Posted by
Sam Aron on Monday, December 31, 2007 2:33:03 PM
We're about to finish the year with 2 records: Highest annual military casualties in Iraq, and lowest monthly coalition deaths - standing at 22. US death-toll - 21 - will be the secondlowest since the start of war. The lowest US military death-toll was 20, recorded in 2/04, when the total coalition death-toll was 23.
In fact, we can easily find a record in US causalities also. When measured by number of troops we lost per day, December - a 31-day month - will get a lower result, then the 29-day-February of 04.
The grim record, of course, is that 07 recorded the highest annual US casualties in Iraq.
For the new year, we wish that the US should have no more casualties. These figures are not statistics and mere yard-sticks. They are lives. When http://icasualties.org/oif/ changes the number, It's a another precious life cut off, another family cries for their father/husband/son, mother/wife/daughter - but it's for a noble cause, and we owe them gratitude and respect.
It will be interesting to watch which record will make the headlines in the mainstream, the immediate, or the one that is mainly due to developments months ago.
Happy New Year to the troops and all who support them!