This is sad and indicates the real cost of war. It's not just the "shock and awe" of the actual battle that make the casualties of war.
This is also a major problem in Australia, veteran suicides, and I put the blame on those that sent them on these corporate wars sold as protecting freedom. No surprise really many minds are fucked up upon return to their homes. Hard to complete missions when no achievable goal is clearly stated..
And this is just Western soldiers and their families. Will be plenty on the other side too
[watson.brown.edu]
Only counting battle deaths is one of the most time honored ways of minimizing (and making justification easier) the terrible cost of war. If veterans have shortened lifespans attributable to their experiences in war, be it from PSTD, drug abuse, suicide, and complications from their physical wounds ... shouldn't those count as casualties of war? Of course they do, it's to our shame we pretend otherwise.
"Minimizing and making justification easier" - well said and very true. Why don't the leaders of countries duke it out instead of offering up the best of each nation to be slaughtered, or maimed. Just crazy !!