If the same percentage of the population of the United States that were killed in the Civil War were compared with today's population, the death toll would be 5,500,000.
The number lost in 911 was around 3000, or 1/20th of 1 percent of the Civil War casualty rate. If we add Iraq and Afghanistan, that's another 6700 (or another 1/10th of 1 percent of the Civil War rate).
So for all three, close to 1/5 of 1% of the Civil War. One fifth of one percent.
And for all that, for those who lost a loved one, it's as bad as it could possibly be for those. How many of us even KNOW a single person who was killed in one of the last wars. Being a former military officer, I do know some of the dead casually, but no close friends during the last couple wars.
If each of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan was close to 50 unique people, then that brings the total close friends or relatives that have experienced war loss to 10%. We're more connected that in the civil war, but if each of the dead were close to 20 people in the Civil War, 40% lost someone close to them. 1 in 10 versus 4/10 makes a big difference in the national sentiment.
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