Forgotten

The DK tries to make their annual political point concerning casualties on Memorial Day here. They use the following chart:

Major Wars---------US K.I.A.---US Wounded
Revolutionary War--Est 5,000---Est 6,000
War of 1812---------Est 2500----Est 5,000
Civil War------------215,000----Est 400,000
World War 1--------53,402------64,000
World War 2--------291,557-----671,846
Korean War---------33,741------103,284
Vietnam War-------47,424------153,303
Iraq War------------3,454-------24,417
Afghanistan---------390---------1393

I have to point out that calling Iraq or Afghanistan a "major war" seems like a bit of stretch if we are using casualty figures as the sole factor. Now, it may not be, and you could certainly count, for example, length of deployment in theater to the criteria.

But, whatever criteria they are using, if Iraq and Afghanistan are on the list how do you keep the Philippine Insurrection (now often inaccurately referred to as, PC style, the Philippine-American War) off the list? Or the Spanish-American war?

The Philippine Insurrection accounted for at least 4,234 dead and 2,818 wounded, although that would not account for those who died of disease while on foreign duty. If you look at the ratio of KIA to death from disease in the Spanish-American war among the US Volunteers where 90% of the 4260 deaths came from disease, it indicates that the total death toll in the Philippines was more on the order of Vietnam or Korea than Iraq.

So if you raise a glass today to all of those serving around the world, raise a second glass afterwards for all of the fallen who don't normally get remembered.