Guardsmen in Iraq

Over at AllSpinZone, Richard Cranium writes about a new casualty of the war - truth in National Guard recruiting:

The risk to National Guard soldiers of getting killed or wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan has been exaggerated, making recruiting more difficult, the general in charge of all National Guard forces said Tuesday.

...‘It is dangerous, but it is — I shouldn't say it to this group but I'm going to — it is misrepresented, how dangerous it really is,’ he said.

The casualty rate for Guardsmen is ‘remarkably low,’ compared with any previous armed conflict, Blum said, adding that he recognizes that every individual loss is a tragedy for that person's family. ‘But I lose, unfortunately, more people through private automobile accidents and motorcycle accidents over the same period of time,' he added.’

You're right about one thing, Gen. Blum - you shouldn't outright lie to any group, much less a group of ‘defense reporters’... What fucking alternate universe do people like Blum live in? It took me all of 120 seconds to come up with these statistics:

Vietnam Conflict:

• 58,193 KIA
• 97 were National Guard
• 1.6% was the death rate for National Guardsmen in Vietnam

Iraq Quagmire:

• 1,750 KIA
• 262 were National Guard
• 14.9% is the death rate for National Guardsmen in Iraq

This isn't spin; it's outright lying.