Where The Wounded Go - 7700 and rate rising not declining

[dArKeR]

The U.S. effort In Iraq is costing lives, but there's another price being paid, too – in the increasingly high numbers of those being severely injured and disabled. Lives are not only being lost, others are being broken and turned into long-term battles with pain and disability, CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips reports.

When the 21 injured survivors of Sunday's helicopter attack were flown to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, they followed a well-worn trail. The facility here has been stretched to its limits.

"We've seen a lot of folks, yes sir," said the hospital's commander, Col. Rhonda Cornum. And the combat casualty rates haven't been falling off as had been hoped – they keep coming.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/04/eveningnews/main581912.shtml

[pfitz59]

1. Col Cornum was POW in Gulf I

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/war/5.html

[LittleApple81]

2. I am so fed up of not knowing WHAT IS GOING ON!

7,700????
What the heck is this? Why do they mumble jumble all the numbers together so we don't know what is going on? Stupid question, sorry.

These were young people, full of hope, trying to do their best at what they were hired to do. Destroyed lives, sad consequences, futility is all.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. Quiet, Mushroom!! You'll sit in the dark, eat crap, and like it!!

[ZenLefty]

4. This is interesting...

One reason for the high numbers of injured is that the troops' flack jackets are keeping many alive who would otherwise be dead.

Major Allan Philp, M.D., points to "the success of some of the body armor, for example, in reducing the number of torso injuries which are traditionally fatal types of injuries.

I guess this is good news, in a way, as I'm glad they're alive and not dead. Supporters of the war seem to point to the fact that there are so few fatalities as a measure of its success, and as evidence that this is not another Vietnam. Just imagine if the soldiers had Vietnam-era flack jackets. Then there really would be little difference.

EDIT: Wow, and CBS is reporting this. The chicken-shit station who won't show a movie about ronald reagan. :eyes:

[Pale_Rider]

5. Yep, body armor preserves lives ...

... however doesn't prevent arms and legs from being blow off.

[joeunderdog]

6. The troops have to buy their own vests.

Shows how much their lives are valued. Most of them have their family purchase adequate gear and ship it over. Costs $1000+ and their choice is to go without or use outdated, inadequate protection.

[Journeyman]

7. Yes, modern technology guarantees. . .

more and more Joe Bonhams to fill the wards of the hospitals and old soldier homes.

(Joe Bonham: The narrator in Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got his Gun.)

[DebbieCDC]

8. Joe Bonham

Was that the story about the young vet who has no arms, legs, sight, etc. but has a completely functioning intellect? I think it was made into a film with Timothy Bottoms???? I remember being so horrified when I saw it.

[robbob]

9. That's sounds like "Johnny Got His Gun"

...although the movie may have had a different title

<on edit> ...opps. Guess I should read the entire post, eh?

[ZenLefty]

10. I guess if it came down to 'alive' or 'disabled'

I'd have to go with 'alive', though it would suck to be either.

[dArKeR]

11. I'm wondering if CBS had this plan to off-load the movie for publicity?