A little perspective on the body count reporting

None of us ever want to see any American military deaths. In any place, any time, and under any circumstances. The Iraq war coverage done by the old media has been constantly using this fact to push forward their anti-war agenda. Every time we read about another soldier being killed by an IED, we all feel the loss.

We need some perspective though, to truly gauge how big the cost in American lives really is.

Well, Lee Culpepper, a Marine turned English teacher, has this:

• Congress’s pathetic pessimism blazes brightest when we address the fundamental danger of military duty. From 1993 to 2000, our military averaged 937.5 deaths per year. In the four years preceding 9/11 (1997-2000) the military experienced 3198 deaths (source: Murdoc Online – The Official Department of Defense Report). Clearly, there is a reason the media and politicians provide no context when advertising American deaths in Iraq.

The whole post is a great read. It's called True Grit: Winning the Hearts and Minds of Al-Qaida. Here's your starter:

• I wonder if John Wayne is glad to be dead. If he were alive, I imagine our impotent politicians’ apologizing to the public about Iraq would kill him. Seems like America’s once-triumphant spirit endured through our unrelenting grit and hunger to prevail. Such perseverance remains a prerequisite to all success. Sadly, our new breed of representatives has no familiarity with the hunger necessary to win a war. Do you think our barbaric enemies suffer the same dilemma?