The Green Mountain Boys

I just found this on the Valley News website. It is a feature on the sons (and daughters?) of Vermont who have lost their lives in Iraq.

Vermont bears a particularly heavy portion of the burden, though. Vermont has:

· The highest death rate of any state among soldiers and Marines deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between March 1, 2003, and October 31, 2004: 5.6 per 1,000 troops. That's more than three times the national average and more than four times higher than New Hampshire's rate. Only the District of Columbia had a higher death rate.

· The highest number of deaths when measured against state population. As of Jan. 8, Vermont had 1.64 military deaths per 100,000 residents, more than three times the national average. New Hampshire, meanwhile, ranked 27th with .49 deaths per 100,000 residents.

· The second highest nonfatal injuries per capita: 5.91 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 2.82 per 100,000. As of Jan. 8, Arkansas had the highest injury rate (6.43 per 100,000 residents) and New Hampshire had the fifth highest injury rate, 4.53 per 100,000.

Obviously disturbing statistics, though the cause of the disproportionate rates is ultimately unknown, though the Valley News seems to have some good conjectures.

But the main point this drives home is how devastating these deaths are to any community, but particularly one as small and tightly knit as most Vermont towns. My thoughts are obviously with these families and all those affected. Regardless of the war's justifications, it is, as all wars are, a personal tragedy to many.