# Iraq casualties by branch **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861 "2005-11-20T00:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/1 "2005-11-20T00:47:37Z")
I’ve been looking for infomation about Iraq causlties, broken down by armed service branch. Information about the number of troops in theater would also be useful to get an idea of percentages, that is, which branchs have the best and worst cautly rates. So far I’ve been unable to find such information. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/2 "2005-11-20T00:54:33Z")
The following lists those killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, broken down by service. No idea on numbers in theater; I’ll see what I can find. I thought the Navy Times just did a piece on this very subject. [http://www.defendamerica.mil/fallen/fln-oif.html](http://www.defendamerica.mil/fallen/fln-oif.html) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/3 "2005-11-20T00:55:51Z")
[http://icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx](http://icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/4 "2005-11-20T00:56:41Z")
Here it is: [http://www.militarycity.com/2000casualties/](http://www.militarycity.com/2000casualties/) Check the links on the bottom right for detailed info. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/5 "2005-11-20T19:14:31Z")
Are you looking for American casualties, or Iraqi? ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/6 "2005-11-20T20:08:31Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Are you looking for American casualties, or Iraqi? American. I’ve been rather curious which is the most dangerous vs. safest branch of the US military in Iraq, using the number of troops present combined with number of causalties. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/7 "2005-11-20T21:29:44Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > safest branch of the US military in Iraq, WAG: Navy (on ships) and Coast Guard. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/8 "2005-11-20T21:31:52Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > WAG: Navy (on ships) and Coast Guard. That much is easy, for obvious reasons. It’s the other Branches…Marines and Army that is hard to quantify, not to mention breaking down by reserves vs. active duty. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/9 "2005-11-20T23:02:11Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > That much is easy, for obvious reasons. It’s the other Branches…Marines and Army that is hard to quantify, not to mention breaking down by reserves vs. active duty. Go to **Scruloose** ’s [link from post #4](http://www.militarycity.com/2000casualties/), and click on “Service and Component” on the right of the page. This gives a page with 8 pie charts regarding US military deaths in “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, broken down by percentage of total force in the field, active-duty vs reserve, and deaths per branch. Quick summary: [ol] [li]The US Air Force and the US Navy are the safest branches, as one would expect.[/li][li]The US Marine Corps is taking major losses (32.4% of active-duty and 19.1% of reserve deaths for a presence of 9.8% of personnel in the field).[/li][li]The reserves (both Army and USMC) are taking a greater and greater percentage of losses as time progresses.[/li] [/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/10 "2005-11-20T23:10:53Z")
Addendum: The site linked to in my previous post did not give numbers for the US Coast Guard. There were apparently [1200 men and women](http://usmilitary.about.com/od/coastguard/a/uscgwar.htm) deployed to the theater by the USCG. I can only imagine that its losses (if any) have been small, at least compared to the Army and USMC. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/11 "2005-11-20T23:24:02Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > Addendum: > The site linked to in my previous post did not give numbers for the US Coast Guard. There were apparently [1200 men and women](http://usmilitary.about.com/od/coastguard/a/uscgwar.htm) deployed to the theater by the USCG. I can only imagine that its losses (if any) have been small, at least compared to the Army and USMC. I can tell you that the Coast Guard has had 1 member killed in action, and at least 1 wounded in OIF. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/12 "2005-11-21T07:22:14Z")
Thanks for the clarification, **Scruloose**. The lack of USCG statistics on Iraq–theater presence and casualties in my earlier post was due to lack of USCG data on the cited page – no disrespect intended! Your knowledge of the USCG, together with a vague recollection in my brain of your username and location, made me realize that you’re the SDMB’s resident Coastie, as evidenced in [this post-Katrina thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=333043). I remember noting some of the links in that thread (and finding some more supporting URLs), and sending them to friends of mine who complained that “not a single agency or miltary branch, either Federal or State, performed well during or after Katrina”. _Semper Paratus_, **Scruloose**. I salute you and your brothers and sisters in the United States Coast Guard. [_It’s OK to say **Semper Paratus** even though I’m not a Coastie, as long as it’s said with due respect, right?_] ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/13 "2005-11-21T11:03:08Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > – no disrespect intended! I assure you that none was taken. If I came across as short, I apologize; I certainly didn’t mean it that way. What I meant by saying ‘I can tell you’, is I don’t need to look it up - I can tell you his name, rate, unit, circumstances surrounding his death, family situation etc. As you know, we don’t take many wartime casualties, so when it happens, it’s pretty big news within the small service. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraq-casualties-by-branch/331861/14 "2005-11-21T14:45:32Z")
Also, I’ll throw out that, while the Navy overall is fairly safe from combat deaths, one rate within the Navy is not – Hospital Corpsman. The first link (with casualties broken down by service) didn’t include the rates of the dead – just the rank. Many of them were obviously not specifically combat related (at least one sailor I noticed was listed as ‘lost at sea’). Several of the lowest ranking sailors (E1 - E-3) were listed as 'Airman" or “Seaman” and so were clearly not Corpsman. There was at least one Hospitalman listed, though. And I’d WAG that a large percentage of the rest of the enlisted casualties – particularly of the combat casulaties – were Corpsman, insurgency strikes and helicopter crashes being particularly lethal. My son started Corp school about 9 months ago and when a Corpsman is lost, he hears about it. In fact, he probably knows the exact count of Corpsmen lost so far – it seems like he told me that on a recent phone call. He’ll be home for Thanksgiving on Wednesday – I’ll ask him.