More U.S. troops have died in Iraq in November than in any month since the war began in March, according to Defense Department figures.
cut
About half of the deaths resulted from the downing of four military helicopters, in which 39 soldiers were killed. U.S. aircraft in Iraq have been targeted in the past, but these incidents, involving either a surface-to-air missile or rocket-propelled grenade, marked the first major hits.
Most of the other U.S. combat fatalities occurred in ground attacks by enemy fighters using weapons that have become characteristic of their resistance: guns, rocket-propelled grenades and remote-controlled explosives.
cut
Earlier this week, a senior general with the Coalition Provisional Authority suggested that the rising U.S. casualty rate should not be taken as a sign that the United States is losing the war, especially when compared with enemy casualties.
Note from Pistoff Democrat: Do I smell Vietnam?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19749-2003Nov28.html