FIRST AMERICAN CASUALTIES

James Joyner · Thursday, March 20, 2003 · No Comments

Damn. While we knew it was going to happen at some point, we certainly hoped it wouldn’t. Washington Post reports a Marine Chopper Crash Kills 16 in Kuwait. The dead included twelve US and four British personnel.

UPDATE: Fox News is reporting that the crash was the result of mechanical failure rather than enemy fire. That makes at least three helicopter crashes today, although the first two didn’t result in loss of life. Unfortunately, helicopters barely comport with the laws of physics and they are notoriously balky in desert operations. We lost a lot of them in the early months of Desert Shield.

UPDATE: Fox News and WaPo now report that the casualty figures are reversed: twelve British Royal Marines and four US Marines. (22:58 EST)

FILED UNDER: Iraq Conflict

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About James Joyner
James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. Follow James on Twitter.