No war? 377 US forces injured since July, 36 in last 2 weeks

According to new data quietly added to the Pentagon's casualty base, there were 36 new injuries in the last two weeks, mostly Army, as fighting renewed between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf. This brings the total wounded count to 794 and 18 killed since the war began on Feb. 28.

The White House, including Vice President JD Vance just this week, likes to say this isn't "a war" but a "operation" but for the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have been killed and injured, these semantics are meaningless. Just like the Pentagon's insistence that casualties that occurred before the July "ceasefire" must be classified under "Operation Epic Fury" and those after under "Overseas Operations." This is distinction without a difference.

Turns out the number of servicemen hurt in the latter — 377, with four dead — is almost as much as the former. In the pre-July period, there were 417 men and women injured and seven killed.

It is a grave insult to those who serve, and to the American people who support them, for politicians to downplay what is clearly a war in order to try and avoid the political cost and implications. Iran had been targeting U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait in retaliatory strikes over the last week. The fact the Pentagon is not saying where, when, or how these men and women were wounded is a pathetic attempt to deter reality and ultimately it will backfire.