United States Military Casualty Statistics:
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom

Hannah Fischer
Information Research Specialist
May 4, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS22452
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

United States Military Casualty Statistics

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
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), amputations, evacuations,
and the demographics of casualties. Some of these statistics are publicly available at the
Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) website, whereas 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 R40824, Iraq
Casualties: U.S. Military Forces and Iraqi Civilians, Police, and Security Forces
contains
statistics on U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties, while CRS Report R41084, Afghanistan
Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians
contains statistics on U.S. military and Afghan civilian
casualties.
This report will be updated as needed.
Congressional Research Service

United States Military Casualty Statistics

Contents
Rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Amputation....................... 1
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ............................................................................................. 1
Traumatic Brain Injury.......................................................................................................... 1
Amputations ......................................................................................................................... 2
Gender Distribution of Deaths..................................................................................................... 2
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths ......................................................................................... 3
Self-Inflicted Wounds ................................................................................................................. 4
Medical Evacuation Statistics for U.S. Military Personnel ........................................................... 4
Operation Iraqi Freedom ....................................................................................................... 4
Operation Enduring Freedom ................................................................................................ 5

Tables
Table 1. Traumatic Brain Injuries in the United States Military, 2000 to 2009 .............................. 1
Table 2. Count of Individuals with Amputations by Service for OIF, OEF, and
Unaffiliated Conflicts, 2001 to 2010......................................................................................... 2
Table 3. OIF Gender Distribution of Deaths ................................................................................ 2
Table 4. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths ............................................................................... 3
Table 5. OIF Race/ Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths .................................................................... 3
Table 6. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths .................................................................... 3
Table 7. OIF Medical Reasons for Evacuations............................................................................ 4
Table 8. OIF Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services ..................................................... 5
Table 9. OEF Medical Reasons for Evacuation ............................................................................ 5
Table 10. OEF Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services .................................................. 6

Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................ 6

Congressional Research Service

United States Military Casualty Statistics

Rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic
Brain Injury, and Amputation

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED)1 was used to find the following statistics
on the number of hospitalizations and outpatient visits in which post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) was the primary diagnosis. These statistics count the number of visits, not the number of
cases. Many patients may have made more than one hospital or outpatient visit in which PTSD
was the primary diagnosis and, therefore, will have been counted multiple times. Between 2000
and 2009, there were 5,307 hospitalizations and 578,120 outpatient visits in which PTSD was the
primary diagnosis.
The Army reported 39,331 individual cases of PTSD from January 1, 2005, to March 8, 2010.
The number of newly identified cases of PTSD has decreased by 8% from 2008 to 2009,
according to Army numbers.2
According to the DOD report, “Report to Congress in Accordance with Section 1634 (b) of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008,” the Military Health System (MHS)
recorded 39,365 patients diagnosed with PTSD in calendar years 2003 to 2007. MHS spent an
estimated $63.8 million on direct and purchased care for PTSD patients and $13.1 million on
prescription costs for all prescriptions filled after a diagnosis of PTSD.3
Traumatic Brain Injury
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center gives the following yearly rates of traumatic brain
injury (TBI) cases:
Table 1. Traumatic Brain Injuries in the United States Military, 2000 to 2009
Calendar
Year
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Incident
10,963 11,830 12,469 12,886 13,271 12,025 16,873 23,002 28,557 27,862
Diagnoses
Source: The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, http://www.dvbic.org/TBI-Numbers.aspx, last updated
on December 31, 2009.

1 A description of DMED can be found at http://afhsc.mil/aboutDmed.
2 Personal communication with Dr. Michael Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, April 6, 2010.
3 Department of Defense, “Report to Congress in Accordance with Section 1634 (b) of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008,” p. 6, http://www.tricare.mil/planning/congress/downloads/
Expenditures_for_Activitieson_TBI_andPost-Traumatic_Stress_Disorder__NDAA_for_FY_2008.pdf.
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United States Military Casualty Statistics

Amputations
Amputation statistics are provided to CRS by the Army Office of the Surgeon General.
Table 2. Count of Individuals with Amputations by Service for OIF, OEF, and
Unaffiliated Conflicts, 2001 to 2010
Theater Type
of Army Marine Navy Air Foreign Other Total
Amputation
Force
OIF
Major
Limb
617
158
18 8 4 8 813
Partial
270
48 7 11 0 3 339
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
OEF
Major
Limb
114
36 4 6 4 4 168
Partial
21 3 0 1 0 0 25
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
Unaffiliated Major
Limb
90 12 24 30 1 25 182
Conflicts
Partial
20 1 2 1 0 1 25
(Hand/Foot,
Toes/Fingers)
Total
1552
Source: Personal correspondence with Dr. Michael J. Carino, Army Office of the Surgeon General, April 6,
2010.
Gender Distribution of Deaths
Tables 3 and 4 provide statistics on the gender distribution of OIF and OEF casualties (also
available on DOD’s website, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm). All
numbers are current as of April 3, 2010. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 3. OIF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 4,270
97.5
Female 108
2.5
Total 4,378
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Iraqi Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf.
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United States Military Casualty Statistics

Table 4. OEF Gender Distribution of Deaths
Gender
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
Male 1,006
98.1
Female 20
1.9
Total 1,026
100.0
Source: DOD, Operation Enduring Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oefdeaths.pdf.
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Tables 5 and 6 provide statistics on the race and ethnicity distribution of OIF and OEF casualties
(also on DOD’s website, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm). All
numbers are current as of April 3, 2010. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 5. OIF Race/ Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian/Alaska Native
42
0.9
Asian 82
1.9
Black or African American
425
10.6
Hispanic or Latino
463
10.6
Multiple races, pending, or unknown
48
1.1
Native Hawai an or Pacific Islander
50
1.1
White 3,268
74.6
Total 4,378
100
Source: DOD, Operation Iraqi Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf.
Table 6. OEF Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Deaths
Race/Ethnicity
Military Deaths
% of Total Deaths
American Indian or Alaska Native
15
1.5
Asian 14
1.4
Black or African American
81
7.9
Hispanic or Latino
78
7.6
Multiple races, pending or unknown
11
1.1
Native Hawai an or Pacific Islander
12
1.2
White 815
79.4
Total 1,026

100
Source: DOD, Operation Enduring Freedom—Military Deaths, at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oefdeaths.pdf.
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United States Military Casualty Statistics

Self-Inflicted Wounds
According to DOD’s casualty website, as of April 3, 2010, 207 servicemembers have died of self-
inflicted wounds while serving in OIF and 35 have died of self-inflicted wounds while serving in
OEF.4
Medical Evacuation Statistics for U.S.
Military Personnel

U.S. military personnel evacuation statistics as of April 3, 2010, can be found at the DOD
websites, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf for OIF and
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
According to DOD, a total of 47,755 individuals were medically evacuated from OIF from March
19, 2003, to April 3, 2010. Of the total number of medical evacuations, 38,845 cases were non-
hostile-related medical air transports, and the remaining 8,910 cases were for servicemembers
who were wounded in action. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 7. OIF Medical Reasons for Evacuations
(as of April 3, 2010)
Number
Percentage
Wounded in Action
8,910
18.7%
Non-Hostile Injuriesa 10,043
21.0%
Disease 28,802
60.3%
Total 47,755
100%
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf.
a. The Department of Defense defines a “non-hostile injury” as an injury that is not directly attributable to
hostile action or terrorist activity, such as casualties due to the elements, self-inflicted wounds, or combat
fatigue.

4 Department of Defense Personnel and Procurement Statistics, Statistical Information and Analysis Department, OIF at
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf and OEF at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
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United States Military Casualty Statistics

Table 8. OIF Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services
(as of April 3, 2010)
Number
Percentage
Army 38,843
81.3%
Marines 5,284
11.1%
Air Force
2,040
4.3%
Navy
1,588
3.3%
Total 45,583 100%
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/
CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf.
Note: Navy totals include Coast Guard.
Operation Enduring Freedom
According to DOD, a total of 11,464 individuals were medically evacuated from OEF from
October 7, 2001, through April 3, 2010. Of the total number of medical evacuations, 9,426 cases
were non-hostile-related medical air transports, and the remaining 2,038 cases were for
servicemembers who were wounded in action. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Table 9. OEF Medical Reasons for Evacuation
(as of April 3, 2010)
Number
Percentage
Wounded in Action
2,038
17.7%
Non-Hostile Injuriesa
2,377
20.7%
Disease
7,049
61.5%
Total 11,464
100%
Source: Department of Defense, Deployment Health Support Directorate, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/
personnel/CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
a. The Department of Defense defines a “non-hostile injury” as an injury that is not directly attributable to
hostile action or terrorist activity, such as casualties due to the elements, self-inflicted wounds, or combat
fatigue.
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United States Military Casualty Statistics

Table 10. OEF Distribution of Evacuations Among the Services
(as of April 3, 2010)
Number
Percentage
Army 8,498 74.1%
Marines 1,092 9.5%
Air Force
1,359
11.9%
Navy 515 4.5%
Total 11,464 100%
Source: Department of Defense, Deployment Health Support Directorate, http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/
personnel/CASUALTY/wotsum.pdf.
Note: Navy totals include Coast Guard.

Author Contact Information

Hannah Fischer

Information Research Specialist
hfischer@crs.loc.gov, 7-8989


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