A lone U.S. Army bugler plays taps at the Arlington National Cemetery, March 11, 2009.
DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
Six years ago today the United States went to war in Iraq. On March 19, 2003, George W. Bush announces the invasion. Military action began at 5:34 AM Baghdad time on March 20, 2003 (9:34 p.m., March 19 EST).
Think Progress has put together A Timeline of the Iraq War.
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
CNN reports that taking into account operations for fiscal 2010, the conflict has racked up an $800 billion price tag since it began according to the Congressional Budget Office.
By Wednesday, 4,261 Americans had been killed in the war, according to CNN's tally. The official count for Americans wounded is at 31,089. The Iraqi casualty count, while harder to ascertain because of the lack of formal record-keeping, has reached at least 128,000, by CNN's tally.
The State Department and USAID lost the following souls in the last six years, not just in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Pakistan:
- John Michael Granville - Vehicle Ambush, Sudan 2008
- Steven Thomas Stefani, IV - Killed by Bomb Afghanistan 2007
- David E. Foy - Terrorist Attack Pakistan 2006
- Barbara C. Heald - Rocket Attack on US Embassy Iraq 2005
- Keith E. Taylor - Rocket Attack on US Embassy Iraq 2005
- Stephen E. Sullivan - Terrorist Attack Iraq 2005
- James Mollen - Terrorist Attack Iraq 2004
- Edward J. Seitz - Rocket Attack Iraq 2004
