The Big 2K: The Coming Media Myth
Get ready for the big news...that isn't
necessarily true....
The MSM is starting to gear up (and the anti-war
left has been ready for a while) to present us with the story of "the
milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in
Iraq".
Unfortunately, this story is bogus for a few different reasons. Please keep in mind I am military, and none of that which follows is to make light of any of the deaths not matter what column they fall into, but rather to point out that those that make hay about this milestone, and actually celebrating it to further their own cause.
First, being in the military is a high-risk enterprise, even when you are not in combat. Humvees roll over, helicopters crash, people commit suicide, people get hit by vehicles. People die. But in this instance, since they happened in a combat zone, they fit neatly into the meme of the leftists that "Bush Lied, People Died". They would have you believe that all of these brave souls died as victims of imperialist government fighting in an illegal war. Bringthemhomenow.org says "So far, more than 1950 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq ...."
But only slightly more than 1500 have actually died from hostile fire. More than 400 military members have died due to non-combat causes. And not all of the almost 2000 total deaths have actually happened in Iraq. It is not well known that if a military member dies anywhere in the AOR, on orders for OIF, his/her death is counted towards "the milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq".
If you don't believe me, you can check it out for yourself.
A look at icasualties.org provides the following breakdown:
A look at CNN's special page on OIF Casualties is of course sobering, but also instructive. The default display that comes up, is an alphabetical listing. In a purely coincident support of my point, only 4 of the first 10 casualties are combat deaths, and one wasn't in Iraq at all. Now why you ask, should we not count those non-combat deaths along with the hostile fire deaths? Mainly because hundreds of troops die every year (even when we are not at war) due to accident, in training, during exercises, even driving to work. As I said, being in the military is high risk, and those deaths should not be included in the left's precious "cost of war". I know of an Air Force officer who is on the list who died outside of Iraq, when he was off duty riding an ATV in sand dunes, rolled the vehicle and broke his neck. Play around the ICasualties database, and you will see a lot of non-hostile deaths due to "vehicle accident" or "illness" or "building fire" or "electrocution" or "weapon discharge".
Now, as I said before, none of this is to make light of everyone that has died, no matter the circumstances. But the point is to not allow those on the left make you buy into this "milestone". It is bogus accounting used to try and further an agenda and, as in many other cases, the MSM won't exert itself to do the analysis it should, and read the data behind the numbers. This is how myths and memes survive.
UPDATE:
Many sites are starting to highlight this issue:
Little Green Footballs is Running a "Grim Milestone" Watch
Michelle Malkin has a bunch of links
And, even the penguins are confused over at Ipso Facto Cartoon Blog (Hat Tip - LGF):
UPDATE II: Thanks much to K-Lo and LGF for pointing me out. I appreciate the consideration! Also, just to clear up any confusion, I am not currently in Qatar. I spent a few months there earlier. as part of OIF. But I have been home for some time now. I just like the name "Mind in the Qatar".
UPDATE III: One other thing that I intended to put in the original post, but skipped my mind last night, was the irony concerning body counts. In many of my studies, and readings concerning the Vietnam conflict, one of the great failings of the military is its near single minded obsession with body counts. Liberal academic and media critiques of the military conduct in Vietnam usually find room to point this out, and usually with some condescension. Fast forward 30 years, and who do we find obsessing over body counts? Just an observation...you can take the irony for what you will....
UPDATE IV:
Thanks to Cox and Forkum for a link. Here is some reciprocal love....
Unfortunately, this story is bogus for a few different reasons. Please keep in mind I am military, and none of that which follows is to make light of any of the deaths not matter what column they fall into, but rather to point out that those that make hay about this milestone, and actually celebrating it to further their own cause.
First, being in the military is a high-risk enterprise, even when you are not in combat. Humvees roll over, helicopters crash, people commit suicide, people get hit by vehicles. People die. But in this instance, since they happened in a combat zone, they fit neatly into the meme of the leftists that "Bush Lied, People Died". They would have you believe that all of these brave souls died as victims of imperialist government fighting in an illegal war. Bringthemhomenow.org says "So far, more than 1950 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq ...."
But only slightly more than 1500 have actually died from hostile fire. More than 400 military members have died due to non-combat causes. And not all of the almost 2000 total deaths have actually happened in Iraq. It is not well known that if a military member dies anywhere in the AOR, on orders for OIF, his/her death is counted towards "the milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq".
If you don't believe me, you can check it out for yourself.
A look at icasualties.org provides the following breakdown:
A look at CNN's special page on OIF Casualties is of course sobering, but also instructive. The default display that comes up, is an alphabetical listing. In a purely coincident support of my point, only 4 of the first 10 casualties are combat deaths, and one wasn't in Iraq at all. Now why you ask, should we not count those non-combat deaths along with the hostile fire deaths? Mainly because hundreds of troops die every year (even when we are not at war) due to accident, in training, during exercises, even driving to work. As I said, being in the military is high risk, and those deaths should not be included in the left's precious "cost of war". I know of an Air Force officer who is on the list who died outside of Iraq, when he was off duty riding an ATV in sand dunes, rolled the vehicle and broke his neck. Play around the ICasualties database, and you will see a lot of non-hostile deaths due to "vehicle accident" or "illness" or "building fire" or "electrocution" or "weapon discharge".
Now, as I said before, none of this is to make light of everyone that has died, no matter the circumstances. But the point is to not allow those on the left make you buy into this "milestone". It is bogus accounting used to try and further an agenda and, as in many other cases, the MSM won't exert itself to do the analysis it should, and read the data behind the numbers. This is how myths and memes survive.
UPDATE:
Many sites are starting to highlight this issue:
Little Green Footballs is Running a "Grim Milestone" Watch
Michelle Malkin has a bunch of links
And, even the penguins are confused over at Ipso Facto Cartoon Blog (Hat Tip - LGF):
UPDATE II: Thanks much to K-Lo and LGF for pointing me out. I appreciate the consideration! Also, just to clear up any confusion, I am not currently in Qatar. I spent a few months there earlier. as part of OIF. But I have been home for some time now. I just like the name "Mind in the Qatar".
UPDATE III: One other thing that I intended to put in the original post, but skipped my mind last night, was the irony concerning body counts. In many of my studies, and readings concerning the Vietnam conflict, one of the great failings of the military is its near single minded obsession with body counts. Liberal academic and media critiques of the military conduct in Vietnam usually find room to point this out, and usually with some condescension. Fast forward 30 years, and who do we find obsessing over body counts? Just an observation...you can take the irony for what you will....
UPDATE IV:
Thanks to Cox and Forkum for a link. Here is some reciprocal love....
Posted: Sun - October 23, 2005 at 11:57 PM
Quick Links
Email me: majorchaz at mac dot com
New On The Shelf
Currently Reading
BLOGROLL
Military Links
Department of Defense
United States Air Force
Defense Tech Blog
CENTCOM
Red Sox Links
Boston Dirt Dogs
Fire Brand of the AL
Over The Monster
Boston Globe Sox Stories
Boston Sports Guy
Sox Podcasts
Corn, Gordon, & Flanagan
The Original Red Sox Podcast
Beer Links
Beer RSS
The Beer Advocate
Beertown
Basic Brewing
Craft Beer Radio
Big Foamy Head
Beer Goons
The Good Beer Blog
The Beer Mapping Project
A Roughneck's Take On Beer
Thom's Beer Blog
AF Reading List
Our Military Heritage
Our Air Force Heritage
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Site Meter Web Counter
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 17, 2007 07:37 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 17, 2007 07:37 PM