Iraq death toll hype

A lot of hype is being made about the death toll in Iraq reaching the 4,000 mark. But that simple number doesn’t tell the whole story.

First, the death toll has slowed way down since the troop surge took full effect. Second, victory is not far off anymore. Third, even at 4,000 dead, as a five-year total, the loss of life in the Iraq war is miniscule; there were days in World War II when a single battle would take more American lives.

I’m not saying it’s safe and easy to be a solider serving in Iraq; in fact, it’s nearly impossible for troops to obtain even high risk life insurance. But I am repeating a familiar refrain for my regular readers: modern Americans have no concept of what “heavy casualties” really means in a time of war.

My dad does; he served in World War II.

But most people today? If they think 4,000 over five years is a lot… they’re simply not students of history.