Death Toll: War in Iraq

Easter night became a memorable milestone of the war in Iraq. Last night the death toll since the beginning of the war reached 4,000. Of these soldiers, almost seventy five percent were in the Army. Each casualty causes a ripple effect among family and friends of the deceased. Will these deaths benefit the greater good of all U.S. citizens?
Chaplains in the U.S. Military carry immense burden on death throughout war: conducting memorials, hand writing notes to families, consoling grieving soldiers, etc. However, they are not the soldiers carrying weapons and fighting in combat. Chaplains are faced with difficult questions about war whether at home or overseas. Of any government employee, they have one of the most involved roles of dealing with death everyday.
The grim reminder of an ever increasing death toll has caused many people to reconsider the cost of war. Why is our country making such a large sacrifice, and is it at all worth it in years to come? My brother is a Marine and is currently stationed in Iraq. I can only imagine what it would be like to lose a family member. But, deaths stemming from war have happened since the beginning of time. Is the history of sacrifice a justification for our actions?