Military Deaths in Iraq Reach 2,000; Death of Army Sergeant From Roadside Bomb Raises Toll
Washington Post staff writer Josh White will be online Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the 2000th U.S. military fatality in Iraq, which came Tuesday with the death of an Army sergeant after a roadside bomb north of Baghdad. The toll reflects those killed since March 2003.
Military Has Lost 2,000 In Iraq. ( Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson, Oct. 26, 2005
Gallery: Faces of the Fallen: U.S. Fatalities in Iraq.
Submit your questions and comments before or during today’s discussion.
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Josh White: Good morning everyone, and thanks for joining me here. I’m already getting some great questions, so I’ll just dive in.
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Washington, D.C.: Is there a number, a total body count, to which you think the American public will react? Is there a parallel number which the Arab states will react with Iraqi deaths? Have we become too jaded in this year of natural disasters to value the lives in Iraq?
Josh White: That’s very hard to tell. There are certainly people across the country who have been reacting to every death, and I think it’s fair to say that any soldier lost in any war is a great tragedy. The 2,000th death wasn’t so much a milestone as it was an opportunity to look back at the war so far, and its toll on America. The difficulty in measuring the casualties in Iraq is that there is really no reliable count. The Defense Department has estimated that somewhere in the arena of 25,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed by insurgent attacks, but I haven’t seen a reliable estimate as far as collateral deaths or insurgents killed.
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Henderson, Nev.: What is the total of all American servicemen killed and wounded in Iraq including non-combat deaths? What is the breakdown? How many Iraqis have been killed and wounded?
Josh White: The total number of American troops killed and wounded in Iraq is as follows: 2,000 dead; more than 15,000 wounded. Non-hostile causes account for a little less than 19 percent of the total fatalities, including accidents, illnesses, etc.
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Wheaton, Md.: There were single day death tolls much higher than 2,000 in WWII. Is anyone calling that war a failure for America?
Josh White: This is a very good point, and as we mentioned in today’s story, the deaths in Iraq are far, far less than America has experienced in previous wars. The world wars claimed more than half a million American lives, and Vietnam claimed 58,000. An important fact to remember is that the U.S. military fights very differently now than it did a half century ago, and the advanced weapons, protections such as body armor, and modern operational tactics the U.S. uses are keeping the number of U.S. casualties down.
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Jackson, N.J.: Hello, after 2000 deaths and who knows how many serious injuries, is it really believable that none of our troops have ever been captured in Iraq?
Josh White: There have been cases of U.S. troops getting captured in Iraq, including the very notable case of PFC Jessica Lynch, which I’m sure most people remember. Part of the reason there have been relatively few soldiers and marines captured is the way in which this fight is playing out. U.S. troops who are out on missions and are out on patrols can win a firefight with insurgents relatively easily, and there is little opportunity for insurgents to get up close to such patrols. As my colleagues reported in a very good piece today, the improvised roadside bombs that are being left by insurgents — and detonated remotely in many cases — are the cause of many U.S. casualties. Here’s that story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501987.html
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Emerson, N.J.: My son died in Iraq. Why is there so much emphasis on the number and not on the individual’s sacrifice and the individual’s life, service and family. Why is 2000 more important than 1461 or 1 or 536 or any number?
Josh White: First, let me offer my heartfelt condolences on your loss. And you’re absolutely right, every loss is important, and the number 2,000 is no more or less important or relevant than every other soldier, marine, airman, or sailor who is lost. We are doing our best to focus on each individual’s sacrifice, and the impact of each tragedy. We saw 2,000 as an opportunity to look at the toll on America and to remind people that each and every one of those people died in service to this country.
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Wheaton, Md.: I find it difficult to understand how the American public avoids being impacted by even small numbers of casualties (”The daily casualty tolls are not usually big enough to jar the American public as a whole”). Who do people think is dying–not to mention Iraqi civilian deaths? I find these events personally disturbing even though I have not had anyone close to me involved.
One of the questions I feel supporters of our invasion of Iraq are obligated to ask is “is this action worth the death of one of my family members (spouse, child)?” If the answer is yes, I guess their support of the policy is justified. If the answer is no, maybe the policy needs to be rethought.