Two years later

It was the second anniversary of Little Lord Bush's excellent adventure in Iraq yesterday.
Here are a few sterile stats to put things in perspective. Each number represents a family in grief and shock who's lives are changed forever.

Number of people killed by the coordinated attacks of 9-11: 2,976
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed since invasion of Iraq: 1,520
Mumber of U.S. servicemen and women wounded an unable to return to duty: 5,871
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed since Bush issued challenge to "Bring them on.": 1,313
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed since Bush announced "Mission Accomplished": 1,381
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed since capture of Sadaam Hussein: 1,149
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed from Illinois: 68
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed from Iowa: 21
Total number of coalition servicemen and women killed in Iraq: 1,696
Partial number of contractors killed in Iraq: 212
Number of Iraqi men, women, and children killed: countless thousands
Number of U.S. servicemen and women who suffer or will suffer from serious psychological disorders due to their service: untold thousands
Number of U.S. servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan: 158
Source

Total cost of accomplishing these stats: $157 billion, 276 million dollars, and growing.
Cost of the war to Illinois alone: $8 billion, 380 million dollars and growing

And now, all of those he-men on the right between the ages of 35 and 40 who have been both rah-rahing the war and denigrating those who are opposed as some sort of girly-men can now finally put their butts where their mouths are.

Yesterday, defense officials worried about recruiting announced that they will raise the age limit, from 34 to 40, for enlistment in the Army Guard and Reserve. The Pentagon is spending billions to repair and replace battle-worn equipment and buy extra armor, radios, weapons and other gear.

This might also serve to increase the number of soldiers and sailors belonging to the married with children demographic.
That's one thing that is very disturbing about this "war". Not only is it profound to see the names and faces of the dead on a daily basis, but it's even more so when so many of them are way over what traditionally has been miltary age. Many in their 30's or on through their 40's. Just hometown guys, insurance salesman, with a wife and kids, who never in their worst nightmares imagined they'd be sent to their deaths in some God-forsaken hell-hole, and all for what?