DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE UNDER REPORTS BATTLEFIELD CASUALTIES

Veterans for Common Sense http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ has uncovered a glaring and sickening error in the way the Department of Defense reports battlefield casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense reports more than 78,000 battlefield casualty statistics for both Iraq and Afghanistan. While casualties in Iraq appear to be decreasing, casualties in Afghanistan continue rising.

During July 2008, the U.S. military reported 800 battlefield casualties. The monthly average number of casualties per month for both wars is approximately 900. A battlefield casualty is defined as killed, wounded, injured, or ill whiled deployed to the war zone.

The injured and ill are counted only if they are medically evacuated out of the country due to serious conditions. These figures are for the military only.

The most recent Department of Veterans Affairs report indicates 325,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran patients treated in VA hospitals and clinics.

DoD Fact Sheet: Impact of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Updated by Veterans for Common Sense on August 6, 2008

78,048 Total U.S. Military Battlefield Casualties Through August 2, 2008

Casualty Category
Iraq War
Afghanistan War
Both Wars
Deaths
4,122
561
4,683
Wounded in Action
30,490
2,309
32,799
Medically Evacuated Due to Injury or Disease
33,529
7,037
40,566
Total Casualties
68,141
9,907
78,048

Sources: Department of Defense: Afghanistan War (Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF), Casualties from Oct. 7, 2001, through Aug. 2, 2008; Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF), Casualties from Mar. 19, 2003, through Aug. 2, 2008; DoD Contingency Tracking System, through Mar. 31, 2008.