WASHINGTON (AFP) - More than two US soldiers were killed every day day in June in Iraq; most were under 25 years of age and they came from all over the United States, according to information provided by the Pentagon. Hang in there; there is news here....
Of the 77 servicemen and women who died in June, 48 or 62 percent, were aged 25 or younger. The youngest soldiers killed were 18. And this is significant because ....?
One was Jonathan Flores, from San Antonio, Texas. He was killed on June 15 along with three comrades when their vehicle struck a booby trap in combat near Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Another was Christopher Kilpatrick, from Columbus, Texas. He was killed on June 20 at Tal Afar, northern Iraq, when his convoy came under enemy fire.
The oldest casualty was 46. He was Sergeant Larry Arnold, from Carriere, Mississippi, who was killed June 11 in Owesat, along with a comrade when their armored vehicle went over a land mine. Who was the comrade? What's his name? It's soon-to-be shown as significant! Read on!
The ethnic makeup of the June fatalities was not provided by the defense department, but many of the names among those killed in June -- Ramona Valdez, Carlos Pineda, Roberto Arizola -- appear to be Hispanic. Whaddabout Kilpatrick and Arnold? (See above)
Last year, The Washington Post daily conducted a survey among Hispanics, 30 percent of whom believed their community was paying too heavy a toll for the war. A breakdown provided by the Pentagon in January showed that 11.6 percent of US military fatalities were Hispanic, when they group made up only nine percent of all members of the armed forces. Oh the horror! But what about the other ethnic groups? Which group is having less-than-their-fair-share killed in the service of their country? How many liberals, as a percentage of the population, are in the military? How many college grads are KIA, compared to high school dropouts? There's a really big story here ... somewhere.... |