War On Terrorism September Up-Date

With the 9/11 anniversary just behind us, and renewed concern over the prosecution of the war now focused back on Afghanistan, I thought it a good time to take stock of what this year in the war on terrorism is about regarding casualties. The map shows the casualties rates for soldiers as compared to the rates for soldiers from those states in 2008. It suggests where in this country the impact of the war is likely to be felt more accutely by the people who live there. To date, 14 states and the District of Columbia have met or exceeded their casualty count from the previous year.

Most of these states have met last year's totals, but a few have exceeded: By 200% - AL, HI, & MN; by 156% - OH; by 143% - MA; by 136% - NC; and by 114% - GA. Overall, 327 soldiers have parished in the service of the War on Terrorism in the first 259 days of the year or a daily rate of 1.3 solders a day (9 soldiers a week).