Counting the Dead compares American casualty rates between Iraq, Vietnam, and World War II:
American casualties in Iraq are often compared to those suffered during the Vietnam war, or even World War II. This is a very misleading comparison. On an annual basis, American combat deaths per 1,000 troops in Iraq have been about 3.6. During the Vietnam war it varied from year to year, but the average was about five times higher than in Iraq. The casualty rate in World War II was even higher.