May Afghanistan Casualties: A Correction
Jul 31, 2020225.3K Shares8.3M Views
“„U.S. fatalities climbed from five in April to 15 in May — close to the number of American troops killed that month in Iraq — where there are more than four times the number of U.S. troops.
I derived that figure by counting the number of casualties announced by the Pentagon, which emails casualty notices to reporters. (There were 19 U.S. fatalitiesin Iraq in May.) Today I saw thisin an account of Defense Secretary Bob Gates hectoring Nato over Afghanistan:
“„Gates started by saying he is particularly impassioned about Afghanistan “because in May, U.S. casualties in Afghanistan exceeded our casualties in Iraq for the first time.”
I don’t quite know what I did wrong. It could be that the Pentagon didn’t announce the remaining U.S. fatalities at publication time. (DOD doesn’t announce until the family receives notification.) It could be that soldiers wounded in May could have passed away from their injuries in June and they were counted as May fatalities. It could be that I made an arithmetic error. In any event, what matters is that I was wrong. I meant no disrespect to the dead or to their families and I regret the error.
Dexter Cooke
Reviewer
Dexter Cooke is an economist, marketing strategist, and orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience crafting compelling narratives that resonate worldwide.
He holds a Journalism degree from Columbia University, an Economics background from Yale University, and a medical degree with a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopedic medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dexter’s insights into media, economics, and marketing shine through his prolific contributions to respected publications and advisory roles for influential organizations.
As an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery and laparoscopic procedures, Dexter prioritizes patient care above all.
Outside his professional pursuits, Dexter enjoys collecting vintage watches, studying ancient civilizations, learning about astronomy, and participating in charity runs.
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