Texas Hispanic soldiers dying at higher rate

[NoPasaran]

Hispanic Texans are dying in Iraq at a rate more than 60 percent higher than the rate for the nation's military-age population as a whole, according to an Austin American-Statesman review of war fatalities.

In a separate study, a University of California professor has found that during the first six weeks of the war, 16.5 percent of troops killed were Latinos, although Latinos made up only 11.2 percent of the combat troops.

More than 1,470 troops have lost their lives since U.S. forces invaded Iraq.

With the invasion approaching its second anniversary next month, the uneven distribution of fatalities is forcing the military and the nation to confront questions about exactly who dies for their country when the United States goes to war.

-more-

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/02/27wardead.html

[Sandpiper]

1. The title of your article reminds of this

[barbaraann]

2. Here's a very informative article about Mexicans dying in Iraq.

Mexico: the Pentagon's proxy army in Iraq
John Ross
CounterPunch
February 21, 2005

Mexico, which unlike its Central American neighbors was never a member of George Bush's "Coalition of the Willing", now has the largest contingent of any Latin nation fighting on the ground in Iraq--8000 Mexican and Mexican-descent troops who voluntarily joined the U.S. armed forces.

All Central American contingents save for Salvador, which also has a considerable number of security and construction personnel on the ground, have been withdrawn from Iraq by their governments.

Mexico's bellicose national anthem speaks glowingly of "a soldier in each son of God" and Mexico's sons have been marching off to wars--albeit U.S. wars-- since Pearl Harbor. Bush's doomed aggression in Iraq is no exception.

http://www.notinourname.net/war/mexico-proxy-21feb05.htm

This is so sad.

[Judi Lynn]

3. More from the article......

Texas is home to 19 percent of the nation's Latinos of military age. Yet 32 percent of the Hispanic service members killed in Iraq as of Feb. 19 came from Texas, according to the American-Statesman's review by statistician Robert Cushing.

Put another way, Hispanic Texans have died at the rate of 15.6 for every million Hispanic men and women of military age in the state. The comparable rate for the nation is 9.7 deaths per million.
(snip)

"I worry about the fact that the top strata of our society don't send their sons and daughters into the military, because they're the people who decide when to go to war," Segal said.
(snip)

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. "Frank, you daniels and i will be Team a

Rodrigues, Hernandez and Sanchez, you'll be team B, Team B, you must sneak past the improvised mine field and go head on with the 500 Guerilla's there while Team A will be stiitng in the outpost tent 100 miles away drinking coffee."

"!Que?!"

[cloud75]

5. Where I live, the Rio Grande Valley, 15 soilders have died...

this is an area that is about 85% hispanic.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. This is so sad.

For years, Hispanics have used the military to try to escape poverty and to find legitimacy as an American. The one place they're allowed to join freely, is the Army. This is so tragic.

[Ilsa]

8. I have found Hispanic Americans to be very patriotic,

and it has never surprised me that so many join the military to escape poverty and for love of country.

[lovuian]

7. These kids join to get the benefits which the army provides

they are easily recruited too...

[Gyre]

9. We ground up black soldiers like dog meat in Vietnam

Now we're doing it to Mexican-Americans. Anybody see a pattern?

Gyre

[BrotherBuzz]

10. Vietnam was an equal opportunity meat grinder...

if you don't consider economic class. I wonder how many coupon clipping trust funders served in Vietnam?


88.4 percent of the men who actually served in Vietnam were white.

10.6 percent of the men who actually served in Vietnam were black.

86.3 percent of the men who died in Vietnam were white.

12.5 percent of the men who died in Vietnam were black.

86.8 percent of the men who were killed in actual battle were white.

12.1 percent of the men who were killed in actual battle were black.