Daily U.S. military deaths in Iraq

[wilheim]

AP) — As of Friday, May 7, 763 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 556 died as a result of hostile action and 207 died of non-hostile causes.
The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, six; Ukraine, four; Thailand, two; Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 625 U.S. soldiers have died — 447 as a result of hostile action and 178 of non-hostile causes, according to the military's numbers.

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The latest deaths reported by U.S. Central Command
Marine Cpl. Jeffrey G. Green, 20, Dallas; found dead Wednesday in the Euphrates River in Iraq's Anbar province; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Camp Pendleton, Calif.

_ Marine Cpl. Dustin H. Schrage, 20, Brevard, Fla., found dead in Iraq's Anbar province; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Camp Pendleton, Calif.

_ Killed Wednesday when an explosive hit their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq; assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division; Fort Hood, Texas:

Army Spc. James E. Marshall, 19, of Tulsa, Okla.

Army Pfc. Bradley G. Kritzer, 18, of Irvona, Penn.

AP News.

 

[jimbutorac]

Wil,

Appreciate that you take the time to post these to honor the scarifice of those in the Armed Forces and in some small way honor them and make others aware of their sacrifice.

Mud

 

[wilheim]

Thanks Mud, it is not much, but the least we can do. Did you notice the ages of the four soldiers mentioned? 20-20-19-18 what is going on that we need send our so very young men to be killed. Sad indeed, in fact tragic.

wil.

 

[jimbutorac]

Hey Wil,

In fact, I did. What also jumps out at me is how many of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice beside being young have been:
1. On the lower income side of American society
2. A large number have been 1st generation immigrants, some who are not even yet citizens

I'd be curious from your experience in Nam, what you think about draft. I agree with Charles Rangel (NY) that if you have a draft with no exceptions, our nation will be less likely to go to war.

I also read a recent article by a Marine veteran - infantry officer from Viet Nam (wish I knew where to look up the article) and he points out that of all the members sitting in Congrss and the Senate, only one has a family member in the service - in other words less than .2 %. He went on to say if it ain't worth sacrificing members of your family, it ain't worth sacrificing anybody else's.

 

[wilheim]

Ideally the draft should be an equalizer, but it really never was back when I was 1A. I joined instead of waiting to get drafted because draftees went right into Infantry and ended up pounding ground in Nam. I joined right out of highschool, several friends waited and all got drafted and ended up groundpounders, luckily none were killed. I had a choice as an enlistee so I went Air Cav. Much better duty than Infantry. Meanwhile it was the same then, mostly poor or ethnic guys doing the fighting, what else is new. Today's armed forces are not a bad deal for many from poor or imigrant backrounds, chance for education and respected careers. Unfortunately the price is sometime very high.


wil.