Interesting Statistics On War Dead

There is a great quote from Robert E. Lee about the way the press views the military.

We made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers?
- Robert E. Lee, 1863

Here are the actual total military fatality numbers for the U.S. Military from 1980 through 2004.

1980 .......... 2,392
1981 .......... 2,380
1982 .......... 2,318
1983 ......... .2,465
1984 .......... 1,999
1985 .......... 2,252
1986 .......... 1,984
1987 .......... 1,983
1988 .......... 1,819
1989 .......... 1,636
1990 ......... 1,508
1991 .......... 1,787
1992 .......... 1,293
1993 .......... 1,213
1994 ......... 1,075
1995 ......... 1,040
1996 .......... 974
1997 .......... 817
1998 .......... 826
1999 .......... 795
2000 .......... 774
2001 .......... 890
2002 .......... 1007
2003 .......... 1,410
2004 .......... 1,887

During the first 4 years of the Clinton Presidency, 4,302 Americans lost their lives in the military. During the first 4 years of the W. Bush Presidency, 5194 Americans lost their lives in the military. You would not know it from the way it is reported in the press. Also compare the numbers from back in the 80s when there was no war going on.

I wonder how these numbers will be reported after the first nuclear bomb goes off in America? The number of deaths that day will dwarf everything that has happened in the last 20 years.