Americans: How harsh is the standard for death in battle? We can't afford to die in a war with the Chinese？

The United States, as a superpower that started out as a war profiteer, leads the world in weaponry, and in wars, its battle loss rate is relatively low, and the number of casualties is far lower than that of other countries.

美国作为一个以战争暴利起家的超级大国，在武器装备上领先世界，在战争中，其战斗损失率相对较低，伤亡人数远低于其他国家。

For example, in the Second World War, 400,000 people died in the United States, a number that sounds like a lot but is "insignificant" when compared to other countries.

例如，在第二次世界大战中，美国有40万人死亡，这个数字听起来很多，但与其他国家相比是“微不足道的”。

Data shows that in the Soviet-German war, the Soviet Red Army had as many as 9.15 million dead and missing, and Nazi Germany had as many as 3.8 million dead and missing, which is a good indication of how low the U.S. military's casualty count was.

数据显示，在苏德战争中，苏联红军死亡和失踪人数多达915万人，纳粹德国死亡和失踪人数多达380万人，这很好地说明了美军的伤亡人数有多低。

In fact, this is not because the U.S. military has a lower casualty rate on the battlefield, but because the U.S. military has very strict criteria for recognizing casualties, and it is not so easy to be recognized as "killed in action".

其实，这并不是因为美军在战场上的伤亡率更低，而是因为美军对伤亡的认定标准非常严格，要被认定为“战死”并不那么容易。

So even if the U.S. military sacrificed a lot of servicemen and women in the war, the final embodiment of the number of killed in action was not that high.

因此，即使美军在战争中牺牲了大量军人，最终体现出来的阵亡人数也并没有那么高。

The actual situation on the Korean battlefield is a very good example, which is why some people say that the United States can't afford to fight or die in a war with China.

朝鲜战场上的实际情况就是一个很好的例子，这就是为什么有人说，美国不能在与中国的战争中战斗或死亡。

High death benefits

高额死亡抚恤金

（Expensive death benefits）

(昂贵的死亡抚恤金)

Exorbitant death grants

过高的死亡补助

We have to admit that as a superpower, the United States is more advanced and developed than us in many aspects, for example, in terms of military strength, the United States is more powerful than us.

我们不得不承认，作为一个超级大国，美国在很多方面都比我们先进和发达，比如在军事实力上，美国比我们强大。

The U.S. has advanced fighter jets, warships, nuclear submarines and missiles, and air defense systems, which of course allows Americans to die in wars in smaller numbers.

美国拥有先进的战斗机、军舰、核潜艇和导弹，以及防空系统，这当然使美国人在战争中死亡的人数减少。

However, compared to other major powers, the United States also has fewer casualties, which sometimes makes people wonder whether the American soldiers are too "strong", or the American soldiers are too good at "preserving their strength"?

然而，与其他大国相比，美国的伤亡人数也更少，这有时会让人怀疑，是美国士兵太“强大”了，还是美国士兵太善于“保持他们的力量”了?

For example, in World War I, there were only 110,000 U.S. casualties.

例如，在第一次世界大战中，美国只有11万人伤亡。

By the time World War II rolled around, there were 400,000 U.S. military deaths, a death toll that may seem like a lot, but was actually nothing compared to the other countries involved in the war.

到第二次世界大战爆发时，有40万美国军人死亡，这个死亡人数似乎很多，但与其他参战国家相比，实际上根本不算什么。

After all, the total number of dead and missing in the Soviet Red Army during the Soviet-German war alone amounted to 9.15 million, and in Nazi Germany this figure was 3.8 million.

毕竟，在苏德战争期间，苏联红军死亡和失踪的总人数达到915万，而在纳粹德国，这一数字为380万。

And during our the War of Resistance against Japan, our military suffered as many as 3.8 million casualties.

在抗日战争期间，我军伤亡人数多达380万人。

（1895—1945）

This is enough to show that the number of American casualties in WWII was quite small.

这足以说明美国在二战中的伤亡人数是相当少的。

Then again, the data shows that the war with the most casualties in U.S. history was the U.S. Civil War, the Civil War, which had 620,000 casualties.

数据显示，美国历史上伤亡人数最多的战争是美国（南北）内战，有62万人伤亡。

This number seems to be a lot, but in comparison, during our three-year war of liberation, more than 1.71 million KMT troops were killed and wounded, and as many as 260,000 people were sacrificed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

这个数字似乎很多，但相比之下，在我们三年的解放战争中，国民党军队的伤亡人数超过171万，人民解放军的牺牲人数多达26万人。

As a result, the number of U.S. troops killed in action during the war was relatively low, and many believe that this is because the U.S. military has advanced equipment and naturally fewer battle losses.

因此，在战争期间，美军在行动中死亡的人数相对较少，许多人认为这是因为美军装备先进，战斗损失自然较少。

U2

But in reality, the bigger reason may be that the U.S. criteria for recognizing a death in action is too stringent, resulting in many unfortunate soldiers being unable to be recognized as killed in action.

但实际上，更大的原因可能是美国对战死的认定标准过于严格，导致许多不幸的士兵无法被认定为战死。

Why should the determination of death in action be so draconian?

为什么对实际死亡的判定要如此严厉?

This is due in large part to the fact that in the United States the pensions for those killed in action are quite generous, essentially giving the families of fallen soldiers "a lifetime of peace of mind."

这在很大程度上是因为在美国，阵亡将士的抚恤金相当丰厚，基本上可以让阵亡将士的家属 "终生无忧"。

For example, the United States Air Force has a one-time pension of $1.24 million for pilots killed in action, the United States Navy has about $830,000, and the Army and Marine Corps have the lowest but also about $630,000 in death pensions.

例如，美国空军为在行动中丧生的飞行员提供124万美元的一次性抚恤金，美国海军约为83万美元，陆军和海军陆战队的死亡抚恤金最低，但也约为63万美元。

This death benefit includes a one-time military allowance, insurance compensation, etc.

这一死亡抚恤金包括一次性军事津贴、保险赔偿等。

In addition, the spouse of a fallen soldier receives $1,000 per month until he or she remarries or passes away, or $300 per child if the family has children.

此外，阵亡军人的配偶在再婚或去世之前每月可获得1000美元，如果有子女，则每个子女可获得300美元。

In other words, the U.S. Army's death benefit is essentially a generous lifetime "benefit."

换句话说，美国陆军的死亡抚恤金本质上是一种慷慨的终身“福利”。

So much money, of course, can not be "randomly issued", must be issued in accordance with the standard, otherwise not long ago the U.S. Government "issued poor".

这么多钱，当然不能“乱发”，一定要按照标准发行，否则不久前美国政府就“发穷了”。

Strict criteria for determining death in combat

确定战斗中死亡的严格标准

So how strict are the U.S. criteria for recognizing a death in action? There are a total of 3 important criteria.

那么，美国对阵亡军人的认定标准有多严格呢?总共有3个重要的标准。

First, to be recognized as killed in action, you must have been killed by enemy fire.

首先，要被认定为战死，你必须被敌人的炮火打死。

In other words, a U.S. soldier must be killed by the enemy on the battlefield in order to be considered killed in action; if he is not killed by the enemy, he can only be considered "murdered" at best.

换句话说，一名美国士兵必须在战场上被敌人杀死，才能被认为是在行动中阵亡;如果他没有被敌人杀死，他最多只能被认为是“被谋杀”。

As an example, during the U.S. military's war against Iraq, if a U.S. soldier is killed by an Iraqi soldier, it counts as a death in action.

例如，在美国对伊拉克战争期间，如果一名美国士兵被一名伊拉克士兵杀死，这将被视为行动死亡（阵亡）。

If U.S. troops were killed by Iraqi civilian forces - or, simply put, by Iraqi civilians - that would unfortunately disqualify them from being recognized as "killed in action", which would at best be recognized as murder.

如果美军被伊拉克民间武装杀害——或者，简单地说，被伊拉克平民杀害——很不幸，这将使他们失去被认定为“在行动中阵亡”的资格，而这充其量只能被认定为谋杀。

The U.S. government will, of course, find those responsible for the deaths and even "bring them to justice," but there will be no death benefits, and at best, a much smaller insurance settlement.

当然，美国政府会找到那些对死亡负有责任的人，甚至“将他们绳之以法”，但不会有死亡抚恤金，充其量是一笔小得多的保险结算。

Even if an American soldier was fighting Iraq, but had the misfortune of being killed by an Iranian soldier on the sidelines, that would not be recognized as a death in action.

即使一名美国士兵正在与伊拉克作战，但不幸被一名伊朗士兵在场外杀死，这也不会被视为在行动中死亡。

Secondly, in order to be recognized as killed in action, then you have to die on the spot.

其次，为了被认定为战死，你必须当场死亡。

In other words, if the soldier was seriously wounded by the enemy on the battlefield and did not die on the spot, but died of his wounds only after he was taken to the hospital, he could not be recognized as killed in action.

换句话说，如果士兵在战场上被敌人重伤，没有当场死亡，而是在被送往医院后才因伤死亡，则不能认定为战死。

According to the information, this situation can only be recognized as a secondary level of "death from wounds", which is not even close to being treated as death in action.

根据资料，这种情况只能被认定为二级"伤死"，与被视为战时死亡的情况相距甚远。

Finally, only deaths within a demarcated area of engagement will be recognized as killed in action.

最后，只有在划定的交战区域内的死亡才被承认为在行动中死亡。

In other words, in order to be recognized as killed in action, one must not only die on the spot and immediately, but also in a designated place, beyond which one will not be recognized as killed in action.

换句话说，为了被承认为战死，一个人不仅必须当场和立即死亡，而且必须在指定的地点死亡，超过这个地点就不会被承认为战死。

For example, a previous case stated that a U.S. Army squad was attacked by enemy forces while out in the field and was wiped out.

例如，以前的一个案例指出，一支美军小分队在外遭到敌军袭击，全军覆没。

In the end, however, none of them were recognized as killed in action because the place where they fought the enemy was a bar, not a "delineated combat zone".

然而，最后，他们没有一个人被确认在行动中死亡，因为他们与敌人作战的地方是一个酒吧，而不是一个“划定的战区”。

It is well documented that failure to die in a demarcated combat zone is one criterion that leads to many U.S. soldiers not being recognized as killed in action.

有充分的证据表明，未能在划定的战斗区域死亡是导致许多美国士兵不被视为在行动中死亡的一个标准。

On top of that, to be recognized as killed in action, a soldier's body must be able to be identified.

最重要的是，要被确认为在行动中阵亡，士兵的尸体必须能够被识别。

According to the information provided, if the body is not recognizable or if the relevant certificates proving the identity of the body have been lost, the unfortunate soldier is not recognized as having been killed in action, but only as having been "disappeared".

根据所提供的资料，如果尸体无法辨认，或者证明尸体身份的有关证件已经遗失，则不承认该不幸的士兵在行动中被打死，而只承认他“失踪”。

Allegedly, because of this, there were many American soldiers in the war of Resistance against the United States who ended up not being recognized as killed in action, but as missing in action.

据称，正因为如此，在战争中，有许多美国士兵最终没有被认定为阵亡，而是被认定为作战失踪。

The "unlucky" American general.

“不幸运的”美国将军。

The Korean War, in fact, is a good example of the rigor with which the U.S. military recognizes the criteria for being killed in action.

事实上，朝鲜战争就是一个很好的例子，说明美军对战死标准的严格认识。

In the Korean War, the United Nations forces led by the United States were actually defeated, that is, the so-called U.S. and China went to war and "could not be defeated".

在朝鲜战争中，以美国为首的联合国军实际上是被打败的，即所谓中美开战，“打不垮”。

But their rout on the battlefield was not reflected in the number of dead in action, as the official U.S. figure for U.S. troops killed in action was only about 33,000 when the Korean War first ended.

但他们在战场上的溃败并没有反映在阵亡人数上，因为在朝鲜战争刚结束时，美国官方公布的阵亡美军人数只有3.3万人左右。

This number is obviously low, but since the archive that holds information related to the Korean War was destroyed in a fire, and it is impossible to actually count how many people were killed in battle, many people can't do anything about it, even though they question the number.

这个数字显然很低，但由于保存朝鲜战争相关资料的档案馆已毁于一场大火，无法真正统计出有多少人阵亡，所以很多人即使质疑这个数字，也无能为力。

But then, more and more families of fallen soldiers demanded that the U.S. government verify the number of casualties, believing that their loved ones had been "left out" of the count.

但随后，越来越多的阵亡士兵家属要求美国政府核实伤亡人数，认为他们的亲人被“遗漏”在统计之外。

Under strong pressure, the U.S. government also had to revise the number, and eventually the number reached 54,246, which is the number we can now see on the U.S. Korean War Veterans Memorial.

在强大的压力下，美国政府也不得不修改这一数字，最终达到 54 246 人，这就是我们现在在美国朝鲜战争老兵纪念碑上看到的数字。

But even that number doesn't fully reflect U.S. casualties in Korea; after all, a prime example is that U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Walker died in Korea, but he wasn't recognized as killed in action either.

但即使是这个数字也不能完全反映美国在朝鲜的伤亡人数;毕竟，一个典型的例子是美国陆军中将沃克在朝鲜战争中阵亡，但他也没有被认为是在行动中阵亡。

In the eyes of our military, Lt. Gen. Walker was one of the "outstanding" generals in the Korean theater.

在我军眼中，沃克中将是朝鲜战场上“杰出”的将军之一。

He was the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army's 8th Army Group, whose successful operations in the Pusan defense ring created the opportunity for MacArthur's Incheon landings.

他是美军第8集团军总司令，在釜山防御圈的成功作战为麦克阿瑟的仁川登陆创造了机会。

Moreover, Lieutenant General Walker believed that the number of Chinese People's Volunteers in Korea was definitely higher than the number shown by the U.S. military intelligence, and that they could not belittle the Volunteers, and even General Peng also "recognized" the performance of Lieutenant General Walker.

而且，沃克中将认为，中国人民志愿军在朝鲜的人数绝对高于美军情报部门所显示的人数，他们不能小看志愿军，甚至彭将军也“认可”了沃克中将的表现。

But I'm afraid what no one expected was that Lt. Gen. Walker, though he died on the Korean battlefield, was not killed in battle, but in a car accident.

但恐怕没有人想到的是，沃克中将虽然死在朝鲜战场上，但他不是战死的，而是死于车祸。

It is claimed that Lt. Gen. Walker and his own adjutant were in a car ready to go to present medals to the officers and men of the 20th Division, but the road to get there was littered with retreating ROKs and was very confusing.

据称，沃克中将和他自己的副官当时在一辆汽车里，准备去给第20师的官兵颁发奖章，但通往那里的道路上到处都是撤退的韩国人，非常混乱。

At that time, the ROK army had been beaten by the volunteers and was so disorganized that it only knew how to run away, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe them as "panicked and at a loss for a way out".

当时的韩国军队被志愿军打得一败涂地，混乱不堪，只会逃跑，用“惊慌失措，无路可走”来形容也不为过。

A ROK driver fleeing to the rear accidentally hit the jeep Walker was traveling in and also flipped his jeep right over.

一名韩国司机从后面逃跑，不小心撞上了沃克乘坐的吉普车，也把吉普车掀翻了。

Despite the force of the impact, the driver and the adjutant of the car were only slightly injured due to the low speed of the car.

尽管冲击力很大，但由于车速较低，司机和副官只受了轻伤。

People had thought it was just a normal car accident, what they didn't realize was that Lt. Gen. Walker actually had a piece of broken glass inserted into his head when he rolled his car over.

人们以为这只是一场普通的车祸，但他们没有意识到的是，沃克中将在翻车时，实际上有一块碎玻璃插入了他的头部。

Although Lt. Gen. Walker was quickly transported to the 8055th Army Mobile Surgical Hospital for treatment, he ultimately died.

虽然沃克中将很快被送往第 8055 陆军移动外科医院接受治疗，但最终还是不治身亡。

Lieutenant General Walker was killed in such a bizarre car accident, but because he did not die at the hands of volunteers, he did not meet the conditions for being recognized as killed in action, and ultimately he was not recognized as killed in action, and his family was not able to receive a death benefit.

沃克中将就死于这样一场离奇的车祸，但因为他不是死于志愿军之手，所以不符合被认定为战死的条件，最终也没有被认定为战死，他的家人也无法领取死亡抚恤金。

Of course, given Lt. Gen. Walker's performance on the battlefield, the U.S. eventually posthumously awarded him the honor of admiral, as a consolation.

当然，鉴于沃克在战场上的出色表现，美国最终追授了他海军上将的荣誉，作为一种安慰。

On the one hand, this shows that the U.S. military "treats everyone equally" when it comes to recognizing deaths in action, but it also shows the unfairness of U.S. politicians trying to reduce the cost of death benefits and the burden of war on the government, which is borne by front-line military personnel.

一方面，这表明美国军方在承认行动中的死亡时“平等对待每个人”，但也表明美国政客试图减少死亡福利成本和战争负担给政府的不公平，这些负担是由前线军事人员承担的。

Perhaps the problem of "not being able to afford to die" can be solved once and for all only if the United States stops waging wars at will.

也许只有美国停止随意发动战争，“死不起”的问题才能一劳永逸地解决。