Beyond that, of course, are the casualties. Much has been made in the media of late about the number of American soldiers who have been killed recently. 2,787 troops have been killed since the invasion was undertaken, with 74 of those deaths coming in the month of October alone. As bad as this is, these numbers do not accurately reflect the calamity this war has visited upon our armed forces.
The Department of Defense's own reports tell the broader tale. A report from the Defense Manpower Data Center lays it out in stark detail: the total number of "non-mortal" casualties among American soldiers stands at 44,799. Add this to the 2,787 soldiers killed, and we reach 47,586.
A typical military division has between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers, which means the casualties suffered by our troops in Iraq to date amount to between two and four full divisions that have been damaged or ultimately erased. The Army and Marine Corps have thirteen active divisions, so at the worst end of the measurement, the Iraq occupation has sapped a full third of the fighting strength of the US military.
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