Half of U.S. Troop Deaths Said Accidental

[thedrifter]

Apr 7, 2:49 PM EDT

Half of U.S. Troop Deaths Said Accidental

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press Writer





RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Since the war began in Iraq, one American soldier has been electrocuted, at least two others have drowned and nine more have died in automobile wrecks.

All appear to be victims of accidents, which so far are responsible for about half the fatalities among U.S. troops sent to the Middle East for the war.

"Just because you sign on the dotted line and serve with Uncle Sam doesn't mean you're immune from accidents," said Patrick Garrett, an analyst with the public policy group Global Security.org in Alexandria, Va.

Of the 108 coalition troops reported dead in Iraq as of midday Monday, 53 had been killed in action, according to military reports. Of the remaining 55, helicopter accidents had killed 28 and 14 others died in land accidents, according to a casualty database maintained by The Associated Press.

Non-hostile deaths - defined as deaths that are not the direct result of fighting the enemy or friendly fire - have been a part of warfare for centuries. The Defense Department considers those killed by friendly fire combat casualties.

Duke University's Alex Roland believes the U.S. military is suffering too many non-hostile deaths in Iraq, particularly given the high levels of training and technology involved.

There will be accidental deaths "simply because of the pace of operations," said Roland, a Marine who served in Vietnam. But "something's wrong here. We're taking more than we should."

Another retired Marine sees the numbers differently.

"This coalition has been very successful in terms of reducing the loss of life across the board," said Phil Anderson with the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington.

A military spokeswoman said efforts to train servicemen and officers to reduce risks are paying off.

"You train how to fight and accidents are going to happen," said Diane Perry with the Defense Department. "We try our best to minimize them and learn from these tragic errors."

While wrecks, accidental shootings and suicides remain problems, other causes of non-hostile war deaths have been addressed. For example, modern medicine has helped cut back on diseases that ran rampant among Civil War troops.

In World War II, Korea and Vietnam, the large majority of servicemen killed died from enemy fire. Ninety-one percent of U.S. casualties in Korea came in combat.

But in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, 235 of the 380 deaths, or 62 percent, were considered non-hostile, according to Defense Department statistics. Some experts attribute the large percentage of non-combat deaths to fighting a quick ground war on uncertain terrain.

The Army and the Marines have suffered all but a few of the U.S. military's fatalities in the latest war.

The Army said it has reduced accident rates since the late 1980s by teaching a five-part "risk-management strategy."

Maj. Pete Janhunen kept a laminated card listing the five steps in his wallet when he led a platoon a decade ago. Reviewing it helped take "some of the instinct and emotions out of a decision," Janhunen said.

The challenge, military officials say, is keeping soldiers focused on driving and handling weapons safely even as their lives are under threat from the enemy.

"Things happen so quickly," Perry said.

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Sempers,

Roger