Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 5 februar 2006 / Time Line February 5, 2006
Version 3.54. Februar 2006, 6. Februar 2006
02/06/2006
Motorcycle Deaths Surge
Armed forces work to reinforce safety measures as surviving
families struggle with shock and grief
By Jay Price, Staff Writer
Raleigh (NC) News & Observer
Since 9/11, more American troops have died in off-duty motorcycle
accidents than fighting in Afghanistan.
Nearly 350 GIs have died on bikes since the 2001 terrorist attacks
compared with 259 killed while serving in Afghanistan, according to
safety records kept by each service. The number who die in crashes
each year -- nearly all in the United States -- has more than
doubled since 2001, hitting new levels in 2005. Nearly 1,000 more
have been injured, draining power when the Pentagon needs every
soldier.
A big part of the problem, say commanders at North Carolina bases,
comes when soldiers return from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan
with months of tax-free salaries and extra pay for combat and
overseas service. They buy high-powered motorcycles and hit the
streets to burn off adrenaline, testosterone and boredom.
Dying on American roads after months or years of combat abroad
seems to survivors like cruel irony.
"When the doctor told me that he was dead, I told him that wasn't
acceptable, it just wasn't acceptable," said Andrea Strickland, 22,
the widow of Marine Lance Cpl. Mark Strickland. "I said, 'He just
got back from a war zone, and you're going to tell me that he died
doing something he loved?' "
Strickland, 24, was one of five Camp Lejeune Marines involved in
serious motorcycle crashes in October. Four had been home just a
few weeks from combat in Anbar Province, the most dangerous part of
Iraq. Three were killed; another lost a leg.
This month and next, 20,000 Marines and sailors will return to
bases in the Carolinas, most to Lejeune.
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