From a report published last year for Congress by the Congressional Research Service
Table 4. U.S. Active Duty Military Deaths, 1980 Through 2006
Part I, Total Military Personnel
Year Total Deaths
1980 2,392
1981 2,380
1982 2,319
1983 2, 465
1984 1,999
1985 2, 252
1986 1,984
1987 1.983
1988 1,819
1989 1,636
1990 1,507
1991 1,787
1992 1,293
1993 1,213
1994 1,075
1995 1,040
1996 974
1997 817
1998 827
1999 796
2000 758
2001 891
2002 999
2003 1,228
2004 1,874
2005 1,942
2006 1,858
Total Deaths under Reagan 1981-1988 - 19,593
Total Deaths under Bush I 1989-1992 - 6,223
Total Deaths under Clinton 1993-2000 - 7,500
Total Deaths under Bush II 2001-2006 - 8,792
Deaths due to Hostile Action – from Table 5
1980-82 0
1983 18
1984 1
1985 0
1986 2
1987 37
1988 0
1989 23
1990 0
1991 147
1992-95 0
1996 1
1997-2000 0
2001 3
2002 18
2003 344
2004 739
2005 739
2006 753
Comparison of Deaths in Modern American Conflicts – from Table 6
World War I 116,516
World War II 405,399
Korea 36,578
Vietnam 58,209
Gulf War 382
Afghanistan 352
Iraqi Freedom 3,091
I put the above numbers together myself from the original source. There is lot of fascinating statistics there and I would encourage you to go read it.
And let us never forget that each number represents a precious human life.
And I want to personally thank anyone reading this who has ever served, or who has had a family member who served. Words are not adequate to express my gratitude.
- C.S. Lewis
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/4468.
Yes, that's what it says.
There seems to have been a drastic reduction in the amount of accidental deaths.
My guess was that it had to do with modernization. In other words, I figured that prior to 1980, the numbers were also high, and the military commanders finally got aggressive, and deliberate about preventing accidents. I don't blame reagan. Actually, for all we know they were reduced by an executive order of his.
I'd really like to know why they were able to make such a drastic reduction in accidental deaths.
The other reason for the huge fall in numbers overall are massive advances in battlefield medical attention. Many of the men and women injured in Iraq and Afghanistan would have died on the battlefield just 20 years ago. Now they survive horrendous injuries. It is a testament to the phenomenal medics out there and also to our technological advancement in medicine. It can also create a misleading picture about the devastation wreaked by war. I wonder if the accidental deaths have something to do with the advances as well.
SD
Am I seeing this right?
Thousands of accidental deaths under Regan?
Or is there some way I'm misreading the chart.
In any case, is food for thought.