The Iraq war has recently passed the 1,500 mark in soldiers who have lost their lives. What you don't hear about very often are the casualties. The good news is that more soldiers survive their injuries than in past wars. The bad news is they survive with major physical and mental impairments.
According to a Time magazine article, in World War II, 1 in 3 wounded soldiers died; in Vietnam, 1 in 4; in Iraq, 1 in 8. As of last week, 11,285 American soldiers had been wounded. Things like Kevlar and ceramic body armour have been great lifesavers in modern warfare. But you have to wonder how many lives would have been saved with all limbs intact had their humvees, meant for use in non-combat zones, been equipped with the armour needed for guerrilla warfare.
An interesting statistic is that only 16% of injuries in Iraq are caused by gunshots and 69% were from explosions, such as roadside booby traps, car bombs and (RPGs) rocket propelled grenades. If these soldiers had armour-ready vehicles it appears we would have far less lost of limbs. A new injury doctors have been seeing is Traumatic brain injury, which occurs when the shock from an explosion damages neurological fibers. Soldiers who physically are not wounded by an explosion find over time that they suffer coordination and memory loss, dizziness and insomnia. Some have to learn to walk again -- or to recognize their wives and children. Jim Batchelor, pictured, suffers from the disorder. His wife gave him a rifle to help him sleep, but it hasn't worked.
Support our troops? All this is going on and the government can't give these guys the equipment they need. $87 million and all they get is Rumsfeld telling them you gotta fight with what you've got not what you need. And so it goes.
1 comment:
What sort of pinko yellow journalist propaganda is this. Our forefathers went to the mat so you can publish this kind of anti american slur. Have you no shame sir. You are obviously in league with bin laden and belong in a holding cell in guantanamo bay.
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