American Combat Deaths

In response to this post, reader XYU says:

i suppose you think that increasing the war effort would decrease that number.
you forgot all the thousands of civilian deaths.

First, I must ask: why would you suppose that? I don't believe I am on record anywhere as supporting an increase in the war effort.

Second, I didn't forget "all the thousands" of civilian deaths. I just don't know of an objective source that maintains a running tally. If I find one, I will gladly post those totals as well. Deaths from this war don't become less tragic when they are not American.

Third, these posts are not intended as an endorsement of a policy position, except that the war is an ill-conceived mess that we were tricked into in the first place. I don't have the military expertise to tell you what strategy is going to "win," if such a thing is even possible. The posts are intended to maintain awareness (mine, principally, but also those of anyone who cares to read this site) of the human costs in brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters that we new pay each day as if not paid before. Each death, civilian or military, is a tragedy writ small and woven into the greater tapestry of Tragedy that is the war.

I hope this satisfies your concerns.

Update: The other thing that motivated me to start watching these totals was a concern that bad news in Iraq was being drowned out of the mainstream media by political coverage in July, before the situation really went into the tank. I want to make sure that even if the media stop talking about Iraq, I don't forget. If you find that tiresome, I'm sorry.