The RAND study recommended approximately 500,000 troops before the Iraq invasion, but Rumsfeld decided to send far less (mainly because such a high troop figure would have been an impossible pill for the American public to swallow -- another example of fudging or outright ignoring intel to better sell the war).

The above aside, when we think in terms of who is vulnerable in Iraq, Americans need to realize it's not just 135K U.S. soldiers exposed and at risk each day but also 120K contractors hired by the U.S. to assist the military -- or nearly the equivalent number to troops. A total of more than 250,000 Americans are vulnerable in Iraq (not counting the additional 48,000 troops and support personnel to be sent as part of the "surge").

The unseen body bags are not always occupied by fallen soldiers.