I post this with some trepidation, as I fear some may consider my long-standing interest in the "statistics" of war to be somewhat morbid.

However, for those so interested...a report was recently released that showed the cause of death for 63 Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.  Perhaps not surprisingly, blast-relaetd weapons, including IED's and RPG's is the most common mechanism.

The study also shows that only two of the fatalities listed may have been prevented through battlefield medical care.  The article also suggests that effecting an appropriate medical procedure (a trachiotomy) in battlefield conditions is highly problematic.

Anotehr interesting finding is that MVA's were responsible for wounding more soldiers than enemy gunfire.

The news article is available here:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/21/few-missed-chances-for-battlefield-medics-during-afghan-mission-study-finds/

The journal articles are available here (must purchase or be a subscriber)

http://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/toc/2011/11001

regards,

Jack Nastyface