RESTATEMENT ON WOUNDED: [from EDITOR & PUBLISHER23OCT]: Pentagon now admits 1926 wounded. 1 in 5 (about 400) have severe brain injuries; 7 in 10 (about 1400) have injuries with 'potential for resulting in brain injuries.' Many have 'deleterious' injuries or loss of limbs.
( Army regularly announces that wounds were 'not life-threatening'; but brain-damage may be much worse than life-threatening.)
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About the total wounded: UPI says nearly 4000 have been medically evacuated from Iraq. (Other estimates are higher.) Pentagon until recently (at least!) has been fudging numbers (they rebuked officers who revealed casualty figures); so we have to rely on other sources.
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Nearly 500 GIs have been evacuated from Iraq 'for mental health reasons'. /GUARDIAN25OCT. Only 13 confirmed GI suicides have been reported; but that is far higher than the normal rate for U.S. soldiers.
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U.S. MEDIA HAVE NOT REPORTED NUMBERS, SEVERITY OF WOUNDS ! (Americans have this foible: they tend not to count the wounded, only the dead.)
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Pentagon talks only of GIs killed by 'enemy'; but many others are killed in accidents, 'friendly fire' or suicides.
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In previous wars, coffins returned to U.S. were pictured. But now the Pentagon refuses to let this happen, lest Americans realize the toll.[NYT26oct] Dead GIs, victims of our pointless war, are now kept OUT OF SIGHT; let them not slip OUT OF MIND.