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Numbers Tell the Tale in Iraq

As US deaths approach 4,000, here's a look behind the statistics

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 21, 2008 2:01 PM CDT

(Newser) – As US troop losses in Iraq near 4,000, USA Today profiles the dead: 98% were male, and the most common age among those killed was 21—but one in six was younger. The bloodiest day was Jan. 26, 2005, when a helicopter crash killed 31 and six died in combat; the bloodiest month was November 2004, which saw 137 deaths.

About half the casualties were the result of bombs, and 16% were killed by enemy fire. New York City is the hometown with the most deaths (62). The current total of 3,983 deaths is less than two-thirds the number of casualties during fighting at Iwo Jima in WWII, USA Today notes. And the milestone of 4,000 might not change the public’s view of the war, says an expert: “It’s not like the stock market. People are more affected by events in wars than numbers.”

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army, Army Chief Warrant Officer Paul J. Flynn, 28, of Whitsett, N.C., is shown. Flynn died on Aug. 22, 2007, after a helicopter crash in Multaka, Iraq. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

U.S. soldiers of Apache troop, 1-33 Cavarly, 3rd Brigade combat team, 101st Airborne Division buy sandwiches at a market stall during a routine patrol south of Baghdad, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Charlotte Bond lies on a lawn chair amongst mock headstones containing the names of U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq in Miami Beach, Fla. Wednesday, March 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

US soldiers look at a painting as workers at Baghdad's Archaeological Museum carry in recovered items that had been looted following the US-led invasion to the Iraqi capital city, April 24, 2003. (AP Photo/Odd Andersen, Pool/file)

Pfc. Tenzin L. Samten of Prescott, Ariz. is shown in this undated photo provided by the U.S.Army in Fort Eustis. Samten, 33, died March 12, 2008, along with two other soldiers in Tallil, Iraq. (AP Photo/US Army,Fort Eustis )

This undated photo released by the U.S. Army shows Spc. Steven R. Elrod, 20 of Hope Mills, N.C. Elrod, a paratrooper who died after his truck crashed near Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

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Numbers Tell the Tale in Iraq

As US deaths approach 4,000, here's a look behind the statistics

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David Hickman, 23, was last of some 4,500 to die

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Numbers Tell the Tale in Iraq

As US deaths approach 4,000, here's a look behind the statistics

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Iwo Jima • Iraq death toll • US troops • pilot • Iraq war

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

A First: No US Deaths in Iraq in August

Iraqi crackdown, US strikes helped

US Troop Deaths in Iraq Lowest Since War Began

Troops, militants shifting to Afghanistan as America's Iraq strategy succeeds

Number of Black Recruits Plummets

Job market, family pressure contribute to 38% decline

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

5 soldiers dead after roadside bomb explosion; death toll hits 3,545

The Last American Killed in Iraq

David Hickman, 23, was last of some 4,500 to die

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Newser By Users

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What is Newser?