Four thousand four hundred seventy-four is the number of American military personnel killed in Iraq. Compared with past wars that’s a small number, but certainly not to the family and friends of those who were lost. We are told the Iraq war is now over. Americans pulling the trigger may be over, but that is a long way from peace and stability in Iraq. Iraqis hold the key as to whether this was all worth the cost. So far things do not look promising in a country still besieged by religious violence, political infighting and tribal conflict. Every explosion, every murder and every violation of human rights is an insult to the memory of the 4474 and the untold number of wounded still suffering. Paying a high price for a noble cause is one thing, paying a high price for a lost cause quite another.
Let’s hope Iraqis don’t waste, even if they cannot appreciate, the very expensive gift America has given them and for which they too paid a very heavy price.
Americans should watch closely developments in Iraq and learn the lesson their success or failure teach.
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- In Iraq, the last to fall: David Hickman, the 4,474th U.S. service member killed (gloucestercitynews.net)
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
A dumb war, for sure. And let’s not forget that 110,000+ Iraqi civilians have been killed. So at roughly $800 billion(+) spent on the war in Iraq, and the loss of 114,747 lives = $70 million per life (rounded). Think about it.
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