Some Perspective On The War

I recently received an e-mail from a soldier in...well, let's say the Middle East...right now. He wanted to share some figures to put our war effort in perspective, and I think his observations were well worth sharing.

During 2005 the US spent about $200 billion on BOTH Afghanistan and Iraq. Seems like a lot, but for comparison purposes, Americans spent about $43 billion on lottery tickets, $35 billion on on-line poker, and $2 billion on home décor candles.

During the battle of Fallujah, US Forces lost about 50 Soldiers KIA. In return, over 1,600 armed insurgents were killed (in Fallujah) and another 1,000 captured, including Iraqis, Syrians, Chechens, Libyans, Saudi Arabians, Jordanians, and Afghanis. Of 100 mosques within Fallujah, 60 were used by the enemy as firing points.

After the battle of Fallujah, every head of household cleared through Iraqi government security was given a check for $2500 USD to reestablish his family's home. (Ty Bomba, Strategy and Tactics magazine).

Food for thought, huh?

There's my two cents.