Memorial Day 2006 to 2007 - Casualties

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18885483

Nearly 1,000 soldiers killed in Iraq in past year

Deaths since last Memorial Day speak to shifting strategy, rising dangers

[WA: Blogger is being a total dork this morning. It has placed these long spaces between sections of the post and will NOT allow me to pull them up closer together. Therefore, scroll down to next section to view. ]

John Gress / Reuters

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Michael McConnell looks at one of more than 3,400 pairs of combat boots, one pair for every U.S. soldier killed in the Iraq war, displayed as part of the "Eyes Wide Open" anti-war exhibition in Chicago on Friday.

[WA:
Also see Thursday's post "The Human Cost of War"]

BAGHDAD - Americans have opened nearly 1,000 new graves to bury U.S. troops killed in Iraq since Memorial Day a year ago. The figure is telling — and expected to rise in coming months.

In the period from Memorial Day 2006 through Saturday, 980 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq, compared to 807 deaths in the previous year. And with the Baghdad security operation now 3½ months old, even President Bush has predicted a difficult summer for U.S. forces.

“It could be a bloody — it could be a very difficult August,” he said last week.

U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus on Saturday acknowledged the increase in casualties as a result of the American surge in forces to regain control of Baghdad.

“We’re doing heavy fighting. This is a fight. There’s a war on out there,” he told reporters at al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq.

Michael O’Hanlon, a military analyst with the Brookings Institution and a consultant to the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, said the increased casualties were a result of the security operation.

Danger at every turn
Thousands more American soldiers are patrolling the streets and living in isolated outposts across Baghdad, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. He also said the increase in raids on extremist Shiite militiamen had brought a wave of retaliatory attacks.

“We’re out there on the streets a lot more. There are more patrols going on every day, so we’re more open to attacks,” O’Hanlon said.

Stephen Biddle, a military expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of a group that spent weeks in Iraq assessing the situation for Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, agreed that more American deaths were likely.

May among the deadliest of months

“The biggest change in their (insurgent and militia) tactics is that they’ve changed to exploit the vulnerabilities we’ve opened ourselves up to. They see a new, small American base in their neighborhood, three blocks away, and they’re going to car bomb it,” said Biddle.

“We’re going to see a spike in the short term,” said Biddle. “But the likelihood is that in six months we’ll see a drop in casualties as these areas become more secure. The problem is, what about the rest of the country?”

By the end of Saturday at least 100 American troops had died in the first 26 days of May, an average of 3.85 deaths a day. At that pace, 119 troops will have died by the end of the month, the most since 137 soldiers were killed in November 2004, when U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Fallujah.

As of Saturday, May 26, 2007, at least 3,451 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,817 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military.

MORE BELOW:

	Your photos of soldiers who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan.
	Pictures and messages from U.S. troops overseas and their friends, family at home.

COMMENTS:

Anne said...
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO OTHERS TO HELP HONOR OUR SOLDIERSMy Memorial Day WishBy Zach -- Age 12Director of RandomKid's OPDVD KidsToday we remember our fallen soldiers. I think one of the best ways we can honor them is by doing something for the soldiers who are still serving our country.I know a lot of grown ups have watched the TV Show "MASH" and they saw soldiers playing basketball, or sometimes baseball. But I've received letters from today's soldiers that tell a different story. They can't do any fun stuff outdoors, for fear of getting shot. One of them wrote to me,"As you know there is not a lot for the soldiers to do when they get a little time off. So when they do get the time to rest up a little, it is important we have something for them so they don’t sit around thinking about home. We all miss being with our families but the more we think about it the harder it is to stay focused."So I've been collecting DVDs and sending them to the troops overseas. I want to collect 140,000 by Veterans Day. One for each soldier in Iraq (but the videos will also go to Afghanistan and other places). PLEASE JOIN ME. GET OUT THOSE DVDS YOU DON'T WATCH ANYMORE, AND LET'S SEND THEM TO OUR TROOPS. Please email me (zach@randomkid.org) to request DVD collection boxes . IT'S SO EASY. For more information, please visit http://www.randomkid.org/operationdvd.asp.Another soldier wrote to me:"These (DVDs) can bring the light of home to an otherwise dismal place."I hope you'll help me honor them.God bless America!Sincerely,ZachDirectorRandomKid's OpDVD KidsHelp Kids Help Others.www.randomkid.org P.S. Please forward this to EVERYONE you know!
Monday, May 28, 2007 9:14:00 AM
Worried said...
I hope our readers will participate in this worthy endeavor. My friend, Professor Bob, routinely sends movies to troops overseas on an individual basis. I will forward this link so he can expand his efforts, since he has many, many movies he no longer wants. (He is a movie buff and collector with many friends in the business). The troops to whom he sends movies share them all around their base and the soldiers, marines and air men are very grateful.
Monday, May 28, 2007 5:46:00 PM