Well, today marks the official end of the war in Iraq. The United States flag of command was lowered in Baghdad and power was transferred to the Iraqi government. Here at home there doesn't seem to be any blaring of trumpets or people taking to the streets to celebrate. It seems what started with a bang has ended with a whimper.
At the highpoint of the war there were over 170,000 pairs of boots on the ground during the “surge “ in 2007.
As of today, approximately 5,500 remain and will soon be departing for Kuwait and eventually, home to American soil.
Here are some numbers that might put things in perspective.
Number of Americans killed – Approximately 4,500
Number of Americans wounded – Official numbers state over 30,000 but some estimates run much higher. I also don’t think that number reflects other soldiers who might suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder or other related illnesses or disease.
Total cost of the war - Over 800 billion.
As for the Iraqis themselves, nobody is quite sure how many have been killed or injured but according to http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/ the number of deaths is somewhere between 104,000 and 114,000. They estimate that four out of five of those deaths were civilians. Lord knows how many were injured.
I’d like to thank all who served in one way or another in a place so far from home. That is especially true
for those who gave their lives or returned home
damaged in one form or another.
We welcome you back with open arms and may we all find some degree of peace during the upcoming holiday season.