The title is purposely redundant.
2,974 Americans have now died in Bush's "war on terror" -- surpassing the number of American deaths from September 11, 2001.
CNN has noticed. Let's make it a point to make sure everyone else notices.
In the first 3+ days of September, at least 11 Americans have been killed in Iraq. The Department of Defense is still working to confirm a handful of other deaths.
From CNN:
Of the 2,974 U.S. military service members killed, 329 died in Operation Enduring Freedom and 2,645 in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Pentagon. The total includes seven American civilian contractors working for the military in Iraq.
Diarist's Note: 8 additional American deaths are still pending DOD confirmation, bringing that 2,645 total to 2,653, according to Icasualties.
Of the 329 U.S. military deaths in the Operation Enduring Freedom campaign, 261 occurred in Afghanistan, including many in recent months amid a resurgent Taliban guerrilla campaign. Many British and Canadian troops have also been killed recently as part of the force that is operating against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.
Some sobering math: less than 10% of these 2,974 deaths occurred in an effort to find Osama bin Laden. The remaining 90% have occurred in George's pre-emptive war in/on Iraq.
If averages hold true, the number of coalition troops killed in Iraq alone will equal the 2,973 killed on 9/11 in 39 days, on or about October 13th.
If those same averages hold, the number of Americans killed in Iraq will equal 9/11 deaths in 141 days -- right at the end of January 2007, when the new Congress is sworn in.
Sobering and poetic all at the same time.
The American death toll only tells part of the story. Another 20,000 have been wounded. Tens of thousands more will suffer PTSD. And by all accounts, at least 15 Iraqis have died for every American.
What might these fine young men and women accomplished here at home? What might $400 billion have done here at home? What would the "psyche" of our country feel like minus this war?
We'll never know.
But we do know what "staying the course" buys us: somber milestones like today's, and the one coming on October 13th, and the one coming in January, and all the unnecessary death in between.