The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
Wars Aren't as Lethal As They Used To Be
by James Dunnigan
June 6, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
Wars aren't as lethal as they used to be. World War II, the bloodiest war in
history, killed some hundred million people (troops and civilians). Nothing
since then has even come close, and the casualty count, for all wars, has
declined every decade since the 1940s. This has been particularly true with the
United States. During World War II, over 200 American troops were killed in
combat every day of the war. During the Korean war, about 30 American troops
died each day of the war. During the Vietnam war, it was about 14 a day. For the
war in Iraq, it's about two a day. For the war in Afghanistan, it's less than
one a week. The reasons are pretty simple. American troops are better protected,
better trained, have better medical care and more firepower. The result is that
the enemy doesn’t get many opportunities to get an accurate shot in, and while
they are trying to do that, U.S. soldiers are firing back more frequently and
accurately. Thus in Iraq, about 15 enemy troops die for each American. War is
still dangerous, even for American troops. But the grandfathers of today’s
soldiers and marines can only imagine how much easier it would have been for
them during World War II if they had the advantages their combat ready
grandchildren have.
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