Perspective on US casualties in Iraq

Some politicians are losing their stomach over the recent terrorist attacks and helicopter crashes in Iraq. Some find the conflict too intense, and want to run away.

They are encouraging the killers of US servicemen to kill again and again, offering hope that Americans will lose heart and leave.

The Center for Security Policy mourns the American lives lost. But what does the casualty rate mean in cold military terms? A former UH-1H crew chief with the 101st Air Assault Division did some calculations, which a friend from the hinterlands has sent us:

For American casualties to reach the Vietnam war’s total at the current rate, the Iraq operation would have to continue for another 95 years and 6 months – until April, 2098.

To reach the Civil War total, it would have to drag on for another 1,017 years – until the year 3020.

The United States, its coalition partners, and the Iraqi people will win if we stay the course. For the terrorists to succeed in Iraq, they must continue to rely on the weak of heart and character here at home.