2,000

The death toll of American soldiers reached 2,000 today. I hope American citizens take notice.

Here is an interesting, totally depressing "look at the numbers":

Iraq by the numbers

Jeff Donn, Associated Press
Last update: October 25, 2005 at 3:50 PM

Who are the dead of Operation Iraqi Freedom? How did they die? Like the rest of America, they are a diverse group. A numerical portrait of U.S. military members who have died so far in the war in Iraq:
Number who died since major combat ended April 30, 2003: 1,846.
Percent who died since major combat ended: 93.
Number lost in November 2004, the month with the most deaths: 137.
Percent of the dead who were in the Army: 68.
Percent in the Air Force: 1.
Percent in the National Guard or Reserves: 25.
Percent who died in three Iraqi provinces with mostly Sunni Muslims, the branch of Islam to which Saddam Hussein belongs: 53.
Percent who died outside military action: 23.
Percent who died in accidents on land: 12.
Number who died of illness: 9.
Number of friendly fire deaths confirmed by the Department of Defense: 4.
Number killed in rifle and grenade attack by fellow soldier at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait: 2.
Number of commanders killed in so-called fragging attack — by a soldier on a superior — at a camp outside Baghdad: 2.
Percent who were officers: 10.
Number older than 45 years: 30.
Number who were age 18: 20.
Number of women: 44.
Percent of the dead who were women: 2.
Percent who were Hispanic: 11.
Percent who belonged to a minority group: 25.
Number from California, the most of any state: 215.
Number from Alaska, least of any state: 4.
Number from Texas: 174.
Number from New York state: 92.
Number from Puerto Rico: 16.
Percent from the South: 38.
Percent from the Northeast: 16.
Number of foreign citizens: 76.
Number from Mexico, the country with the most foreign citizens: 27
Number identified by the Defense Department who were awarded posthumous citizenship: 24.
Number who died after five years or more in military service: 568.
Number who died within first three months of their tour of duty: 925.
Percent of total dead who were married: 40.
Percent with children: 30.
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NOTE ON NUMBERS: The numbers are based on counts by the Department of Defense and Associated Press. Most items are based on 1,985 deaths tallied by the DOD as of Oct. 25. The AP's count, which includes deaths reported by news staff in Iraq, has been consistently somewhat ahead of the DOD's. The percentages for minorities were last updated Oct. 15, and the number of foreign citizens was updated Sept. 3. The numbers for marital and parental status, as well as when killed during tour of duty and military service, include 245 deaths in Afghan operations that cannot be separated out.
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EDITOR'S NOTE — Monika Mathur of the AP's News and Information Research Center contributed to this story.