As I'm looking for all things Iraq related, I came across this in that Lefty rag, Stars and Stripes.
...."After we knew the Chinook had gone down and we flew at night in a darkened helicopter, we knew this was a dangerous place and we're at war," said Democrat Ed Case of Hawaii.
However, he said: "Whatever increased risk we faced, it was nothing compared to what the frontline troop goes through every day."
The delegation made a stop at the military hospital in Landstuhl, which has treated more than 7,000 injured and ill servicemembers from the Iraq war. The congressmen met with several injured soldiers, one whose arm had been amputated by a rocket-propelled grenade, and another who was injured by a homemade bomb.
Although this could just have easily been a report about today's Black Hawk downing, it was an earlier incident involving a Chinook. The 7,000+ injury figure was reported 5 November, 2003. Two full months ago. Link.
It is somewhat disconcerting that CentCom has removed the tallies from their usual location. I suspect this a bow to political pressure. Now that we're in a post-war, post-Saddam situation any additional deaths/casualties are likely to seen as a greater political liability.
I now use the numbers compiled at the excellent Lunaville.org site.
Today's downing of the UH-60 Black Hawk brings the total of downed helicopters as a result of hostile fire to eight if confirmed since the declaration of Mr. Bush on May 1 that major combat operations has ended.
Additional information on today's chopper crash. CentCom has confirmed that nine G.I.s were killed.
In another Iraqi story, it was reported that a military cargo plane may have been hit by a missile and had to make an emergency landing at Baghdad airport. I can't find the link now, .........I just found a link at Boeston.com. Good thing, I thought I might have hallucinated the entire incident. :)
Iraq is just a long string of bad news. I wonder if BushCo's plans to launch C-Span Baghdad are still go?
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