1 in 7 US deaths in Iraq are suicides - is this depressing or what?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

I just don't know how to feel about this. Rage? Disgust? Sympathy? Sorrow? Despair? Imagine how these soldiers feel. ARGGHH!

(snip)
"There have been about 21 confirmed suicides during the past year associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom," Winkenwerder said, adding that 18 were Army troops and three others were in the Navy and Marine Corps.

The suicide toll is probably higher than 21, he added, because some "pending" non-hostile death cases are still being investigated.

A total of 496 U.S. troops have been killed since the war began last March, 343 of them in combat and 153 in non-hostile incidents ranging from accidents to suicide, the Pentagon said.

The 21 suicides so far represent nearly 14 percent of non-hostile deaths, an increase over the proportion of 11 percent as of three months ago when the suicide number totaled 13.
(snip)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4126757

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Yeaterday I posted a thread about the 100th US death in Afghanistan

and I got ZERO responses. That's 600 official US deaths since GWB declare war on the world. And nobody gives a shit.

Depressing? You bet.

[RBHam]

2. Lots of people care...

It's just that a lot of them are convinced that if God didn't want all this carnage, he'd never had selected George W Bush to be President.

[Honesthumanbeing]

3. um

21 / 496 is not 1 in 7.

[RandomKoolzip]

4. It's actually 21 of the total of NON HOSTILE deaths, of which

there are 153. Thus, 1 in 7 Non hostile deaths.


"153 in non-hostile incidents ranging from accidents to suicide, the Pentagon said.

The 21 suicides so far represent nearly 14 percent of non-hostile deaths, an increase over the proportion of 11 percent as of three months ago when the suicide number totaled 13."
(snip)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

5. Thanks my brother

I got called away. I think people are becoming numbed. If they could cover 1 casket coming home the tables would turn quickly

[redqueen]

6. More than depressing

About enough to make one throw up one's hands and retreat into that ever-popular TV-money-comfort cocoon.

When liberals give up on stopping unjust wars, you realize how badly out of whack our situation is. We are nearly defeated. Our leadership and well intentioned friends and loved ones counsel us that we can't expect real change, substantial change. So and so said so!

We're one of the few countries left on the planet with even a GHOST of a chance of being able to change this. If we give up, we not only let ourselves and our families and friends down, we let all those other human beings down who are counting on us... watching and waiting... what will we do in November?

Courage, America?

We shall see.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. When I went to NYC on February 15th

and saw the real numbers of people braving 15 degree weather to be pushed into pens and intimidated by the police I saw the real resolve of our movement. What breaks my heart is that the real message is totally stifled by the media. That day had worldwide energy that was unvbelievable. When I got home to see the coverage I was heartbroken. No one batted an eye. Just a little blip on the media's jubilant rush towards a ratings rich war. I will never give up, but this is one of the absolutely horrible outcomes that I knew would come if this war went forward. I prayed this wouldn't happen, so many of us did. Now I pray that we don't give up!

[redqueen]

8. Good point - media reform has to be a TOP priority

We cannot afford to let our next Dem president sit on his ass like Clinton and not do a damn thing about it. (He actually made it worse, but that's a subject for another thread.)

We MUST ensure that this is fixed, or we're just delaying the inevitable.

LOVE your sig, btw. :D

:toast:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. Thanks

[Mari333]

10. I pay attention and I care

I have since the beginning, and now that I have a loved one on his way to Iraq, I feel the brunt of this hell more then ever...
Thats why I stand every Friday in front of the Post Office here in this small town with all the pictures of the dead soldiers and hold my stepsons face to the people passing by..
I usually get looks ranging from Right On to people turning their heads away (guilt?)
Too bad. Truth is Truth. These are the faces of dead children/soldiers. And they are kids...teenagers with guns, believe me.