Lebanese Ministry of Information
The US reached a death toll of 11,000 people on Tuesday, which surpasses the total number of battle deaths from six US wars combined, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
VA data says a total of 9,961 soldiers died on the battlefield during these six wars:
The American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican War, American Indian Wars, Spanish-American War and the Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
The data does not include other deaths related to the wars, according to USA Today.
US officials have repeatedly equated the outbreak to a military struggle, using terms like “win the battle.” Donald Trump — a self-described ‘wartime president’ — has said, “”We will win this war sooner than people think” and that the US will achieve “total victory” over the virus.
Even a US Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort arrived in New York Harbour last week to serve as a 1,000-bed release valve for the most overstretched health care system in the US. (Although, the ship’s extraordinary capacity remains mostly unused, with only 20 patients confirmed aboard.)
Members of the National Guard and medical military personnel have also been deployed to help hard-hit areas.
The country’s death toll is nearing that of Italy and Spain, which have both faced the most deadly coronavirus outbreaks in the world.
The Independent
