Unsustainable Casualty Rate in Iraq; Iraq 2004 = Vietnam 1966

[LynnTheDem]

What has been known for some time by those who calculate military casualties; the Iraqi rebellion is every bit as dangerous as previous post-colonial conflicts, and it is only vastly improved medical treatment and armor that is preventing the conflict in Iraq from spiralling through the roof in death toll figures.

Excerpts:

After factoring in medical, doctrinal, and technological improvements, infantry duty in Iraq circa 2004 comes out just as intense as infantry duty in Vietnam circa 1966—and in some cases more lethal. Even discrete engagements, such as the battle of Hue City in 1968 and the battles for Fallujah in 2004, tell a similar tale: Today's grunts are patrolling a battlefield every bit as deadly as the crucible their fathers faced in Southeast Asia.

That today's fighting in Iraq, by these calculations, may actually be more lethal than the street fighting in Vietnam should not be taken lightly.

http://www.slate.com/id/2111432/