# The steady drip-drip of American fatalities in Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 22, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585 "2003-06-22T15:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/81 "2003-07-07T12:24:47Z")
Not exactly a moral booster either: > [@](#): > > Three American soldiers were killed in separate attacks in Iraq in the last 24 hours amid signs that many Iraqis approve of the killing of the occupying soldiers… > > **[The Independent](http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=422347)** ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/82 "2003-07-07T12:25:40Z")
> [@](#): > > [article in the Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54872-2003Jun30.html?nav=hptop_tb) > > “U.S. officials need to get our [expletive] out of here,” said the 43-year-old reservist from Pittsburgh, who arrived in Iraq with the 307th Military Police Company on May 24. “I say that seriously. We have no business being here. We will not change the culture they have in Iraq, in Baghdad. Baghdad is so corrupted. All we are here is potential people to be killed and sitting ducks.” > [@](#): > > [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle\_east/3050358.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3050358.stm) > > US troops on patrol are facing daily attacks > > Two American soldiers and two Iraqis have been killed in three separate attacks on US patrols in Iraq. > The first soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with two Iraqis in Baghdad, one of whom was shot dead, the US military said. > > A second soldier was killed by a homemade explosive device in the north of the Iraqi capital. > > In the town of Ramadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Baghdad, attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at US vehicles, wounding four soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/83 "2003-07-07T12:27:47Z")
And consider the families of the troops [http://support3rdid.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2180&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1](http://support3rdid.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2180&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1) Troops are naturally getting demoralized. The Iraqis dislike them being there so much that they don’t mind the deaths of Iraqis who work with Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/84 "2003-07-07T12:35:03Z")
Heard an ABC radio news broadcast yesterday on the latest American soldier to be shot dead in Iraq. The report included a statement from some official flack, announcing that the serviceman had been taken to a hospital where he was “medically retired”. I guess the term “medically retired” has now been expanded to include deaths on active duty. Sounds gentler than “dead”. Of course, we could adopt the old British High Command term from WWI. In those days, when there weren’t suicidal mass assaults taking place, hundreds were still dying every day in small actions along the Western Front. The Brits used to refer to the casualties as “normal wastage”. And speaking of casualties: _“As difficult as it may be, I do attempt to keep my political opinions neutral.”_ Dammit **elucidator** , you’ve just increased the number of serious eye-rolling injuries by 400%. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/85 "2003-07-09T11:51:36Z")
> [@](#): > > [Non-Fatal Strikes in Iraq Rattle GIs but Go Uncounted](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28712-2003Jul8.html?nav=hptop_tb) > _By Rajiv Chandrasekaran > Washington Post Foreign Service > Wednesday, July 9, 2003; Page A01_ > > Because the blast did not result in a death or serious injury, it was not mentioned to reporters by the U.S. military’s public information office. But military officials acknowledged that such non-fatal attacks are more widespread than daily casualty figures reflect. > > “It’s becoming routine,” a U.S. military official said. “It’s no longer a few isolated incidents.” > > Such incidents are of growing concern to military commanders, who express fear that assailants will learn from their failures and improve their tactics. Military officials also are worried that a barrage of non-fatal attacks – estimated by officials at\*\*\* more\* than a dozen a day in _Baghdad_\*\* – will sap troop morale and cause people to reevaluate official pronouncements that armed resistance to the U.S. occupation is small and militarily insignificant. > > In Baghdad, two were wounded in another land mine attack, a military spokesman said, and two more were hurt when insurgents dropped a **homemade** bomb from a bridge onto a passing military convoy. > > Bremer said the recent attacks on U.S. forces, while conducted with “considerable professionalism,” do not appear to be coordinated by one person or group. “There is no central command and control.” > > _© 2003 The Washington Post Company_ Apparently, the casualty lists aren’t the sole indicators of the number of attacks our troops face. Between the homemade bomb and Bremer’s report of the lack of an Iraqi resisance centcom, it appears to be a grassroots sort of movement. Good thing that it’s not more effective at killing our soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/86 "2003-07-09T12:40:33Z")
How about a new strategy: announce to the Iraqis that : (1) the death of ONE US soldier will be answered with the deaths of 10,000 Iraqis (2) any mosque found to contain weapons will be blown up (3) any Iraqis carrying waepons will be shot on sight Of course, this strategy might be open to misinterpretation… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/87 "2003-07-09T13:23:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*How about a new strategy: announce to the Iraqis that : > (1) the death of ONE US soldier will be answered with the deaths of 10,000 Iraqis > (2) any mosque found to contain weapons will be blown up > (3) any Iraqis carrying waepons will be shot on sight > Of course, this strategy might be open to misinterpretation… \*\* Yes, brilliant idea Ralph, in the long line of them, similar strategies worked so swimmingly for the Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/88 "2003-07-09T13:29:48Z")
We still have enough nukes to turn Iraq into a sheet of glass, don’t we? We can still get the oil out after the hostiles and potential hostiles are cleared, can’t we? What the hell are we waiting for? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/89 "2003-07-09T16:00:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*How about a new strategy: announce to the Iraqis that : > (1) the death of ONE US soldier will be answered with the deaths of 10,000 Iraqis > (2) any mosque found to contain weapons will be blown up > (3) any Iraqis carrying waepons will be shot on sight > Of course, this strategy might be open to misinterpretation… \*\* So _that’s_ what “liberation” **really** means. How is that different from Al Qaeda killing innocent Americans because they do not like what their government does? ---
**Author:** ![ChaosGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@ChaosGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChaosGod)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/90 "2003-07-10T01:00:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SimonX \* > \*\*We still have enough nukes to turn Iraq into a sheet of glass, don’t we? > We can still get the oil out after the hostiles and potential hostiles are cleared, can’t we? > What the hell are we waiting for? \*\* Yeah! Cool! You guys go ahead and do just that. Meanwhile, I’ll open a bag of chips and a coke and sit down to watch how another US landmark goes down in flames. It’s win-win for us CNN junkies. (WAR ! …HUUU!.. what -is -it -goooood for…) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/91 "2003-07-10T01:22:35Z")
> [@](#): > > How about a new strategy: announce to the Iraqis that : > (1) the death of ONE US soldier will be answered with the deaths of 10,000 Iraqis > (2) any mosque found to contain weapons will be blown up > (3) any Iraqis carrying waepons will be shot on sight > Of course, this strategy might be open to misinterpretation… This may be the worst list of suggestions I’ve ever seen. Aside from the fact that it’s morally reprehensible, it would play right into the hands of Saddam, Bin Laden, and all the other people at war with the United States. The guerrillas still fighting would LOVE this. They kill a soldier, the Americans go on a rampage, and the Iraqi citizens turn against the U.S. and turn the situation into a widepread civil uprising. In the meantime, the U.S. loses the last shred of support throughout the world. Great plan. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/92 "2003-07-10T01:25:14Z")
Indeed. It might very well put the universal approval we are currently enjoying at risk. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/93 "2003-07-10T02:28:30Z")
I know that my post was sarcastic. I _assume_ that **ralph** ’s was too. I thought that the turn Iraq into glass was over-the-top enough not to need explanation. Sorry. :smack: :o ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/94 "2003-07-10T02:37:03Z")
I, also, intended a faint note of sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/95 "2003-07-10T08:01:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > This may be the worst list of suggestions I’ve ever seen. Rubbish, we’ve seen far worse in the past. There’s nothing about forced conversion, for example. > [@](#): > > In the meantime, the U.S. loses the last shred of support throughout the world. > > Great plan. What are you talking about Sam, similar policies worked _brilliantly_ during the Nazi occupation of Europe! Stopped the French, Ukrainian, Yugoslav resistance movements right in their tracks and won the population right over. Come now man, let’s be effective, get to the heart of the matter. In for a penny, in for a pound… ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/96 "2003-07-10T08:23:06Z")
I am getting a sarcasm overdose here. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/97 "2003-07-10T09:45:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*I am getting a sarcasm overdose here. \*\* Bother, you’re just not up to speed on the successes of collective punishment to enable occupation forces. Just read a little on the beautiful results the fine German forces had, or the brilliant successes of the French in Algeria. You’ll be converted in a second. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585/98 "2003-07-10T09:54:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SimonX \* > I _assume_ that **ralph** ’s was too. I would not assume that, given ralph’s past posting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-steady-drip-drip-of-american-fatalities-in-iraq/183585.md?page=4)