US Military Amputees Increase in Afghan War

Numbers are up as more go on foot patrols
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 21, 2011 5:50 PM CDT
US Military Amputees Increase in Afghan War
In this 2010 photo, Capt. Dan Luckett of Norcross, Ga., cleans his gun in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. Luckett lost his left leg and part of his right foot in a bomb blast in Iraq.   (AP Photo/Todd Pitman)

A new Pentagon report has some rough stats, mostly from the Afghan war:

  • The number of troops who have had amputations rose from 86 in 2009 to 187 last year. The pace continues this year, with 147 so far.
  • The number of troops who lost two or three limbs rose from 23 in 2009 to 72 last year; the figure is already 77 this year.
The vast majority of amputations are from the Afghan war, largely because of a strategy that calls for increased foot patrols, reports AP.

The Pentagon report also notes this side effect: "To some, the resultant burden on their family and loved ones seemed too much to accept, and, anecdotally, some actually developed `do not resuscitate' pacts with their battle buddies in the event of this type of injury." (More US military stories.)

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