What was the total number of casualties in the Cold War?

A:  Answer

Political deaths in the last half of the 20th century total up to approximetally 55,000,000 deaths.

The largest portion of this occurred in China during the "Great Leap Forward".

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The VFW, in their book Cold War Clashes: Confronting Communism, 1945-1991, document 382 American servicemen killed by hostile fire during the "cold" portion of the Cold War. That number is of unclassified and documented deaths, and it does not include training/operational deaths or the deaths during the Korean Police Action or the Vietnam Conflict. Also, that number does not include civilian deaths due to the Cold War or intelligence personnel killed.

To put the 382 casualty number in perspective, the Spanish American War had 385 "Battle deaths" and there were 147 "Battle deaths" during the Gulf War (1990-1991). So, the "cold" portion of the Cold War had 3 fewer unclassified US service member deaths than the Spanish American War and more than double the casualties of the Gulf War.

Officially, the period of the Cold War was from 1945-1991 and should include the 33,741 Battle deaths of Korea and the 47,424 Battle deaths of Vietnam for a grand total of 81, 547 US Service members killed by hostile fire during the Cold War.

MISSION

NDAA 2002 - FACT

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002

115 STAT. 1118 PUBLIC LAW 107–107—DEC. 28, 2001 Code, that the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to that individual is warranted and that a waiver of time restrictions prescribed by law for recommendation for such award is recommended.

SEC. 556. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN MEDALS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should consider authorizing—

1. the issuance of a campaign medal, to be known as the Korea Defense Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Armed Forces served in the Republic of Korea, or the waters adjacent thereto, during the period beginning on July 28, 1954, and ending on such date thereafter as the Secretary considers appropriate;
   
   
2. the issuance of a campaign medal, to be known as the Cold War Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Armed Forces served satisfactorily on active duty during the Cold War; and
   
   
3. the award of the Vietnam Service Medal to any member or former member of the Armed Forces who was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for participation in military operations designated as Operation Frequent Wind arising from the evacuation of Vietnam on April 29 and 30, 1975.

The Medal was not created! Why?

Were Cold War veterans casualties of the Iraq War planning?

We will continue to fight!

Wikipedia Background - Cold War Victory Medal