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09/28/2005: "Iraq, day 924"

Here are some facts:

From March 20, 2003 through through May 1, 2003 (the end of major combat), the US-led collition lost a total of 173 soldiers. 140 of these were "US soldiers".

From May 2, 2003 through June 28, 2004 (when sovereignty turned over to Iraq) the US and its partners in war lost a total of 803 more soldiers, 718 of them "American".

From June 29, 2004 (the day after the official turnover of sovereignty to Iraq) through January 30, 2005 (Iraq Elections), 632 more men and women (579 Americans) lost their lives on 'our' side of this war.

And from January 31, 2005 (the day after Iraq Elections) through yesterday, "we" lost another 511 brave men and women in uniform (485 of these are US nationals).

This makes a total of 2119 lives (1922 of them "American") expended over 924 days. We average 2.3 deaths per day on "our side" of this 2.5 year long quagmire. The Iraq "war on terror" is now well over twice as long as the 444-day "Iran Hostage Crisis".

The Vietnam War started with a slower death rate than what we have in Iraq. The United States had been involved in Vietnam for six years before total fatalities surpassed 500 in 1965, the year President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a massive buildup of forces. In Iraq there were 582 servicemen and servicewomen killed in the first 365 days.

There were 20,000 troops in Vietnam by the end of 1964. There were more than 200,000 a year later. The Army plans to keep troop levels at 120,000 until "at least the end of 2006". There were over 150,000 US troops in Iraq last month.

By the end of 1966, U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam had reached 3,910. By 1968, the peak of U.S. involvement, there were more than 500,000 troops in the country.

"There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation. “ - George W. Bush, July 2, 2003.

The Iraqi people mounted no successful opposition to Saddam, yet they have extracted a terrible price from the US-led forces. Is it possible that the Iraqi people have risen up against what they view as an imperialist invasion much more unjust than the Hussein regime?

An Iraqui national referendum on the charter constitutions is to be held Oct. 15, followed by December elections based on the constitutional referendum. Watch what happens as those dates approach.