On Feb 28, 10:17 pm, CL <flot...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Kevin Gowen wrote:
> > Tough break for all of those sons who volunteered. No one ever cries
> > very much for the commercial fisherman or electricians who have a
> > higher job mortality rate than the military.
>
> In the current war, it isn't just sons who volunteered.  Lots more
> husbands and fathers than any time since 1941.  Have you checked out the
> average age of the casualties?  In Vietnam it was 19 years, but it is
> well over 25 for Iraq.

I am sure you can explain to me why the age of anyone is relevant.

By the way, although "19" is a very nifty song, it is not correct.
According to the Combat Area Casualty File, the average age of Vietnam
causalities was 23.11 years.

The current Iraq war is still going on, but most sources cite the
average casualty age as being 27.

That having been said, are the Vietnam causalities worth less to you
now that you know the average age was 23, not 19?

> Statistics are funny old things aren't they.  Strictly speaking, the
> mortality rate for humans is 100%.  And as far as more commercial
> fishermen and electricians dying than military personnel -- which I
> would guess is a percent of all registered or something similar, if
> you're comparing like with like --  it just shows who has the better
> safety and training program, doesn't it?

It may show that. It may show that the military has a smaller
percentage of people in harm's way. It may show more than one factor.

> As long as we're on the subject of statistics, anyone want to hazard a
> guess exactly what percentage of military service personnel are in
> actual combat assignments and what percentage are "support"?  Another
> one that amazes people who don't know anything about it -- Which branch
> of the US military service has the highest percentage of post-BA and
> post-doc degrees among their active duty members -- a stat that is
> roughly 4x the American population?

I give up. What percentage, and what branch?

P.S. how can one "guess exactly"?

> >> Just a heads up, in case you ever DO encounter labor, or an education.
>
> > I got a classy education so I wouldn't have to encounter "labor"
> > types.
>
> One of the great tragedies of our time is the large group who mistake a
> degree for education and a having a diploma from a school of a
> particular name for intelligence.  The current Administration should
> have disabused people of that notion, but, sadly the lesson has not
> penetrated to the extent it should have by now.

Don't you find it ironic that you are poo-pooing education now, but in
the immediately preceding paragraph, you were bleating about post-BA
and post-doc degrees to talk up a military branch?

But no, I know I would have been a handsome genius even if I had never
set foot inside a school.

- Kevin