A new Pentagon report has some rough stats, mostly from the Afghan war:
- The number of troops who have had amputations rose from 86 in 2009 to 187 last year. The pace continues this year, with 147 so far.
- The number of troops who lost two or three limbs rose from 23 in 2009 to 72 last year; the figure is already 77 this year.
The vast majority of amputations are from the Afghan war, largely because of a strategy that calls for increased foot patrols, reports
AP.
The Pentagon report also notes this side effect: "To some, the resultant burden on their family and loved ones seemed too much to accept, and, anecdotally, some actually developed `do not resuscitate' pacts with their battle buddies in the event of this type of injury." (More US military stories.)