Most Occupation Watch bulletins focus on the plight of the Iraqi people, who
are the primary victims of the tragic war against and occupation of their
country. But this bulletin will shed light on unrest and disaffection within
the ranks of the occupation troops, the other victims of this war, who
continue to die on a daily basis for the mistakes, greed and lies of their
countries' politicians.
As of December 13, 2004, 1,294 U.S. troops, 74 U.K. troops, and 72 troops
from other countries (Poland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Ukraine Bulgaria,
Thailand, Estonia, El Salvador, Netherlands, Slovakia, Latvia, and Hungary)
have been killed in the Iraq war, according to the website Iraq Coalition
Casualty Count: http://icasualties.org/oif/
More than half of these deaths - 888 of them - occurred after Saddam
Hussein, the man whose evil supposedly engendered this war, was captured,
one year ago today.
Last month, November 2004, was the most deadly month for U.S. soldiers since
the Iraq war began in March 2003. 136 US troops were killed in November,
approximately 71 of them in the assault on Falluja. The second most deadly
month for U.S. soldiers was April 2004, when 135 were killed in the first
Falluja assault.
In addition to these deaths, there are some 25,000 troops who have been
wounded. The Pentagon's preferred statistic is 9,556 soldiers, a number that
includes only those who have been "wounded in action". But this is just the
tip of the iceberg. At the end of November, the Pentagon admitted to the
news show "60 Minutes" that an additional 15,000 troops have been evacuated
from Iraq due so-called 'non-battle' injuries:
Iraq: The Uncounted
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=7936
The wounds are not minor ones. Many young soldiers have had faces, arms and
legs blown off, according to a new article in the New England Journal of
Medicine that includes a five-page spread of photographs graphically
depicting the horrific injuries that are being suffered by U.S. soldiers:
Casualties of War - Military Care for the Wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8262
Caring for the Wounded in Iraq - A Photo Essay
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/351/24/2476
Tragically, these numbers will likely only continue to grow as the U.S.
implements its plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq from about
138,000 to 150,000, in time for the January 30 election. Most of the
increase in troop count will come from the extended deployment of units
already in Iraq. Some of these soldiers have had their combat tours extended
over and over and over again. These extensions are most difficult for
National Guard and Reserve Troops who have been dragged out of civilian life
to fight for extended periods in Iraq while their families struggle to
survive:
U.S. Troop Level In Iraq To Grow
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8110
In this context, it is not surprising that resistance to the Iraq war is
strengthening within the U.S. military. The most publicized story of
resistance this week was of the soldiers who questioned Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld during a town hall meeting about poor combat equipment,
extended tours of duty, and pay delays:
Rumsfeld Gets Earful From Troops
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8202
But other stories this week told of greater problems being faced by the
military - low morale, high rates of desertion, officer shortages, and
lawsuits:
U.S. deserter numbers reach 5,500
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8233
US Army plagued by desertion and plunging morale
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8232
Officer crisis hits Army Reserve
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8209
Eight Soldiers Plan to Sue Over Army's Stop-Loss Policy
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8157
This week also saw the first hearing of a U.S. soldier who is applying for
asylum in Canada. The soldier, Jeremy Hinzman, says that he refuses to go to
war in Iraq because he doesn't want to be forced to commit war crimes. And
in San Diego, a Navy sailor, Pablo Paredes, refused to board his ship as it
prepared to embark for the Persian Gulf. He told reporters that when he
joined the Navy he "never imagined, in a million years, we would go to war
with somebody who had done nothing to us."
Former Marine Testifies to Atrocities in Iraq
Unit Killed Dozens of Unarmed Civilians Last Year, Canadian Refugee Board Is
Told http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8264
Navy Sailor Charged As "Deserter and Fugitive" After Refusing Iraq
Deployment http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8265
Meanwhile, the rhetoric that we must "support the troops" by remaining
silent about the worsening situation in Iraq, rings hollow when it reaches
the doorstep of the homeless shelter, which is where returning Iraq war
veterans are already showing up:
Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=8208
Occupation Watch urges people who are concerned about these issues and know
that the best way to support these troops - and the Iraqi people - is to
bring them home immediately, to seek assistance from the following
organizations:
Bring Them Home Now
www.bringthemhomenow.org
Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
www.objector.org
GI Rights Hotline
http://girights.objector.org/
Iraq Veterans Against War
www.ivaw.net
Military Families Speak Out
www.mfso.org
Veterans For Peace
www.veteransforpeace.org
We also refer our readers to Michael Moore's new book, Will They Ever Trust
Us Again? Letters from the Warzone to Michael Moore, for more about these
issues in the soldiers' own words:
Dear Mike, Iraq Sucks
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=7137
SIGN UP FOR OW'S EMAIL BULLETIN: To sign up for the Occupation Watch
Center's weekly email bulletin, go to
http://www.occupationwatch.org/email.php
|
