Topic awaiting preservation: US Casualty Figures

Something I heard on overnite radio that has me a bit perplexed.

Let's say four US soldiers are driving along a road in Iraq when their HumVee is blown up by a land mine. One of them is killed instantly. The other three are seriously wounded but alive. A chopper comes in... rescues the three survivors. Two minutes into the 'flite' all three of the wounded die.

Well according to what was being said last nite, US Military statistics would show that on that particular day (if this was the only incident) '...One US soldier was killed in battle.' The other three did not die 'fighting' they 'died' in the helicopter... and thus do not show up in those casualty figures we hear...which are now running somewhere around two thousand.

A more accurate count, according to what was being said, would be ten thousand or more.

'Killed in battle' or '..died while fighting' is, I guess, 'technically' correct but what a load of crap.

You'd think these guys are accountants for ENRON the way they work the numbers.

I have heard the same thing. Runs alongside Dumbya's aversion to TV coverage of body bags coming home.

Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.
Isaac Asimov
US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)

why am I absolutely not surprised

Yep, but technically what they're reporting is correct (I think) so not much you can do.

technically according to the rules they have put in place.

However realistically, if you die of wounds suffered in combat, whether it be 2 hours or two yars later, it is still a combat death.

Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.
Isaac Asimov
US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)

Danaan: You could start by calling them on it and telling everyone you know that the figures they're hearing are bullshit.

Overnite talkshows are, in my experience anyway, predominately occuppied by what would be considered the 'left' but for the past two--three months I've been quite surpised by the number of people calling in to various talkshows identifying themselves as 'republicans' who are saying things like... "I'm a republican and I don't agree with most everything you far left bunch have to say... but on this issue I agree with you.' bla bla bla.

And these are 'older' callers, people who've been died-in-the-wool republicans for 30-40 years or more. Eveyone, left and right all support the troops on the ground but they're collectively shitting on the administration as if they're all taken the same dose of salts. Pretty interesting.