ATTRITION: The Iraq Casualties Tell a Curious Story

Strategy Page ^ | June 4, 2004

[John Jorsett]

So far, the war on terror has killed 923 American troops. While 801 have died in Iraq, most of the rest died in Afghanistan. Half were married, and they leave behind nearly 600 children. In a sharp break with past wars, three percent of the dead are women. In past wars, the number of military women killed amounted to a tiny fraction of one percent. A third of the deaths were not combat related, 31.3 percent were from accidents and illness. This points out a fact that is often overlooked; that the number of combat casualties has been driven down so low by new technology, tactics and training, that non-combat deaths are now increasing as a percentage of all deaths. Only in the last century has medical care improved to the point where, for the first time in history, more troops were killed from enemy action than due to accidents and disease. But now the technology is driving down the number of combat deaths as well.

During the Vietnam war, for example, only 19 percent of deaths were from non-combat causes. Moreover, nearly 30 percent (29.4 percent) of the combat deaths in Iraq are from roadside bombs. This sort of thing, and a few deaths booby traps, drift over towards the non-combat category, as it is a common military practice to tear up roads and blow up bridges. The bad roads, and poorly repaired bridges cause traffic deaths that are classified as non-combat, but some battlefield deaths are more closely related to combat than others.

The dead are also older (27 years on average), than in Vietnam (22 years old). This is because there are more reservists involved (17 percent now, versus ten percent in Vietnam). The race of the dead has also changed. During Vietnam, it reflected the racial composition of the country (although early in the war, proportionately more blacks died, versus more whites later in the war.) Today, slightly more whites are killed (70.9 percent) compared to their proportion of the population (69.1 percent.)

Now that it’s an all-volunteer force, and high educational standards mean that the military isn’t accepting those who “can’t get a job,” things like patriotism matter. This element is often missed by the media, but recruiters know that it is often a major factor in the decision to enlist. The rural areas of the country, which contain only about twenty percent of the population these days, produced 29 percent of those who have been killed so far. The majority of the troops still come from cities and suburbs, but nearly a third are country boys (and girls) for whom being uniform is more of a patriotic duty than a job.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Numbers.

See, the liberals are emphasizing (exaggerating!) for political purposes the relatively few deaths in Iraq so they can destroy Bush.

In the meantime, more Americans (by far!) are getting killed every year (by their fellow liberal voters/felons in the inner cities!) than are getting killed by our sworn enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Piquaboy]

How many of those homicides involved liberals and how many conservatives? That would be an interesting statistic. (sarcasm)

[MHGinTN]

Drunk drivers will kill 16,000 Americans this year and every year! I'm sick of the seditious democrat party smearing our Soldiers with their sneaky anti-war/anti-bush brush. I'm sick of the democrat/liberal lie of 'I support the troops but no this war or the commander-in-chief" (which of course cheapens the effort of our Courageous Soldiers and implies not so subtly that the troops are fools for serving in this 'unjust war'). The democrat party has sunken into seditious manipulation in their lust to regain power. They actually hope for more deaths of our troops, to cast a cloud over 'bush's war'. The volunteer army is an anathema to the democrat party because patriotism and love of country is contrary to what the democrat party has empowered themselves with ... liberalism, the deadly disease in need of eradication, the democrat party, the disease vector!

[freebilly]

In the meantime, more Americans (by far!) are getting killed every year (by their fellow liberal voters/felons in the inner cities!) than are getting killed by our sworn enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yes, but the deaths of our soldiers in Iraq and the homicides in our cities are all Bush's fault.

Obviously I was mistaken, earlier, when I said the deaths weren't related.... < / sarcasm >

[freebilly]

They actually hope for more deaths of our troops, to cast a cloud over 'bush's war'.

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest acts of immorality perpetrated by the left and the lapdog media in this country....

[kittymyrib]

Combine San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston and see how many have been killed in the the past 15 months, the duraction of the war.

[kittymyrib]

Old Charlie "One Note" Rangel is still pimping the racist line that blacks are fighting this war disproportionally. He must think the military is out to recruit baggy-pantsed rappers.

[MHGinTN]

The leftists consider themselves to be 'amoral' ... above such common things as morals, beyond such antiquities as right and wrong; everything is 'transactional' for weighing utility.

[M-cubed]

Shouldn't somebody alert wake-up Charlie Rangel ?" <<... this is one of the few things I agree with Rangel on....IMHO under the current volunteer system, we have in affect....the poor defending the rich!.... we have "exempted" the rich from the patriotic duty of defending the Republic....over time I fear it will create a sub class of "warriors" in which the "rich and entitled" will control for their own special interest, without any consequences to themselves...if you talk to kids nowadays, you find a lot of them devoid of any feelings of patriotic duty to defend this Republic precisely because they have grown up in this volunteer system....They reason...why risk death when you can avoid it by simply not volunteering....leave it up to somebody else...over time I fear the current system will create an entitlement mentality or right, in which there is no personal sense of obligation or duty to preserve the Republic...Something to think about as to the big picture of the Republics future....

[Robert A Cook PE]

Seems like the numbers in the story show EXACTLY the opposite: Rural/suburban/"outside the inner city" people (all races!) are joining, and dying, in greater rates than than simple proportions by race would indicate.

Patriotism IS alive, as long as you look outside the liberal cities/blue counties where the voters are bred (and trained) to hate America and capitalism by their liberal masters.

[VOA]

Now that it’s an all-volunteer force, and high educational standards mean
that the military isn’t accepting those who “can’t get a job,” things like
patriotism matter.

IIRC, our military today turns away something like six out of every ten applicants.

[M-cubed]

I think you miss my point and in fact prove it!...."Patriotism IS alive, "AS LONG AS" you look outside the liberal cities/blue counties where the voters are bred (and trained) to hate America and capitalism by their liberal masters."...<< If you drafted those smucks in the liberal cities/blue counties instead of exempting them, you would give them a chance to understand "duty and honor"...Nothing changes a liberals mind more then a healthy dose of reality...Just as the old saying goes... a liberal is nothing but a conservative who hasnt been mugged yet....