Full story of US losses in Iran war largely untold

HIDDEN FIGURES: When a U.S. servicemember dies in a war zone, the Pentagon follows a time-honored protocol. The fatality is announced as soon as it's confirmed, but the name and exact circumstances of the death are withheld until next of kin is notified, in person if possible.

The remains are brought back to the United States and returned to the family in what the military has designated as a "dignified transfer ceremony," attended by high-ranking military officers, often including the president, or vice president, or secretary of defense.

But when troops are wounded, they are never identified, nor the extent of their injuries disclosed. That information is deemed to be private, shared with the family, but withheld from the public — sometimes because the injuries are minor, or because the information is deemed to be helpful to the enemy.

[Page dek/description, published alongside the above:] The raw statistics show 427 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Operation Epic Fury, but make no distinction between the type of injury.