Nearly 300 Immigrants Have Died in Military Service Since 9/11, Report Shows

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Sarah Doolin, New American Economy, [email protected]

New York, NY – Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. To mark the occasion, New American Economy (NAE) released a report, An Unheralded Contribution: Honoring America’s Fallen Foreign-Born Service Members Post 9/11, which evaluates the number of immigrants who have made the ultimate sacrifice: giving their lives in service on America’s battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Examining military casualty reports and obituaries from September 11, 2001 through 2013, as well as genealogical information for more than 6,000 fallen service members, the report reveals that 284 immigrants died advancing the country’s national security interests. The data presented has not previously been tracked or released by the U.S. military.

“This report shows that immigrants have made major—but often unrecognized—contributions to America’s military efforts,” said John Feinblatt, Chairman of New American Economy. “Today, we honor all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, especially our foreign-born service members.”

An Unheralded Contribution finds:

• 2 percent of all active duty military casualties between September 11, 2001 and the end of 2013 were foreign-born service members.
• Of the armed services, the U.S. Army held the largest share of foreign-born military casualties—205 soldiers.
• The fallen foreign-born service members hail from a diverse range of countries, including Mexico (which accounted for 20 percent of all foreign casualties), the Philippines, and Jamaica.
• The immigrants who lost their lives while deployed were often in positions of leadership: almost half of the foreign-born casualties examined had reached the rank of sergeant or higher.

Read the full report here.