The high toll of war: 7,057 Servicemembers dead as result of combat, nearly 31,000 Suicides

Between 2006 and 2021, a total of 18,571 active-duty personnel have died serving-in the U.S.Armed Forces. (Throughout this In Focus, the designation “active duty” refers to all active duty troops, including mobilized R e s e r v e a n d Gu a r d c o mp o n e n t s . )

93%) of deaths occurring in the United States. Ge n e r a l l y , s e r v i c e me mb e r s d i e d a s t he re s u l t o f a c c i d e n t , self-inflicted wounds or illness. Approximately 15.% (2,146) involved vehicles .Alcohol or substance abuse was a factor in 7% of all accidental deaths.

2 5 % were killed while serving in OCO operations—primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining 75% died during operations classified in this In Focus as Non-Overseas Contingency Operations, or Non-OCO.

But going back to 9-11 the deaths were much higher in the earlier years.

Since 2001 approximately 2,352 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan, 20,149 Wounded.

4,431 killed in Iraq, 31,994 wounded. approximately 250 in neighboring zones.

But going back to 2001, An estimated 7,057 service members have died during military operations since 9/11, while suicides among active duty personnel and veterans of those conflicts have reached 30,177 — that’s more than four times as many.

The sheer length of post-9/11 military conflicts. The war in Afghanistan has been going on since 2001, the longest war in U.S. history is a factor according to an interview in NPR.

Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson agreed that the post-9/11 era was unique for the high number of deployments many service members faced during the protracted conflicts.

“The phenomenon of coming home, going into reintegration, watching units get taken down and rebuilt only to go deploy again,” he said, “that cycle over all these years is unprecedented.”

That wears on anyone over time, when you never quite know if you are in a quote-unquote safe environment or not,” he said.