The Full Story About Those 4,000 Dead in Iraq

The 4,000th American has died in Iraq. The media have made this a milestone. As sad as this is for the family of that soldier, sailor, Marine or airman, it is just a number. Much was made of number 3,000, only for the media to have discovered later that through a combination of miscounting and delayed reporting, that man was number 2,996 or 2,997.

4,000 Americans have died. 81.5 percent were killed in combat, 18.5 percent by accident, illness, murder or suicide.

97.6 percent of these Americans were male. 74.8 percent were white, 10.7 Latino and 9.5 percent were black.

50.6 percent of those killed were under 25. 11.8 percent were over 35.

Excluding the partial years of 2003 and 2008, the average losses were 21.9 percent per year, with a low of 20.7 percent in 2005 and a high of 23.4 percent in 2007.

IED deaths account for 47 percent of the combat fatalities.

These are very dry numbers to represent the blood of Americans. Yet, there are some numbers you will not see, numbers that have been kept hidden. The American military does not like to talk about them. The media will not write about them.

For all this blood that we have shed, what about our enemies?

To date, we have killed over 20,700 of those who sought to engage us in combat. These are not civilians, women or children. These are people with weapons in their hands, bombs in their cars, and murder in their eyes. Our troops have defended themselves and 20,700 of those who would have killed them have been killed.

In 2008 alone we have lost about 80 Americans and killed over 550 enemies.

The military does not like to discuss these numbers. In Vietnam, the pressure to produce body counts was intense and there were some false reports. In Iraq, the focus is on winning the peace through reconciliation and reconstruction. We fight to protect not to build a trophy count.

Many Americans are like me, however. The media is very good about reporting each and every American killed in Iraq. It is disheartening since it appears that the blood of our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen is being shed to no good purpose.

We have been told only one side of the story. Along with the good news about the new schools, new roads, reopened markets and booming tourism in Iraq, the cost to our enemies has been ignored. Al Qaeda declared Iraq to be the place where America would be defeated. Emboldened by our retreats from Lebanon and Somalia, they saw us as unable to muster the courage to fight for our principles.

Tonight, al Qaeda in Iraq is hunted. There is no place safe. Their former allies hunt them. From the night sky our Predators seek them. At any moment they may hear the assault of Iraqi and American troops on their hideaway, or they may hear nothing at all as guided munitions from silent aircraft blow them up. They are hungry. They are scared. They are tired.

And, after 4,000 dead Americans, al Qaeda is hunted by Iraqis now. These are Iraqis who have been shown that courage and determination and self sacrifice come in all nationalities, sexes and colors by those brave Americans who have fought and died to set Iraq free.