August takes a heavy toll: 1,100 wounded in Iraq

[Robbien]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - About 1,100 U.S. soldiers and Marines were wounded in Iraq last month, by far the highest combat injury toll for any month since the war began and an indication of the intensity of battles flaring in urban areas.

U.S. medical commanders say the sharp rise in battlefield injuries reflects more than three weeks of fighting by two Army and one Marine battalion in the southern city of Najaf. At the same time, U.S. units frequently faced combat in a sprawling Shia Muslim slum in Baghdad and in the Sunni cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra, all of which remain under the control of insurgents two months after the transfer of political authority.

"They were doing battlefield urban operations in four places at one time," said Lt. Col. Albert Maas, operations officer for the 2nd Medical Brigade, which oversees U.S. combat hospitals in Iraq. "It's like working in downtown Detroit. You're going literally building to building."

Last month's toll of 1,112 compared with 533 troops injured in July, 589 in June and 818 in May, according to Globalsecurity.org, based in Alexandria, Va.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wocasu063957942sep06,0,7931155.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines

[lebkuchen]

1. Stripes headline: August's combat injury toll highest since war began

That's today's headline, the story taken from the Washington Post, same story you have posted.

There's also an "ass-kicking" letter in today's Stripes against the chickenhawks. When the URL is available, I will post it.

[LynnTheDem]

2. No no no no noooooo

This is just more of that anti-American unpatriotic treasonous liberal media!

NO ONE has been wounded in Iraq except for the Iraqis Saddam Hussein was wounding.

NO ONE has been killed in Iraq except for the Iraqis Saddam Hussein was killing.

FORGET that fact that more US soldiers have died in Iraq after the Kurds captured SH than before.

FORGET that fact that more US soldiers have died in Iraq in 18 months than died in the first 4 years of the Vietnam war.

FORGET that fact that bush kicked out the UN weapons inspectors to rush our troops, short on ammo and rifles and body armor and food and water etc, to pre-emptive strike to spread democracy against a future threat.

FORGET that fact that had bush actually used the above as his excuse for war before his invasion, he'd currently be locked up in the mental ward.

[VolcanoJen]

3. Something Atrios said about this article just sticks with me.

We should all be thinking this through the way he has.

http://atrios.blogspot.com/

1100 wounded in Iraq in August. One doesn't know what wounded means, exactly, but we know that it's frequently quite bad. Amputations. Blinding. Brain Damage.

It isn't just that which should concern us. The thing I can't comprehend is what those returning home must think. While the chickenhawks would have us believe that the thing upsetting the troops the most is the existence of protesters (could be true, I have no idea), I can't imagine that there isn't at least one more thing of concern - the fact that this war seems to have faded from consciousness.

I can't imagine much about being a combat soldier, but one thing I think I for some reason (maybe incorrectly) feel like I have a glimpse of understanding about is what it must feel like to come home from the Biggest Event of Your Life, an event which you thought was The Most Important Thing To Your Country, and find that it barely even registered in the news.

odd, that.

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=802837