Soldiers' Deaths in Theater versus in Garrison

This weekend I talked with two infantry officers who had been deployed to Iraq, and are going to return for another deployment before the year's end. And I made some comment about life insurance, asking how difficult it was to get insured as a soldier, thinking that most insurance companies wouldn't want to insure soldiers, because of the danger of their profession.

And their response surprised me. They said it wasn't any more difficult to get insurance than for most people.

But what about going to war? Didn't that worry the insurance companies, I asked.

Nope, they replied. In fact, their battalion has lost more soldiers here in garrison since being back from Iraq last summer, than during their whole deployment. Car accidents, skiing accidents and suicide have proven more costly to them in 9 months in Germany, than all incidents in the 15 months they were in Iraq.

That is certainly food for thought.