semantics

Agency Says Higher Casualty Total Was Posted in Error
Denise Grady, NY Times, 1/30/07
The Veterans Affairs Department’s Web site temporarily changed the number of American troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan from 50,508 to 21,649.

"Which number is correct? The answer depends on a larger question, the definition of wounded. If the term includes combat or “hostile” injuries inflicted by the enemy, the definition the Pentagon uses, the smaller number would be right."

"But if it also applies to injuries from accidents like vehicle crashes and to mental and physical illnesses that developed in the war zone, the meaning that veterans’ groups favor, 50,508 would be accurate."

Why should the "how" or anything but the "where" matter when talking about total casualties?

"No one disputes that more 50,000 troops have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan or that nonhostile injuries can be serious. Of the more than 3,000 deaths that have occurred, 600 have been listed as nonhostile."

That's 20%, which is a slightly higher than the 18.5% during the Vietnam War.

From the Department of Vetrans Affairs fact sheet:

Vietnam War (1964-1975)
Battle Deaths............................................47,424
Other Deaths (In Theater)................................10,785