image search!

War is hell.

Gazz

[edit on 29-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]

You don't see US media any faces to the casualties for the dead Iraqis either, they all are just 'insurgents', not humans. This is just how I see the dead US-soldiers, just cannonfodder, nothing else.

It is war, in war you die.

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
It is that reaction I believe the Bush Administration is most afraid of.. If the humanity of the death of this war shows its ugly face in the U.S. media even more damage to an already unpopular war could occur.
We do not see our dead come home, and for good reason, as far as the Bush adminisration sees it.
Give them numbers not bodies!
Try searching for the key words "US Soldiers Coffins" in a google image search!
War is hell.
Gazz

images.google.com...
Oh My god it only showed up five hits, of those five only one is a US Falg Drapped Coffin... I warned you guys about google man, once they incorporated, they became an arm of the capitalists... A year ago a google search for squibs+WTC gave up thousands upon thousands of hits, check that one out now...

The use of that picture of the coffins aboard that aircraft is not only in bad taste, it is disrespectful to the memory of those who have died and to their families. Moreover, that photo is does not come from the article you posted. The US government has determined that if the media desires photographs of coffins returning from the war, they can be had when the bodies return to the families and the families give their approval.

To use these picture to prove that "war is hell" is disengenous to say the least. The fact that war is hell, is pretty well known, at least, intellectually by anyone who has any education at all and the use of that picture is insult to those of us who have respect for the sacrifice of those who have died, as well as the objectification of these men for a cheap politcal agenda.

Demonstrate some sensitivity and respect, for God's sake.

[edit on 04/11/30 by GradyPhilpott]

It bugs the !#%@ out of me, when I see on CNN, 1 US casualty, national service (funeral) to be held...blah blah blah....Whats that 1 casualty compared to the 100,000 iraqi's that have been killed?

I forgot what else I was going to say. Damn TV.

The used of numbers in a daily base attracts lest attention that using whole numbers for an entire month.

I find sad the lack of interest in this thread, it brings to memory that those that have die for our war in Iraq, are not getting their due respect that the entire nation owns them.

You are wrong Grady the people of our country deserved to have a face next to a number and so the heroes of this war too.

Our nation needs to learn what a war does to our love ones and their families, and they need to see that they are not Numbers but human beings that were our friends, lovers and family.

Most people scream war and lest US fight but they forget of the ones that are sacrificing their lives for those wishes of the ones that stay behind.

Wishing war and attacks bring death and destruction.

Grady :

The use of that picture of the coffins aboard that aircraft is not only in bad taste, it is disrespectful to the memory of those who have died and to their families. Moreover, that photo is does not come from the article you posted. The US government has determined that if the media desires photographs of coffins returning from the war, they can be had when the bodies return to the families and the families give their approval.

And what the US government determines, is what goes. Welcome to Democracy, huh? Just shut up and do what you're told? You would have been an excellent German in the 30's and 40's...

To use these picture to prove that "war is hell" is disengenous to say the least. The fact that war is hell, is pretty well known, at least, intellectually by anyone who has any education at all and the use of that picture is insult to those of us who have respect for the sacrifice of those who have died, as well as the objectification of these men for a cheap politcal agenda.

Demonstrate some sensitivity and respect, for God's sake.

Demonstrate some form of logical reasoning first. This is CENSORSHIP, and like a good little sheep, you follow it.

You are free as an American to have your children go to war for the USA, but they become part and parcel of the US government, and if you want to see their coffin, draped in the US flag, well too frickin bad. Oh but thanks for letting your kid fight and die for "freedom".

How in any way shape or form does that make sense? It's censorship of the worst kind. These people DIED defending something, and now because your government says so, you are not allowed to even see their coffin.

Pathetic is what I call it. Disrespectful to the Service, to the troops, to the American people.

jako

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The use of that picture of the coffins aboard that aircraft is not only in bad taste, it is disrespectful to the memory of those who have died and to their families.

Hrm, didn't this disrespectful issue only come up with this latest war? Last I heard up until recently there was no problem showing images of flag-draped coffins. They were all over the place after 9-11 and the Shuttle crash? Was that all disrespectful too?

I am sure that with the suicide bombing today of the US convoy, the record is now set anew. What would be interesting to note is whether or not those deaths will be recorded for today being the last day of the month.

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
We do not see our dead come home, and for good reason, as far as the Bush adminisration sees it.

Would you say then that they are behaving like every other presidential administration in this respects? The government allways limits footage of coffins returning home in war time, for the very reason you note, because it makes people not want to fight the war anymore. But all of those soldiers had the chance to not fight, even if it meant dishonerable discharge, court martial and imprisonment. They're soldiers, they know that they exist to fight in wars.

No one is happy about any of the deaths, but this war is a tremedously low causualty war. Its a little more than a thousand, thats incredible. In other wars, that many would die in a single battle, let alone during the course of an entire invasion and occupation. The public should feel sorrow and loss at the deaths of these soldiers, and it is a real loss, even if they tend to come from the so called 'lower' levels of society, because they were willing to work for everyone. But the public, honestly, should also be happy that the numbers are so low. If it was a general uprising against the occupation, then it'd be hundreds of thousands, not less than 2 thousand.

GP
they can be had when the bodies return to the families and the families give their approval.

Well there ya go. If they want it then they can have it.

marg
You are wrong Grady the people of our country deserved to have a face next to a number and so the heroes of this war too.

They don't deserve to use that sort of stuff if the family doesn't want them to.

jakomo
This is CENSORSHIP, and like a good little sheep, you follow it

no one denies that its censorship. Why the hell should the government fight a war, and then release footage of this type that will erode support for the war? And, as GP pointed out, the government does not prevent the families from letting the media film the coffins once its given to them. So its a very limited form of censorship.

These people DIED defending something, and now because your government says so, you are not allowed to even see their coffin

Are you even paying atttention to what he wrote? They aren't telling the families that they can't do whatever the hell they want with the coffins.

kano
Last I heard up until recently there was no problem showing images of flag-draped coffins.

It was widely permited and widely used in Vietnam. It contributed to the loss of popular support for the war and the eventual withdrawl.

kano
They were all over the place after 9-11

Because they were citizens and the government wasn't fighting a war and they weren't 'war casualties'

and the Shuttle crash?

Because it had nothing to do with war. They aren't saying 'coffins are obscene, keep them off TV' they're saying, rather specifically, 'we aren't going to basically give you footage that's going to have the ultimate effect of loosing the war for us'. And, agian, once the families have the coffins, they are not obstructed from going on TV with them.

You forgot something Nygdan,

A soldier is the property of the USA onces it signs a contract, and it belongs to it 24 hours a day death or alive what the government does with the soldier the family has not say so in the matter.

When I married my husband the first thing he said to me was that he belong first to the corp and family was second, so it is the government now the one that wants to hide the coffins.

And also when my husband dies in the future he will be put to rest with other soldiers and I have nothing to said on the matter either so we will never lie next to each other after death.

Source


Mar-03 65

Apr-03 73

May-03 37

Jun-03 30

Jul-03 47

Aug-03 35

Sep-03 30

Oct-03 43

Nov-03 82

Dec-03 40

Jan-04 47

Feb-04 20

Mar-04 52

Apr-04 135

May-04 80

Jun-04 42

Jul-04 54

Aug-04 66

Sep-04 80

Oct-04 63

Nov-04 133

Total 1254



Its just numbers right?

Gazz

[edit on 30-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]

Very impressive for a war that was to be a liberation and minor casualties.

But then against for those that support war they take those numbers and compare them to Vietnam so they look like nothing in comparison.

And the Iraqi war is nothing also if you compare it to vietnam or WW2.

Every day in my local newspaper, The St Petersburg Times

www.sptimes.com

has a face to each soldier that died. If you are so hell bent and putting a face to a picture, go to the site. THere is nothing that the government is trying to hide.

Me, when I see it in the morning, makes we sad for the people we lost, but reminds me that we are at war, and like al those before, war sucks.

reminds me of a game of chess
US marines are just like pawns in the eyes of their goverment
expendible,

( sorry if it was rude but thats how some people look at things )

Here are but two pictures that appropriately depict flag-draped coffins:

If we're lucky(or at least, as far as THEY want you to think, in their own definitions of the war plot) , it'll only quadruple.

The November death toll has surpassed the toll for April 2004, the last attack on Fallujah.

According to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, the US death toll for November was 137 vs the 135 in April.

The total since the war began is 1258 for the US and 1404 for the entire coalition. At the current rate, the US toll will be above 1,300 before New Years and we don't know what to expect after the January elections.