Teen Casualties in Iraq
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007
As President Bush and Congress butt heads over the war in Iraq, and whether or not we will pull out our troops, I felt it appropriate to write a post about the casualties in Iraq. There have, to date, been over 3000 American casualties in Iraq. For the record, I do not agree with this war. I want our troops brought home. But that does not mean I do not appreciate their courage in serving their country.
What you don’t seem to see in newscasts is any breakdown of casualties by age. According to the website Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, 237 of those Coalition casualties have been under the age of 20. That’s right- 18 and 19 years old. (I checked quite a few sites for casualty breakdowns, and this site was the one that seemed to break down the numbers best and have the clearest information. If anyone knows of a better site, or has information regarding inaccuracies on this site, please feel free to let me know.)
And, obviously, it is very difficult to find any information on how many Iraqi teenagers have been killed.
For the first time, rather than just reading a casualty count, I actually sat down and thought about the families who are losing teenagers in this war. Oh, I know that, at 18 and 19, they’re considered adults by the military, but how many of us ever really think about our own children as adults! These thoughts are now sticking with me.
I think about my own 16-year-old daughter, and the fact that she could (however unlikely it is at this point), choose to go into the military, and lose her life in war. The mere thought is devastating. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones in Iraq, but especially to those parents who have lost children who are, at most, only three years older than my daughter.
It can be easy for those of us who are raising teenagers to become mired down in day-to-day life and activities, and forget those who have it tougher. Every day, I drive my daughter to school and back home. I take her to activities like band practice and academic team competitions. We talk about homework, grades, colleges, and prom. For me, that’s everyday life with a teenager. I do not tend to think much about those whose teenagers are thousands of miles away, serving their country and in danger of living their lives. I apologize for that. As a parent, I should think of these things. After all, it could happen to me.
So, while most of deal with day-to-day life with our teenagers, we should remember those parents who are not so fortunate-those who do not have their teens at home. They would probably love to hear about college and grades, and even love to nag their teen again about picking up clothes and cleaning their rooms.
For those of you who have teenagers serving in the military, I am honored that they are serving us. For those of you who have lost teenagers in war, I am humbled by their sacrifice, and by yours. I don’t have to agree with this war to be touched by your losses.
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