The death rate of American soldiers in Iraq is relatively low. After 4 years of war it is less than 4,000. Compared to the 55,000 in Vietnam and the 33,000 in Korea. The reason is, the physics of war have changed (The Washington Post: A Shock Wave of Brain Injuries)
In Vietnam, many soldiers died on the battlefield before medics arrived. In Iraq, thanks to better body armour, your legs and arms could be blown off your body, but the rest could remain rather intact. Without a scratch, or so it seems.
The Vietnamese resistance fought with rudimentary booby traps and poisoned bamboo spikes, the Iraqis fight with powerful so-called “improvised explosive devices” (IEDs). They kill and they shock. Those not immediately killed, will receive a true brain shocker, whereby the brain is rocked and rolled, rattled and shaken (that sounds like Elvis) within the skull. No helmet or body armor can defend against such a massive wave front, the Washington Post reports. About 1,800 American troops already suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). And as many as one-third of all combat forces are at risk.
American medics are scratching their unshaken skulls about how to treat those veterans. Because they have lost their minds. They don't know who they were or who they are. The Iraqi resistance turned them into Zombies. They do not return to the U.S. in body bags to be buried under the grassy knolls. They return to wander the streets of American cities and towns as Zombies. The living dead, returning to hound America.
The dead Vietnam vets rest in peace. The living dead Iraqi vets will terrorize America for decades to come. Stay the course, George.
No comments:
Post a Comment