Order Code RS22452
Updated August 17, 2007
United States Military Casualty Statistics:
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom
Hannah Fischer
Information Research Specialist
Knowledge Services Group
Summary
This report presents difficult-to-find statistics regarding U.S. military casualties
in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF, Afghanistan),
including those concerning medical evacuations, amputations, and the demographics of
casualties. Some of these statistics are publically available at the Department of
Defense’s (DOD’s) website, while others have been obtained through contact with
experts at DOD.
Daily updates of total U.S. military casualties in OIF and OEF can be found at the
DOD’s website, at [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf]. In addition, CRS
Report RS21578, Iraq: Summary of U.S. Casualties is updated on a weekly basis.
This report will be updated as needed.
Table 1. Total U.S. Military Casualties — Operation Iraqi Freedom
and Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedoma
Operation Enduring Freedomb
Non-Hostile Deaths
648
181
Hostile Deaths
3,020
238
Total Deaths
3,660
419
Total Wounded
27,279
1,472
Source: Department of Defense, [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf]. Weekly updates of this
information can be found in CRS Report RS21578, Iraq: Summary of U.S. Casualties, by JoAnne O’Bryant.
a. As of August 9, 2007.
b. As of August 4, 2007.

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CRS-2
Rates of Amputation and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
for American Forces
Amputation and TBI statistics are provided to CRS by the Army Office of the
Surgeon General. These injuries may overlap, that is, a single soldier may experience
both a TBI and an amputation.
As of June 30, 2007, DOD reported 1,005 individuals who are amputees, of whom
708 suffered major limb amputations. Of the 1,005 total amputees, 488 (48.6%) were
wounded by improvised explosive devices. 871 (87%) of the 1,005 amputees were
wounded in OIF, 48 (5%) were wounded in OEF, and 86 (or 9%), were wounded in an
unaffiliated conflict in the Global War on Terrorism or in training. Battle injuries were
the most common cause of amputations: 78% of amputees sustained their injuries in
battle, another 16% sustained non-battle injuries, and 2% sustained injuries due to disease.
The cause of injury is unknown for 4% of amputees.
As of June 30, 2007, DOD reported a total of 3,294 soldiers suffering from traumatic
brain injuries, or TBIs. Of those, 3,094 (or 94%) sustained their injury in OIF, while 200
(6%) sustained their injury in OEF. Of the total injuries in OIF and OEF, 195 (6%) were
counted as “severe,” and an additional 180 (5%) were counted as “penetrating.” Blasts
caused 2,279 (69%) of the TBI cases; other causes include a fall (294 cases) and vehicular
causes (284 cases).
Rates of Suicide in American Forces
According to a recently released Army report, suicides in the Army increased from
87 in 2005 to 99 in 2006. Twenty-seven of the deaths occurred in Iraq, 3 occurred in
Afghanistan, and 69 occurred outside of war zones. There were also 948 of what the
report terms “serious attempts at suicide.”1 Viewed in the context of the total population
of soldiers, the Army recorded 17.3 suicides per 100,000 soldiers in 2006, including the
two deaths still pending confirmation. That rate is higher than the rate of suicide in the
general population, which ranges from 10 to 11 suicides per 100,000 people annually, but
lower than the rate of suicides when adjusted to match the Army’s age and gender
characteristics. When adjusted, the suicide rate in the general population rises to 19 to 21
per 100,000.2
The Marines reported 24 suicides in 2006, down from 26 in 2005 and 34 in 2004,
for a rate of 12.4 Marines per 100,000 in 2006.3
1 Steve Harding, “Army suicide prevention strengthened,” Army News Service, August 17, 2007,
at [http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,146280,00.html].
2 Kristin Roberts, “Army suicides highest since Gulf War,” Reuters, August 16, 2007.
3 Ibid.

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CRS-3
Gender Distribution of Deaths
Statistics in Tables 2 and 3 concerning the gender distribution of OIF and OEF
casualties are available on DOD’s military casualty information website. All numbers
are current as of August 4, 2007. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 2. OIF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male
3,584
97.9
Female
76
2.1
Total
3,660
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Iraqi Freedom — Military Deaths, at
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf].
Table 3. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male
406
97.1
Female
12
2.9
Total
418
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Enduring Freedom — Military Deaths, at
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OEFDEATHS.pdf].
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Statistics in Tables 4 and 5 concerning the race and ethnicity distribution of OIF
and OEF casualties are available on DOD’s military casualty information website. All
numbers are current as of August 4, 2007. Percentages may not total 100 due to
rounding.

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CRS-4
Table 4. Operation Iraqi Freedom
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian/Alaska Native
39
1.0
Asian
68
1.9
Black or African American
346
9.5
Hispanic or Latino
397
10.8
Multiple races, pending, or unknown
46
1.3
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
39
1.1
White
2,725
74.5
Total
3,660
100
S o u r c e : D O D , O p e r a t i o n I r a q i F r e e d o m — M i l i t a r y D e a t h s , a t
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf].
Table 5. Operation Enduring Freedom
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian or Alaska Native
6
1.4
Asian
5
1.2
Black or African American
32
7.7
Hispanic or Latino
35
8.4
Multiple races, pending or unknown
2
0.5
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
5
1.2
White
333
79.7
Total
418
100
S o u r c e : D O D , O p e r a t i o n E n d u r i n g F r e e d o m — M i l i t a r y D e a t h s , a t
[http://siadapp.dior.whs.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OEFDEATHS.pdf].

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CRS-5
Medical Evacuation Statistics for
U.S. Military Personnel
U.S. military personnel evacuation statistics from 2004 to January 2007 were
provided to CRS by DOD’s Deployment Health Support Directorate (DHSD) and the
Army Office of the Surgeon General. The August 2007 numbers were found at the
DOD website at [http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OIF-Total.pdf],
which is updated on a regular basis.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
According to DOD, a total of 36,471 individuals were medically evacuated from
OIF from March 19, 2003, to August 4, 2007. Percentages may not total 100 due to
rounding.
Table 6. Medical Reasons for Evacuations
(in percent)
As of
As of
As of
As of
As of
September
July 11,
February
January
August 4,
30, 2004
2005
27, 2006
12, 2007
2007
Battle Injuries
17
19
20
21
22.4
Non-Battle Injuries
21
17
17
21
20.5
Disease
63
64
63
58
57.2
S o u r c e : D e p a r t me nt of Defense, Deployment Health Supp o r t D i r e c t o r a t e ,
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OIF-Total.pdf].
Table 7. Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services
(in percent)
As of
As of
As of
As of
As of
September
July 11,
February
January
August 4,
30, 2004
2005
27, 2006
12, 2007
2007
Army
83
80
83
81.6
81.9
Marines
8
6
12
12.0
11.6
Air Force
3
3
3
3.6
3.6
Navy
2
7
2
2.7
2.8
Othera
N/A
4
N/A
N/A
N/A
S o u r ce: Dep artment o f Defense, Dep lo yme n t H e a l t h S u p p o r t D i r e c t o r a t e ,
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OIF-Total.pdf].
a. This category was added in the July 14, 2005 update and includes civilians, foreign nationals, and
others. It was dropped in the March 7, 2006 update.

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CRS-6
Operation Enduring Freedom

According to DOD, a total of 6,710 individuals were medically evacuated from
OEF from October 7, 2001 through August 4, 2007. Percentages may not total 100 due
to rounding.
Table 8. Medical Reasons for Evacuation
(in percent)
As of
As of
As of
As of
As of
September
July 11,
February
January
August 4,
30, 2004
2005
27, 2006
12, 2007
2007
Battle Injuries
8
8
9
11
12.6
Non-Battle Injuries
28
17
18
24
22.9
Disease
64
75
73
65
64.4
S o u r c e : D e p a r t me nt o f D e fe nse , D e p loyment Health Support Directorate,
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OEFDEATHS.pdf].
Table 9. Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services
(in percent)
As of
As of
As of
As of
As of
September
July 11,
February
January
August 4,
30, 2004
2005
27, 2006
12, 2007
2007
Army
69
67
73
75.3
75.9
Marines
11
7
8
6.8
6.3
Air Force
15
16
16
14.3
13.6
Navy
4
4
3
3.6
4.2
Othera
N/A
6
N/A
N/A
N/A
Source: Depart me nt o f D e fe nse , D e p l o yme nt H e a l t h Support Directorate,
[http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/OEFDEATHS.pdf].
a. This category was added in the July 14, 2005, update and includes civilians, foreign nationals, and
others. It was dropped in the March 7, 2006 update.

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