Thursday, August 14, 2003
Almost 300 Killed
This photo of American soldiers was taken yesterday in the dry sauna of Baghdad's merciless heat.
While its damn near impossible to pin the Defense Department to specific numbers, CBS News, in a story with an August 14 dateline, reports nearly 150,000 "military personnel" currently in Iraq.
Various alleged news organizations quibble over the the total number of Americans killed in action.
CNN, for example, reports 56 Americans killed thusfar in Iraq. CNN, like the Pentagon, reports only the number of specific troops killed by the direct action of the opposition. So, if a soldier is killed when his Humvee hits a land mine he is counted by CNN. If that soldier's buddy is thrown from the Humvee and killed by impact with the ground he is not counted by CNN.
CBS News, however, reports an accurate total of young Americans thusfar killed by "hostile and non hostile action" in Iraq.
That number, reported by CBS News, today stands at 267.
But, what about those soldiers wounded and maimed for life? We don't really see them on TV.
The President and members of his administartion do not attend funerals and do not seem to visit our wounded soldiers with any great frequency.
What is the total number of US wounded thusfar in Iraq?
Search if you want but your search will not be successful because either the Pentagon is not releasing that number or the media is choosing not to report it.
There could be well over 1000 American soldiers presently recovering from battlefield injuries sustained in Iraq.
Why are these brave soldiers being ignored?
Photo: Reuter's