6,000 US soldiers evacuated from Iraq for medical reasons

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1041822,00.html

America's hidden battlefield toll

New figures reveal the true number of GIs wounded in Iraq

Jason Burke in London and Paul Harris in New York
Sunday September 14, 2003
The Observer

The true scale of American casualties in Iraq is revealed today by new figures obtained by The Observer, which show that more than 6,000 American servicemen have been evacuated for medical reasons since the beginning of the war, including more than 1,500 American soldiers who have been wounded, many seriously.

The figures will shock many Americans, who believe that casualties in the war in Iraq have been relatively light. Recent polls show that support for President George Bush and his administration's policy in Iraq has been slipping.

The number of casualties will also increase pressure on Bush to share the burden of occupying Iraq with more nations. Attempts to broker an international alliance to pour more men and money into Iraq foundered yesterday when Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, brusquely rejected a French proposal as 'totally unrealistic'.

Three US soldiers were killed last week, bringing the number of combat dead since hostilities in Iraq were declared officially over on 1 May to 68. A similar number have died in accidents. It is military police policy to announce that a soldier has been wounded only if they were involved in an incident that involved a death.

more............

[NNN0LHI]

1. Pregnancies may account for some of these 6000? n/t

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

2. Depleted Uranium is a bigger problem

unless you're married to another man back home,
and now you're pregnant in Iraq.

thats a bigger immediate problem.

[liberalnurse]

4. True.....it always has.....

but 6,000....thats a lot of "Whoopie.":crazy:

[HereSince1628]

3. These med-evacs account for the weird numbers over the past weeks

The wounded were way below the reporst of people coming through the military hospital system. Thanks to somebody for pursuing this.

[lebkuchen]

5. Articles in Stripes months ago quoted doctors at Landstuhl

saying how serious the injuries were, that America doesn't see this side of the war...the casualty count, with our soldiers sustaining life-altering injuries. Since then, Stripes has printed stories about the need for blood for our wounded.

The 6,000 number doesn't surprise me, especially considering the lack of information we've received about the wounded.

For that matter, it wouldn't surprise me if we have a lot more dead than what's being reported. We're talking about the Bushies controlling the Middle East. They will do anything, anything, to achieve their goal.

[Evil_Dewers]

6. I didn't know being pregnant...

could be considered being wounded.

But preggers is a medical condition.