Thank you for writing this. I blogged about this a few months ago, and many readers expressed skepticism and disbelief.

It is critical for all theatre-related deaths to be included. For the country in order to pay respect, for the statistical accuracy and understanding of morbidity and mortality as it relates to the theatre, for lessons learned for military healthcare practices and for military efficacy.

Hidden and misattributed deaths are another black mark of a secretive and less than honest administration.

Yesterday I was at my regional VA hospital for routine maintenance. I expect to see old 'Nam vets like me sitting around in wheelchairs or shuffling along to their next waiting room. But what breaks my heart and makes me both angry and proud at the same time, is all the young men and women, the "GWOTS" we call them, who are now entering the "system." They have survived injuries in the battle space that would have been fatal to us in our time, due to the speed of the medivacs and the distance to the field hospitals.

We've never had a war with so many closed head brain traumas. We've never had a war where there has been sustained urban street fighting for so long. The PTSD stressors over these months and years in combat are actually changing the physical characteristics of their brain cells. These people are going to need life-long care.

Not only the soldiers themselves, they are the primary casualties of war. But their families, loved ones and caregivers are the secondary casualties. These men and women went away to war as one person and returned as another. They are strangers in their own land, in their own families and neighborhoods. They need so much of everything it's overwhelming all our health care systems.

Walk through any VA hospital and you will see the real cost of this war.

If you read my other letters you might recognize that I do not always appreciate the political slant to the articles. Also, you will know that I am a Marine currently deployed to Iraq.

With that being said however, the casualty reporting needs retooling. Yes, we have lost fewer troops on the battlefield in this war than any other previous war on a deaths per period of time basis. However, what the real lesson is is that battlefield medicine is saving lives. Many of these lives are immutably changed forever, with men living lives of children or otherwise profoundly handicapped for the rest of their lives. Wounds that would have killed 50, 30, 10 years ago troops are surviving.

It is irresponsible to ignore their plight and pretend that only deaths matter. Kudos on a well-presented argument, Mr. Onyejekwe.

More bush no-accountability. Disgraceful, deceiving. dishonorable.

Honor is what you know about yourself and your deeds.

Reputation is what others think about yourself and your deeds.

I truly wish that the country leadership respected the honor of our military. Our country's reputation is only a pale reflection of our honor. It will be the next administration's duty to restore our honor. The military's pale reflection will haunt us.

I offer the Sandoval family and others touched by him my thoughts and prayers.

I can only hope that this is an isolated case.

Their every truth is not quite true. Their two is not the real two, their four not the real four; so that every word they say chagrins us, and we know not where to begin to set them right.

--Emerson

How can the men currently leading our country choose to behave so coldly to members of our uniformed services? How can so many Americans be deceived by the lies of its leaders?

Bush started a war for revenge and money while beating the drum of patriotism. When Congress seeks accountability, he challenges their patriotism and "support of the troops". Billions of dollars were funneled to Bush supporters at Halliburton, a company which has since fled the country for an Arab country. They took their blood money and ran. Like the Cohen & Grigsby law firm, they love American money but not Americans or America. The present a phony patriotism calculated and design to gain the support of well-meaning but gullible people.

Millions of Americans sport yellow ribbon magnets and "Support our Troops" bumper stickers right next to a "W - The President" sticker. Are they deceived or just as callous, greedy and calculating as the President they admire?

Frank Sandoval is a real patriot. He served his country, like so many of our uniformed brothers and sisters, without questioning the political motivations behind the war. He was called, he came. Is it not now our responsibility to respect his honest sacrifice? Can we not finally call to account the abusers and plunderers of our military?

Will those that now sport the "Support our Troops" bumper stickers actually step up and support our military? Or will they callously forget about Frank Sandoval the minute the next American Idol starts?

for supporting our troops.

The other part of the 'black box' of deaths and injuries are those incurred by contractors, 100,000 of which are in Iraq. Some are mercenary security, like Blackwater, and some are ordinary truck drives and workers. They should also be included in any real accounting.

It is just like the government gauging inflation by removing gas and food costs, and calling it 'core' inflation, thereby hiding the real inflation rate. Or unemployment statistics not counting those who are unemployed, but not on the offical roles anymore.

Playing with the figures? It is a systemic problem.

for writing this and for your service to this country. The American people owe our military personnel and their families a huge debt of gratitude for the tremendous sacrifices they make every day.

Thank you for calling attention to this issue. We need more articles in Salon that raise awareness about the horrendous costs of war, on a person-by-person basis.

The VFW called me a few days ago (on my birthday) to solicit money. I asked him to clarify the VFW position on Iraq, Bush and the GWOT. Standard boilerplate--"finish the job," "support the CinC" blah blah.

When he was done I started "Ok, let me tell you I will never set foot in a VFW or offer up one dime until you..."

He hung up before I was even 20 words in. What a joke. As a decorated veteran I was lucky not to have been seriously injured or scarred psychologically, but I saw it happen, to better men than me. And it taught me how strong we can be, but how fragile that strength is. To enter a hair-brained war for jollies, to not show photographs of the dead and injured, to not take care of the mental problems makes me want to scream.

Either of you ever need a car-load of pissed-off vets to show up somewhere, just ask.