Posted by
Andrew1218 on Sunday, February 17, 2008 3:00:00 AM
From the AP, "As of Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008, at least 3,961 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,225 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers."
For the family, friends and fellow soldiers, the "numbers" of the dead and articles of this type have deep and profound meaning. It reminds them of the tragic loss and of a life cut short. The country is diminished because these men and women obviously loved their country to the point of willing to put their lives at risk. That kind of true patriotism is hard to come by and their families should be proud that they fostered that sentiment and heroism. The loss of those patriotic souls should never be taken for granted or dealt with disrespectfully. It is hoped that the families of the fallen do not take offense to the following comments.
It seems to me far too often that the radical left and democrat leadership use these totals as a means just to stir resentment of the republicans and those who support the war. I say this because in a time of relative peace the democrats cut the military budget drastically, including benefits to military men and their families, and attempted to block the military's ability to vote during the 2000 election, i.e absentee ballots. Their concern now, when they weren't concerned before, seems disengenuous. Preventing recruitment on college campuses both before & after the war, Operation pink in Berkeley, constant defeatist attitudes while our military is engaged in combat, just to name a few. To me, their concern is politically motivated. Why? Let's look at some other numbers.
From 2003 to 2006, there were 5,552,254 violent crimes committed in the US. During that time, there were 66,450 murders, 375,774 rapes and 3,429,484 aggravated assaults.
From 2003 to 2006, the NHTSA reported vehicular deaths totalling approximately 171,652. Of that number, approximately 67,200 were caused by drunk driving.
From 2003 to 2006, there were 212 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the US.
If the media and politicians really cared about people, including those serving in the military, they would care about these numbers and coming up with solutions on combating crime and needless death.
The men and women of the military are now on the front lines fighting islamic fanatics bent on our destruction. For those who died, they did so protecting our country and taking the fight to the enemy. They did so with honor.
I would suggest that the dems and the media focus on solving some problems at home, so that when our brave men and women come home, they are not needlessly killed in our cities or on our streets.