KarlMarx,

Your point is well taken and from personal experience, what you say with regard to those who know the grim reality of combat, I have never yet met any serviceman, or woman, who was eager to go to war.

What I do object to is where things like casualty figures based on comments prefixed by such as "For all I know" or "I estimate that" are taken as being factual in order to prove a particular point. Instead of actual figures resulting from factual evidence gathered after cessation of hostilities.