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A grim milestone in the Iraq war: 2,500th US military death
The death of a US marine Thursday brought to 2,500 the number of American military personnel killed in the war in Iraq. The Pentagon will release the marine’s name—along with those of two other American servicemen or women who died that day—24 hours after notification of his family. In a tragic scene that has been replayed over and over again since March 2003, three more families will receive the devastating news that their loved ones have been killed.
This grim milestone of troop deaths is a telling indictment of the criminal character of the US war and occupation of Iraq. In addition to the 2,500 killed, according to Pentagon figures, another 18,490 US troops have been wounded—suffering loss of limbs, brain injuries and other permanent disabilities. Thousands more face severe psychological trauma; innumerable families have been or will be shattered.
Among the most recent American casualties of the US invasion of Iraq were Ben Slaven, 22, of Plymouth, Nebraska (population 450); Jose Velez, 35, of the Bronx, New York; Salvador Guerrero, 21, of Los Angeles; Brent Zoucha, 19, of Merrick County, Nebraska (county population 8,100); Zachary M. Alday, 22, of Donalsonville, Georgia (population 2,700)—all killed on June 9, and Michael A. Estrella, 20, of Hemet, California (the second graduate of Hemet High School to die in Iraq and the 46th soldier from inland Southern California to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since the war began in March 2003), who died June 14.
Indifferent to the destruction and misery their polices have produced, and, in any case, not wishing to call public attention to the tragic event, the US political establishment and media downplayed the milestone in Iraq. President George W. Bush made no personal comment on the death count. White House press secretary Tony Snow merely commented, callously, on his behalf, “It’s a number, and every time there’s one of these 500 benchmarks, people want something,” before adding that the president feels the pain of these families “very deeply.” Snow reiterated that the administration had no intention of bringing any of the US troops home, thus insuring that more young men and women will die.
Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, deputy operations chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, “There is a mission and there is a greater good which sometimes necessitates tremendous sacrifice.”
And the death toll of US soldiers continues to rise with no end in sight; 320 have been killed so far this year alone. The rate of Iraqi casualties has steadily increased. The Iraqi Body Count project (IBC), which, if anything, underestimates civilian casualties, calculates that on average 36 Iraqis a day have met violent deaths in the third year of the war, up from 31 a day in the second year and 20 a day in the first. Studies put the total Iraqi civilian death toll in the war at more than 100,000.
Read More
http://wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/iraq-j17.shtml
Among the most recent American casualties of the US invasion of Iraq were Ben Slaven, 22, of Plymouth, Nebraska (population 450); Jose Velez, 35, of the Bronx, New York; Salvador Guerrero, 21, of Los Angeles; Brent Zoucha, 19, of Merrick County, Nebraska (county population 8,100); Zachary M. Alday, 22, of Donalsonville, Georgia (population 2,700)—all killed on June 9, and Michael A. Estrella, 20, of Hemet, California (the second graduate of Hemet High School to die in Iraq and the 46th soldier from inland Southern California to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since the war began in March 2003), who died June 14.
Indifferent to the destruction and misery their polices have produced, and, in any case, not wishing to call public attention to the tragic event, the US political establishment and media downplayed the milestone in Iraq. President George W. Bush made no personal comment on the death count. White House press secretary Tony Snow merely commented, callously, on his behalf, “It’s a number, and every time there’s one of these 500 benchmarks, people want something,” before adding that the president feels the pain of these families “very deeply.” Snow reiterated that the administration had no intention of bringing any of the US troops home, thus insuring that more young men and women will die.
Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, deputy operations chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, “There is a mission and there is a greater good which sometimes necessitates tremendous sacrifice.”
And the death toll of US soldiers continues to rise with no end in sight; 320 have been killed so far this year alone. The rate of Iraqi casualties has steadily increased. The Iraqi Body Count project (IBC), which, if anything, underestimates civilian casualties, calculates that on average 36 Iraqis a day have met violent deaths in the third year of the war, up from 31 a day in the second year and 20 a day in the first. Studies put the total Iraqi civilian death toll in the war at more than 100,000.
Read More
http://wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/iraq-j17.shtml
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The 'grim milestone ...' is almost exactly word for word what the SF Chronicle published two years ago when the death toll hit 1,000.
Surely the folks at WSWS can come up with a better line that reflects the true nature of the moment.
Something like "Number of troops murdered for Bush's noble cause reaches 2,500" or "Devastated military families now mourning 2,500 deaths as Bush and Democrats debate gay marriage" or ...