the last decade has seen major conflicts waged by multinational coalition forces, particularly in Iraq (operation Iraqi Freedom—oIF) and in Afghanistan (operation Enduring Freedom—oEF). unlike in previous large-scale conflicts, the medical care provided in these conflicts was accompanied by meticulous data collection and documentation. these data were then used to characterize injury patterns, the medical care provided, casualty outcomes, and mortality causes. the information was in turn used to promote and evaluate changes in the medical care provided to trauma casualties.