Marines' toll in Iraq passes 500

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20050615-1442-cnstoll.html

The Marine Corps has passed a grim milestone in its service in Iraq this week, topping 500 deaths since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

According to a Copley News Service tally of casualties reported by the Pentagon, 502 Marines have died from hostile action or accidents in Iraq, as of the last reported death Monday. Thirty-two Navy personnel also have died in Iraq, most of whom are hospital corpsmen serving with the Marines or Seabee construction specialists.

The Marine and Navy losses represent 31 percent of the total U.S. military death toll of 1,703 recorded by the Pentagon on Wednesday, even though the naval services constitute less than 20 percent of the total U.S. force in Iraq.

A tally kept by the Pentagon shows at least 4,138 Marines and 274 Navy personnel have been wounded or injured in Iraq, out of a total of 12,896 American service members injured since March 2003.

[Roland99]

1. Gen. Hagee knows the resistance is not in the "last throes"

"We're going against a smart enemy. That's really important to remember," Gen. Michael W. Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, said in a recent interview released by the Pentagon.

"If we make a change in our tactics or our technology to counter what the enemy is doing with improvised explosive devices. ... the enemy can respond to a change in our tactics within seven to 10 days and change their tactic," Hagee said. "So this is a constant fight."