American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Nese F. DeBruyne Senior Research Librarian April 26, 2017
Congressional Research Service 7-5700
RL32492
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Summary
This report provides U.S. war casualty statistics. It includes data tables containing the number of casualties among American military personnel who served in principal wars and combat operations from 1775 to the present. It also includes data on those wounded in action and information such as race and ethnicity, gender, branch of service, and cause of death. The tables are compiled from various Department of Defense (DOD) sources. Wars covered include the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. Military operations covered include the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission; Lebanon Peacekeeping; Urgent Fury in Grenada; Just Cause in Panama; Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Restore Hope in Somalia; Uphold Democracy in Haiti; Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF); Operation New Dawn (OND); Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR); and Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS). Starting with the Korean War and the more recent conflicts, this report includes additional detailed information on types of casualties and, when available, demographics. It also cites a number of resources for further information, including sources of historical statistics on active duty military deaths, published lists of military personnel killed in combat actions, data on demographic indicators among U.S. military personnel, related websites, and relevant Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.
Congressional Research Service
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Casualty Statistics............................................................................................................................ 1 Resources....................................................................................................................................... 31
Sources of Statistics ................................................................................................................ 31 Sources of Published Lists of Names of War Dead or Other Demographic Indicators........... 32
World War I....................................................................................................................... 32 World War II ..................................................................................................................... 32 Korean War ....................................................................................................................... 32 Vietnam War ..................................................................................................................... 33 Persian Gulf War (Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield) ...................................... 33 Global War on Terror ........................................................................................................ 33 Related Sources................................................................................................................. 33 Wars Prior to World War I................................................................................................. 33 Additional Websites .......................................................................................................... 34 CRS Reports............................................................................................................................ 34
Tables
Table 1. Principal Wars or Conflicts in Which the United States Participated: U.S. Military Personnel Serving and Casualties .......................................................................... 1
Table 2. Worldwide U.S. Active Duty Military Deaths in Selected Military Operations ................ 4 Table 3. Active Duty Military Deaths: Race/Ethnicity Summary ................................................... 5 Table 4. U.S. Active Duty Military Deaths, 1980-2010, Part I: Total Military Personnel............... 6 Table 5. U.S. Active Duty Military Deaths, 1980- 2010, Part II: Cause of Death........................... 7 Table 6. Korean War: Casualty Summary ....................................................................................... 8 Table 7. Vietnam Conflict: Casualty Summary ............................................................................... 9 Table 8. Persian Gulf War: Casualty Summary ............................................................................. 10 Table 9. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): Casualty Summary by Casualty Category ............11 Table 10. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): Military Deaths.................................................. 12 Table 11. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF): Military Wounded in Action .............................. 14 Table 12. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): Casualty Summary by Casualty Category ................. 16 Table 13. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): Military Deaths .......................................................... 17 Table 14. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): Wounded in Action..................................................... 19 Table 15. Operation New Dawn (OND): Casualty Summary by Casualty Category.................... 21 Table 16. Operation New Dawn (OND): Military Deaths............................................................. 22 Table 17. Operation New Dawn: Military Wounded in Action ..................................................... 23 Table 18. U.S. Coast Guard Service Casualties............................................................................. 24 Table 19. Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR): Casualty Summary by Casualty Category ............ 25 Table 20. Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR): Military Deaths ..................................................... 26 Table 21. Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR): Military Wounded in Action.................................. 27 Table 22. Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS): Casualty Summary by Casualty Category ........ 28 Table 23. Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS): Military Deaths ................................................. 29
Congressional Research Service
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Table 24. Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS): Military Wounded in Action ............................. 30
Contacts
Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 34
Congressional Research Service
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Introduction
This report provides war casualty statistics. It includes data tables containing the number of fatalities and the number of wounded among American military personnel who served in principal wars and combat actions from 1775 to the present. It also includes information such as race and ethnicity, gender, branch of service, and, in some cases, detailed information on types of casualties and causes of death.
Casualty statistics for wars that ended long ago are updated periodically, sometimes yearly. These updates almost always reflect the identification of remains of persons previously listed as missing in action and the reclassification of those persons as dead. Other reasons, much less frequent, include the discovery of errors in casualty records for individuals or categories such as race and ethnicity.
Casualty Statistics
U.S. casualty statistics are information on war fighters who have fallen in global or regional conflicts involving the United States. The data are gathered on deceased, wounded, ill, or injured active duty U.S. military personnel and Guard/Reservists. The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) is maintained by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).
Casualty statistics for conflicts prior to the Persian Gulf War (Desert Shield and Desert Storm) are updated periodically by the DCAS of the DMDC. Casualty figures for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation New Dawn (OND), Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), and Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) are updated daily. Links to the sources for casualty figures appear below each table in this report.
Table 1 lists casualty statistics for battles, attacks, or operations for which the Congressional Research Service (CRS) receives numerous requests.
Table 1. Principal Wars or Conflicts in Which the United States Participated: U.S. Military Personnel Serving and Casualties
(1775-1991)
Casualties
War or Conflict
Revolutionary Warb 1775-1783
War of 1812c 1812-1815
Mexican Warc 1846-1848
Branch of Service
Total Army Navy Marines Total Army Navy Marines Total Army
Number Serving
-- -- -- -- 286,730 -- -- -- 78,718 --
Total Deaths
4,435 4,044
342 49
2,260 1,950
265 45
13,283 13,271
Battle Deaths
4,435 4,044
342 49
2,260 1,950
265 45
1,733 1,721
Other Deaths
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11,550 11,550
Wounds Not Mortala
6,188 6,004
114 70
4,505 4,000
439 66
4,152 4,102
Congressional Research Service
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American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
War or Conflict
Civil Warcd (Union Forces Only)e 1861-1865
Spanish-American War 1898-1901
World War I 1917-1918
World War IIi 1941-1946j
Korean Warm 1950-1953
Vietnam Conflictn 1964-1973
Branch of Number Service Serving
Navy Marines Total Army Navy Marines Total Armyg Navy Marines Total Armyh Navy Marines Total Armyk Navyl Marines Total Army Navy Marines Air Force Total
-- -- 2,213,363 2,128,948 84,415
f
306,760 280,564 22,875
3,321 4,734,991 4,057,101
599,051 78,839 16,112,566 11,260,000 4,183,466 669,100 5,720,000 2,834,000 1,177,000 424,000 1,285,000 8,744,000
Total Deaths
1 11 364,511 359,528 4,523 460 2,446 2,430 10 6 116,516 106,378 7,287 2,851 405,399 318,274 62,614 24,511 36,574 29,856 657 4,509 1,552 58,220
Army
4,368,000
38,224
Navy
1,842,000
2,566
Marines
794,000
14,844
Casualties
Battle Deaths
1 11 140,414 138,154 2,112 148 385 369 10 6 53,402 50,510 431 2,461 291,557 234,874 36,950 19,733 33,739 27,731 503 4,267 1,238 47,434
30,963
1,631
13,095
Other Deaths
-- -- 224,097 221,374 2,411 312 2,061 2,061 -- -- 63,114 55,868 6,856 390 113,842 83,400 25,664 4,778 2,835 2,125 154 242 314 10,786
7,261
935
1,749
Wounds Not Mortala
3
47
281,881
280,040
1,710
131
1,662
1,594
47
21
204,002
193,663
819
9,520
670,846
565,861
37,778
67,207
103,284
77,596
1,576
23,744
368
Hosp. Care Req'd: 153,303 No Hospital Care: 150,341
Hosp. Care Req'd: 96,802 No Hospital Care: 104,723
Hosp. Care Req'd: 4,178 No Hospital Care: 5,898
Hosp. Care Req'd: 51,392 No Hospital
Congressional Research Service
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American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Casualties
War or Conflict
Persian Gulf Waro 1990-1991
Branch of Number Total Service Serving Deaths
Air Force 1,740,000
2,586
Total
2,225,000
383
Army
782,000
224
Navy
669,000
56
Marines
213,000
68
Air Force
561,000
35
Battle Deaths
1,745
148 98 6 24 20
Other Deaths
841
235 126
50 44 15
Wounds Not Mortala
Care: 37,202
Hosp. Care Req'd: 931 No Hospital Care: 2,518
467
354
12
92
9
Source: Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), report_principal_wars.xhtml.
Notes: Data prior to World War I are based on incomplete records in many cases. Casualty data are confined to dead and wounded and, therefore, exclude personnel captured or missing in action who were subsequently returned to military control.
a. Marine Corps data for World War II, the Spanish-American War, and prior wars represent the number of individuals wounded, whereas all other data in this column represent the total number (incidence) of wounds.
b. Number serving not known, but estimates range from 184,000 to 250,000.
c. As reported by the Commissioner of Pensions in the annual report for FY1903.
d. The Civil War (1861-1865) produced the most American casualties, when both Union statistics and Confederate estimates are taken into account.
e. Authoritative statistics for the Confederate forces are not available. Estimates of the number who served range from 600,000 to 1,500,000. The final report of the Provost Marshal General, 1863-1866, indicated 133,821 Confederate deaths (74,524 battle and 59,297 other) based upon incomplete returns. In addition, an estimated 26,000 to 31,000 Confederate personnel died in Union prisons.
f. The Marine Corps number serving is included in the Navy total.
g. Number serving covers the period April 21, 1898, to August 13, 1898, whereas dead and wounded data are for the period May 1, 1898, to August 31, 1898. Active hostilities ceased on August 13, 1898, but ratifications of the Treaty of Peace were not exchanged between the United States and Spain until April 11, 1899.
h. Includes air service. Battle deaths and wounds not mortal include casualties suffered by American forces in northern Russia to August 25, 1919, and in Siberia to April 1, 1920. Other deaths cover the period from April 1, 1917, to December 31, 1918.
i. World War II was the first war in which there were more American battle casualties than deaths from other causes, such as accidents, disease, and infections.
j. Data are for the period December 1, 1941, through December 31, 1946, when hostilities were officially terminated by presidential proclamation, but a few battle deaths or wounds not mortal were incurred after the Japanese acceptance of the Allied peace terms on August 14, 1945. Numbers serving from December 1, 1941, through August 31, 1945, were as follows: Total 14,903,213; Army 10,420,000; Navy 3,883,520; and Marine Corps 599,693.
k. Includes Army air forces, also known as the Army Air Corps.
l. Battle deaths and wounds not mortal include casualties incurred in October 1941 due to hostile action.
m. Worldwide military deaths during the Korean War totaled 54,246. In-theater casualty records are updated annually.
n. Number serving covers the period August 5, 1964 ("Vietnam era" begins), through January 27, 1973 (date of cease-fire). Deaths include the period November 1, 1955 (commencement date for the Military
Congressional Research Service
3
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
Assistance Advisory Group); through May 15, 1975 (date last American servicemembers left Southeast Asia). Casualty records are updated annually, including current deaths that are directly attributed to combat in the Vietnam Conflict. Additional detail shows the number of wounded-in-action servicemembers not requiring hospital care.
o. For this conflict, Coast Guard numbers are included with Navy. Report does not include one servicemember missing in action (Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, whose remains were recovered in Iraq in 2009).
Table 2.Worldwide U.S.Active Duty Military Deaths in Selected Military Operations
(1980-1996)
Military Operation/Incident
Casualty Type
Total
Army
Navy
Air Force
Marine Corps
Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission
Nonhostilea
8
0
0
5
3
April 25, 1980
Lebanon Peacekeeping
Hostileb
256
3
19
0
234
August 25, 1982-February 26, 1984
Nonhostile
9
5
2
0
2
Total
265
8
21
0
236
Urgent Fury, Grenada 1983
Hostile
18
11
4
0
3
Nonhostile
1
1
0
0
0
Total
19
12
4
0
3
Just Cause, Panama 1989
Hostile
23
18
4
0
1
Persian Gulf War 1990-1991
Desert Shield
Nonhostile
84
21
36
9
18
Desert Storm
Hostile
148
98
6
20
24
Nonhostile
151
105
14
6
26
Desert Storm 299
203
20
26
50
Total
Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Total
383
224
56
35
68
Restore Hope and UNOSOMc,
Hostile
29
27
0
0
2
Somalia, 1992-1994
Nonhostile
14
4
0
8
2
Total
43
31
0
8
4
Uphold Democracy, Haiti 1994-1996
Nonhostile
4
3
0
0
1
Source: DCAS, .
a. According to the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, as amended through August 31, 2005, a nonhostile casualty is a casualty that is not directly attributable to hostile action or terrorist activity, such as casualties due to the elements, self-inflicted wounds, or combat fatigue. The current version of the Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, as amended through July 16, 2014, uses the term nonbattle casualty for nonhostile casualty. See .
b. The dictionary named above defines a hostile casualty as a person who is the victim of a terrorist activity or who becomes a casualty in action. In action characterizes the casualty as having been the direct result of hostile action, sustained in combat or relating thereto, or sustained going to or returning from a combat mission provided the occurrence was directly related to hostile action. Included are persons killed or wounded mistakenly or accidentally by friendly fire directed at a hostile force or what is thought to be a hostile force. However, not to be considered as sustained in action and not to be interpreted as hostile
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