Chronicles of E-burg
What 2000 Dead Tells Us
Walter J. Zalis
November 18, 2005

A few weeks ago, the death toll for the 2½ year old Iraq war reached 2,000. Of course, this is a tragic figure and bit of conversation, but it should also be used to put some American minds back on track. And of course, this statistic affects everyone, including this small town of Eldersburg. A group of friends of mine who have grown up here may be on their way across the Atlantic, in the upcoming weeks. Let’s look at FIVE issues surrounding the figure 2000, that Americans should address to check back into the reality of the war at hand.

Issue #1: Looking at the statistic itself: 2000.

Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, had much to say concerning this number, claiming that "the true milestones of this war are rarely covered or discussed… The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone." He added "It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

That’s probably true- realize that. But what about these hard-to-ignore numbers, AND

Issue #2: 30,000 dead Iraqi civilians, 300 in dead U.S. civilians and contractors, 100 dead British troops, and over 15,000 U.S. soldiers wounded.

How come we haven’t discussed some of these numbers? Actually, these numbers have been discussed, just not much by the American media. Check out a British newscast, perhaps one from Mexico. There you’ll see images you’d never find on CNN, FoxNews, or MSNBC: bodies of American soldiers, stories about innocent Iraqi men, women and children being murdered.

Issue #3: Those Americans saying, “2000?!? Unacceptable! That’s the limit!! Get our boys outta there!!”

Of course we can’t do that. We’re in too deep. The U.S. military milestone came as Iraqi election officials announced that the country's draft constitution won approval in a nationwide referendum. Add to that, the fact that Al-qaeda has now declared war on the country, and there is no way the U.S. is simply walking out.

Issue #4: The temptation to compare the 2000 statistic to the death toll from other foreign wars.

Over 58,000 soldiers lost their lives in the bloody years of the Vietnam War, and America lost almost 17 times more dead in Korea compared to Iraq. In neither case did we defeat our enemies or establish democracy.

We can’t predict whether the U.S. will accomplish its policy objectives in Iraq. But policymakers should be mindful of the reasons for U.S. failure in those wars, for Iraq could have disastrous consequences for U.S. foreign policy.
But, even if the U.S. cannot finish the job in Iraq, this 2000 mark after 2½ years cannot be compared to those other wars. This is 2005. We have the technology, the intelligence, and the firepower we lacked in the jungle. 2000 is probably more than what should be acceptable, if anything is acceptable.

And finally, Issue #5: Motives that killed 2000.
President Bush recently said the "defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice…. Each loss of life is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom."

This is the war on terror, correct? It seems the mission has changed to one of “spreading freedom.” Do we honor the men who died fighting terror, looking for weapons of mass destruction, and searching in the mountains of Afghanistan by actually succeeding with this mission, forgetting about those failures before?
We started out searching for Osama bin Laden and members of the group known as Al-qaeda. Osama is still at large, and his group is still running around with dynamite strapped to their chests. Notice one doesn’t hear the name Osama much anymore though.

While no links were ever found between terrorism and Saddam Hussein, the war on terrorism quickly turned to the search for the evil dictator. Sure, it had nothing to do with terrorism, but Saddam had weapons of mass destruction… we thought. That was a failure too, but Bush did find the key to his chance at re-election: finishing what his father started with the capture of Saddam.

So now our motives are to take Hussein’s Iraq and turn it into a democracy. Senator Dick Durbin, the Democrat from Illinois said, "The men and women in our military and their loved ones deserve a clear path to stability in Iraq."

They do need this. If we fail here, do we jump to another mission that we actually think we can succeed with? It’ll probably be a mission fighting the next Saddam, a person who will be created thanks to the war brought to Iraq.

So, realize this: 2000 is just a number. So is 30,000. We can’t leave. This is not ‘Nam. And this war needs stability, a motive. I, along with everyone else in American have watched friends and family travel to Iraq. I urge someone to remind us why it’s worth it.

Previous Chronicles of E-Burg Columns by Walter Zalis
July 29, 2005 - The Restaurant Customers Guide to Etiquette
July 22, 2005 - Ms. Carol's Denny's Nite Club
July 15, 2005 - Review: The Gyms of E-burg
July 8, 2005 - Eldersburg falls in line with Popular Society
July 1, 2005 - The Challenge of Carrolltown Center
June 23, 2005 - The Streets of E-town: Is there a Drug Problem?
June 17, 2005 - Graduation? Senior Week
June 9, 2005 - Not Your Granny's Town Anymore

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