The Toll Grows Higher

[STING2]

March 11, 2004

Soldier dies, two wounded in Baqouba bomb attack

Associated Press


TIKRIT, Iraq ? A soldier was killed, and two others injured, when a homemade bomb went off in Baqouba, the military said Thursday.
The attack Wednesday injured the three soldiers, two of whom were taken to the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Balad, where one of them died. The second soldier was in stable condition and will be sent to a military hospital in the United States. The third soldier was treated at the scene and returned to duty.

None of the soldiers were identified, but all were part of the 652nd Engineering Battalion and based in Baqouba.

Soldiers arrested two Iraqis in the blast, but they were later released, the military said.

The latest death brings to 554 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the United States launched the Iraq war in March. Most have died since President Bush declared an end to active combat May 1.

 

[STING2]

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq


Mar 11, 10:52 PM (ET)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Two American soldiers were killed when the Humvee they were riding in struck a homemade bomb, the military said early Friday.

The soldiers were part of an escort for a military convoy northeast of Habbiniyah in the Sunni Triangle when the incident happened Thursday.

A third soldier was injured in the blast and taken to a military hospital and was listed in stable condition.

None of the soldiers were identified, but all were part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of Task Force All American.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Oklahoma attorney killed in attack in Iraq was advocate for women's rights

KELLY KURT, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 11, 2004

Lawyer Fern Holland went to Iraq to help that nation's women: She investigated human-rights violations, set up conferences and assisted in writing the women's rights section of the new constitution.

"I love the work and if I die, know that I'm doing precisely what I want to be doing," she wrote in an e-mail to a friend Jan. 21.

Holland was one of three civilians killed Tuesday after several gunmen posing as Iraqi police officers stopped her vehicle at a makeshift checkpoint near the town of Hillah, about 35 miles south of Baghdad.

Holland and a second victim, Robert J. Zangas, were the first U.S. civilians working for the U.S. occupation authority to be killed in Iraq. Their translator, who was not identified, was also killed.

Zangas, 44, of suburban Pittsburgh, joined the coalition after serving nine months in Iraq as reserve lieutenant colonel with the Marine Corps 4th Civil Affairs Group.

He is listed on the coalition's Web site as a regional press officer.

Holland's family believes she was targeted by assassins because of her work, which included opening women's centers around Iraq.

"She was a lover of democracy," said her sister, Vi Holland. "She was a humanitarian. She believed our greatest chance for democracy (in Iraq) was through people who were most oppressed."

Zangas' wife, Brenda, said Thursday that the "act of terrorism killed a very special person."

She described her husband as "very giving."

Robert Zangas wrote in a journal entry on his Web site dated last week that he had hope for Iraq.

"This is a society that is in desperate need of everything," the entry reads.

"... I don't mean to sound depressed because I am not. I am enjoying this work immensely. It is very gratifying."

L. Paul Bremer, the top administrator in Iraq, has requested that the FBI investigate the slayings. It was not yet known whether the gunmen were specifically targeting coalition officials.

Holland, a 1996 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law, worked at two law firms in Tulsa before joining the Peace Corps and traveling to Namibia.

She returned to the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but did not stay long.

Tulsa attorney Stephen Rodolf, who kept in touch with Holland through e-mail, said she seemed to be aware of growing threats to her safety.

"We stand out, and those who dislike us know precisely when we come to town," she wrote to him.

Her job required her to travel almost every day on highways where snipers and roadside bombs lurked. And yet, she asked to travel with an unarmed escort because she felt the high security around her was a barrier to her work with Iraqi women, he said.

"She would not take foolish risks," Rodolf said. "But a big part of her commitment was that there are risks in the world, and if you are to accomplish good, you accept them."

 

[STING2]

Blast in Tikrit Kills 2 U.S. Soldiers

Mar 12, 10:34 PM (ET)

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - An explosion early Saturday in Saddam Hussein's hometown killed two American soldiers and wounded four, the U.S. military said.

The soldiers were on patrol in downtown Tikrit, north of Baghdad, when a roadside bomb exploded, said Capt. Tim Crowe of the U.S. Army.

Small arms fire erupted after the explosion.

Initial reports said six soldiers were wounded. But the military later said two of the wounded had died. The four other soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital north of Tikrit. It was not immediately unclear how serious the wounded soldiers' injuries were.

The soldiers were from the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, which is taking over security in the Tikrit area on Saturday.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Four American soldiers died in two bomb explosions in Baghdad, the coalition said Sunday, raising to six the number of U.S. forces killed in roadside bombs this week.
Hundreds of Iraqis, meanwhile, mourned the death of a Shiite politician's relative in a bomb blast in his shop the previous day.

A roadside bomb killed three soldiers from the 1st Armored Division and wounded another during a patrol Saturday night in southeastern Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led coalition spokeswoman said.

That followed a similar attack in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit that killed two American soldiers and wounded three others.

U.S. forces responded by making several arrests and dispatching troops into the streets in a show of force on the same day that the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, took control of the restive Sunni Triangle town in a troop rotation.

Soldiers who have been on the front line facing the anti-U.S. insurgency ? believed led by Saddam loyalists and Islamic militants ? have been carrying out joint patrols with the newcomers. Saturday was only the second day that troops from the German-based 18th Regiment patrolled alone.

A sixth soldier died at a combat hospital from injuries suffered in a blast in the Iraqi capital Sunday morning, the spokeswoman said.

 

[STING2]

Bombs Kill Six U.S. Soldiers in Iraq


Email this Story

Mar 14, 12:58 PM (ET)


By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA


Roadside bombs killed four American soldiers in Baghdad, raising to six the number of U.S. troops who have died in attacks in Iraq this weekend, the coalition said Sunday.

Hundreds of Iraqis, meanwhile, mourned a Shiite politician's relative who died in a bomb blast in his shop Saturday.

A roadside bomb killed three soldiers from the 1st Armored Division and wounded another during a patrol Saturday night in southeastern Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led coalition said.

That followed a similar attack in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit that killed two American soldiers and wounded three others.

U.S. forces responded by making several arrests and dispatching troops into the streets in a show of force Saturday, the same day that the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, took control of the restive Sunni Triangle town in a troop rotation.

Soldiers who have been on the front line facing the anti-U.S. insurgency - believed to be led by Saddam loyalists and Islamic militants - have been carrying out joint patrols with the newcomers. Saturday was only the second day that troops from the Germany-based 18th Regiment patrolled alone.

A sixth soldier died at a combat hospital from injuries suffered in a blast in the Iraqi capital Sunday morning, the spokeswoman said.

"We were woken up this morning by the blast. We saw an American military truck on fire," resident Saad Mohsen told Associated Press Television News. A second explosion set a nearby civilian truck on fire, he said.

In Washington on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell defended the decision to go to war with Iraq, saying intelligence before the U.S.-led invasion was not "cooked" even though inspectors have not found banned weapons.

"We may not find the stockpiles. They may not exist any longer, but let's not suggest that we knew this," Powell said on ABC's "This Week."

"We went to the United Nations, we went to the world, with the best information we had. Nothing that was cooked," he said.

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the March 20 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, Powell and other Bush administration officials appeared on Sunday talk shows to defend the war and call attention to advances in rebuilding the country.

Powell had appeared before the United Nations one month before the war, laying out evidence that Saddam's government had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and an advanced nuclear weapons program.

But no weapons stockpiles have been found; and the former chief weapons inspector, David Kay, said he doubts they existed before the war. Intelligence on the nuclear weapons program has also been discredited.

In Baghdad, about 1,000 mourners attended the funeral on Sunday of Haidar al-Qazwini, the brother-in-law of Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite member of the Iraqi Governing Council.

"The aim of this criminal act is to ignite sectarian strife in the country," al-Jaafari's representative, Adnan al-Asadi, said at the funeral.

U.S. and Iraqi security officials suspect militants are trying to trigger conflict between Sunnis, who dominated Saddam's government, and the resurgent Shiite majority.

Iraqi police said al-Qazwini died after an unidentified man entered a shop and left a bag containing explosives, which later detonated.

Roadside bombs have become the main threat to U.S. soldiers on patrol in the Sunni Triangle, a region north and west of Baghdad that has seen some of the fiercest guerrilla attacks.

The latest deaths brought to 564 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq. Of those, 385 died as a result of hostile action and 179 died of other causes.

 

[pax]

You may notice some changes in this thread...

1.) I split deep's article into its own thread ("Recent Protests"). I have been told that this thread has been reserved only for reporting casualties, not for political discussion. That's fine with me.

2.) I deleted two subsequent posts because they no longer made sense (one from deep, one from DreadSox).

Deep: Feel free to continue your discussion of the protests in a separate thread. You are not being silenced in any way. I feel, however, that the desire to keep one thread free of politics and partisanship is an admirable one. Please respect my decision and the feelings of other persons who have posted here.

Thanks.

 

[deep]

Pax,


I think you responded to quickly to a complaint.



This thread is full of "Politics"

In Washington on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell defended the decision to go to war with Iraq, saying intelligence before the U.S.-led invasion was not "cooked" even though inspectors have not found banned weapons.

"We may not find the stockpiles. They may not exist any longer, but let's not suggest that we knew this," Powell said on ABC's "This Week."

"We went to the United Nations, we went to the world, with the best information we had. Nothing that was cooked," he said.

If it is misinformation or lies that support the Bush Administration, then it is tolerable?


Statements from people that have lost loved ones are deleted.

People that said they support the troops?



I did not start a new thread with that article.

It is not a separate issue and if the sacrifices made by those people do not belong here, then please delete it.

 

[pax]

First I'm a tool of the liberal arm of FYM and now I'm a tool of the conservative one! Amazing how quickly things change.

I'm not saying it's a separate issue. In light of the intention of the thread, I split--rather than deleted--your article. I will not discuss this in public any further. PM me or Elvis if you want to talk about it more.

Thanks.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

This is the only thread I even want to keep posting in in FYM, just my very small part in honoring those who have died. In the interest of keeping this thread what I feel it should be, I won't say anything else.

Thank you paxetaurora

Back to the topic, unfortunately..

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying U.S. civilians in the northern city of Mosul on Monday, killing three and wounding two in the latest deadly attack targeting foreigners in Iraq .

Witnesses said the victims had been driving through the city, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, in a civilian vehicle without a military escort when attackers raked their car with AK-47 assault rifles. Helicopters ferried the wounded to a U.S. army hospital, and police sealed off the area.

A military spokesman in Baghdad confirmed the attack but had no information on what organization the civilians worked for.

 

[STING2]

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq


Email this Story

Mar 15, 9:33 PM (ET)

By The Associated Press


As of Monday, March 15, 564 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 385 died as a result of hostile action and 179 died of non-hostile causes, the department said.

The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, five; Ukraine, three; Thailand, two; Denmark, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 426 U.S. soldiers have died - 270 as a result of hostile action and 156 of non-hostile causes, according to the military.

Since the start of military operations, 2,814 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department's figures. Non-hostile injured numbered 427.

---

The latest deaths reported by the U.S. military.

- No new deaths reported.

---

The latest identifications reported by public officials and family members:

- Army Staff Sgt. Clint Ferrin, 31, Ogden, Utah; killed Saturday when a bomb exploded under his Humvee in southeastern Iraq; assigned to 82nd Airborne Armored Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

- National Guard Spc. Jocelyn Carrasquillo, 28, Wilmington, N.C.; killed Saturday when his convoy hit a land mine; assigned to 120th Division, Wilmington, N.C.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

The civilians who were killed Monday..

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A fourth American missionary died overnight from wounds from a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

A fifth Baptist missionary was wounded in the attack. The missionaries were working on a water-purification project, church officials and friends said.

Larry T. Elliott, 60, and Jean Dover Elliott, 58, of Cary, North Carolina, and Karen Denise Watson, 38, of Bakersfield, California, were killed in the attack Monday, according to the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board. (Full story)

David E. McDonnall, 29, of Rowlett, Texas, died Tuesday morning as he was being flown to a military support hospital in Baghdad, according to the U.S. military and the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board.

His wife, Carrie Taylor McDonnall, 26, remains in critical condition, according to the group.

Gunmen fired AK-47 assault weapons on the civilian vehicle, witnesses said.

Mission Board President Jerry Rankin said Southern Baptists shared in the sorrow and grief.

"In times like this, there are no words that will take away the pain of a loved one's violent death," Rankin said in a statement. "Everyone in the IMB family and everyone who loves Southern Baptists' overseas workers are grieving with the family members and co-workers of these precious souls."

An Iraqi police officer found the bullet-riddled car shortly after the shooting, which occurred at 5 p.m. Monday (9 a.m. ET).

"We do not know what the five U.S. citizens were doing at the time of the attack, but we do know they were in the Mosul area to deliver relief supplies," the military said in its statement.

Monday's attack is among a rash of attacks on civilians this week and last week.

Larry Elliott (clockwise from top left), Jean Elliott, David E. McDonnall and Karen Watson were working on a water purification project

Carrie Taylor McDonnall, 26, remains in critical condition

 

[STING2]

2 U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq Mortar Attack




Mar 18, 12:10 AM (ET)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Mortars fired at a U.S. base near Baghdad killed two American soldiers and wounded six others, the military said Thursday.

The attack on the Logistics Base Seitz, home to the 13th Corps Support Command, in the town of Balad occurred Wednesday, according to a statement. One of the slain Americans died instantly at the base while the second died later in a combat support hospital, the statement said.

Two of the wounded were also in the hospital, while the four others were treated at a local military base and returned to duty.

U.S. soldiers from the 1st Armor Division responded to the attack and apprehended occupants of a vehicle fleeing the area, the statement said without elaborating.

 

[STING2]

A third soldier died from Motar attacks listed above.

Two U.S. Marines Killed in Iraq


Email this Story

Mar 19, 6:52 AM (ET)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents killed two U.S. Marines who were on patrol in Iraq, a military statement said Friday.

The attack on the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force occurred Wednesday in al-Anbar province, which stretches from west of Baghdad to the Jordanian border, the statement said. It provided no other details.

The deaths brought to 569 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the start of hostilities last year, according to Defense Department figures.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

One year

 

[STING2]

A Daily Look at U.S. Iraq Military Deaths


Mar 19, 5:36 PM (ET)

By The Associated Press

As of Friday, March 19, 2004, 568 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq a year ago, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 385 died as a result of hostile action and 183 died of non-hostile causes, the department said.

The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, five; Ukraine, three; Thailand, two; Denmark, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 430 U.S. soldiers have died - 270 as a result of hostile action and 160 of non-hostile causes, according to the military.

Since the start of military operations, 2,868 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. Non-hostile injured numbered 432.

---

The latest deaths reported by the military:

- A 1st Infantry Division soldier died Friday as a result of injuries sustained when his vehicle overturned near Beiji, Iraq, on Wednesday.

---

The latest identifications reported by the military:

- Marine Pfc. Ricky A. Morris Jr., 20, Lubbock, Texas; died Thursday as a result of enemy action in Al Qaim, Iraq; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

- Marine Pfc. Brandon C. Smith, 20, Washington, Ark.; died Thursday as a result of enemy action in Al Qaim; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

- Army Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps, 44, Chicago, Ill.; died Wednesday in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a mortar attack; assigned to the 1544th Transportation Company, Illinois Army National Guard, Paris, Ill.

 

[STING2]

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed West of Baghdad


Email this Story

Mar 21, 2:55 AM (ET)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A rocket attack near the restive city of Fallujah killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded six, a U.S. military official said Sunday.

The attack occurred Saturday evening near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, where anti-U.S. rebels are active, the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said he had no other details.

 

[STING2]

Sunday, March 21, 2004 Posted: 2:16 PM EST (1916 GMT)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)

578 U.S. forces have died in the year-long Iraq war -- 392 from hostile fire, 186 from non-hostile incidents.

Of those, 439 have died since May 1, when U.S. President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat -- 277 from hostile fire, 162 from non-hostile incidents.

 

[Rono]

Sunday, March 21, 2004 Posted: 2:16 PM EST (1916 GMT)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)

578 U.S. forces have died in the year-long Iraq war -- 392 from hostile fire, 186 from non-hostile incidents.

Of those, 439 have died since May 1, when U.S. President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat -- 277 from hostile fire, 162 from non-hostile incidents.

Are the more worth than 5000 dollars ?

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/newsArticle.asp?id=1619

 

[STING2]

Rono,

this thread was not set up for political debate.

 

[Rono]

Rono,

this thread was not set up for political debate.

Sorry, i can not edit it anymore,...

 

[STING2]

A Daily Look at U.S. Deaths in Iraq


Mar 25, 12:25 AM (ET)

By The Associated Press

As of Wednesday, March 24, 583 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq a year ago, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 394 died as a result of hostile action and 190 died of non-hostile causes, the department said.

The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, five; Ukraine, three; Thailand, two; Denmark, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 446 U.S. soldiers have died - 279 as a result of hostile action and 167 of non-hostile causes, according to the military.

Since the start of military operations, 2,928 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. Non-hostile injured numbered 434.

---

The latest deaths reported by the military:

- Army Spc. Clint Matthews, 31, Bedford, Pa.; died Friday from injuries he suffered when his vehicle went over an embankment in Baji, Iraq, on March 17; assigned to 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, Schweinfurt, Germany.

- Army Pfc. Bruce Miller, Jr., 23, Orange, N.J., died Monday from non-hostile injuries in Mosul, Iraq; assigned to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

 

[STING2]

U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Bomb Blast


Email this Story

Mar 25, 7:36 AM (ET)

By DANIEL COONEY


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. soldier died in a bomb blast north of Baghdad on Thursday amid warnings that attacks will likely increase with fewer than 100 days left before the coalition hands over sovereignty. A day earlier, a gunbattle with insurgents left one American soldier and three rebels dead.

A 1st Infantry Division soldier died and two were wounded when a homemade bomb exploded near Baqouba, the military said. The soldiers went to the area after Iraqi security notified them that a homemade bomb had been found. The two injured soldiers were in stable condition.

The gunbattle that killed one soldier occurred Wednesday near Taji, just north of the capital, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the U.S. military's deputy director of operations. A U.S. soldier was also wounded.

On Tuesday, guerrillas attacked a patrol in the town of Hamam al-Alil, 210 miles north of Baghdad, wounding a U.S. soldier, Kimmitt said. Troops returned fire and killed one attackers.

He said the military was worried by attacks on Iraqi police. On Wednesday, the police chief of southern Babil province was shot and killed. A day earlier, nine police recruits were killed in a nearby attack on their vehicle.

"We remain concerned at what is clearly a program of intimidation and targeting of not only the Iraqi police service, but all Iraqi government officials," Kimmitt said. "A significant number of Iraqi police have been killed in the past year, somewhere in the order of 350."

He said that despite the attacks "on almost a daily basis," morale in the force remained high and no significant drop in recruitment or retention rates had occurred.

With fewer than 100 days until U.S.-led occupiers transfer power to Iraqis on June 30, U.S. and Iraqi officials expect Iraqi guerrillas and foreign fighters to step up attacks in an attempt to disrupt the handover process and try to demonstrate that a fledgling Iraqi government cannot control the country.

"The security issue cannot be overemphasized," Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, a Shiite Muslim member of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council.

L. Paul Bremer, the top administrator in Iraq, said Wednesday that significant steps had been taken to rebuild the country since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein a year ago.

"One hundred days from now, Iraqis will be sovereign in their own land and responsible for their own future," Bremer said in an outdoor speech in the Green Zone, the heavily protected area housing the coalition headquarters in the center of Baghdad.

Bremer announced that he would set up an Iraqi Defense Ministry and a national security Cabinet later this week.

He said he was in the midst of appointing inspectors general to each of Iraq's 25 government ministries while creating a government auditing board and an anti-corruption commission. Bremer said work was under way to establish a public broadcasting service and an independent panel to regulate it.

Bremer already has appointed most Iraqi ministers, many of whom are expected to keep their jobs after the handover. He is currently sorting through the ministers' choices for deputies.

Enormous tasks remain before the handover. The biggest involves anointing an Iraqi transitional government that will take power on June 30 - but the Governing Council and U.S.-led occupation figures have yet to agree upon a scheme to name those who will govern.

"We're moving at rocket speed," al-Rubaie said. "The counting down has started."

 

[STING2]

A Daily Look at Military Deaths in Iraq


Email this Story

Mar 26, 8:36 PM (ET)

By The Associated Press

As of Friday, March 26, 585 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq a year ago, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 395 died as a result of hostile action and 190 died of non-hostile causes, the department said.

The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, five; Ukraine, three; Thailand, two; Denmark, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 447 U.S. soldiers have died - 280 as a result of hostile action and 167 of non-hostile causes, according to the military.

Since the start of military operations, 2,958 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. Non-hostile injured numbered 436.

---

The latest deaths reported by the military:

- A Marine died Friday in fighting in Fallujah, Iraq.

---

The latest identifications reported by the military:

- Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffrey C. Burgess, 20, Plymouth, Mass.; killed Thursday near Fallujah, Iraq; assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

- Marine Lance Cpl. James A. Casper, 20, Coolidge, Texas; died Thursday at Asad, Iraq, from a non-hostile incident; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Camp Pendleton, Calif.

- Army Spc. Adam D. Froehlich, 21, Pine Hill, N.J.; died Thursday in Baqouba, Iraq, after being hit by an explosive; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery; Warner Barracks, Bamberg, Germany.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Just one of the many sad stories..

Funeral service held for Methuen native
By Caroline Louise Cole, Globe Correspondent, 3/28/2004

METHUEN -- Marine Corporal David M. Vicente was recalled yesterday at a funeral Mass as a confident young man who early on was fascinated by all things military and mechanical and who tried to make a difference by helping others.

Vicente, 25, was assigned to the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force at Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was killed March 19 when the vehicle in which he was riding was attacked outside the town of Hit, 90 miles west of Baghdad. He had been in Iraq for two weeks and is Methuen's first casualty in the Iraq war.

Vicente was buried with full military honors in Elmwood Cemetery near his childhood home following the Mass at St. Monica's Catholic Church, which drew some 150 mourners.

"When other kids were wearing T-shirts and jeans, David was wearing fatigues and combat boots," said his uncle, Michael Marques, in a tearful eulogy. "David knew what he wanted at a very early age. David died fighting for his family, his friends, and his country."

Marques said that as a teenager, when his nephew was not dreaming of a career in the military, Vicente was working on his truck.

"He loved everything mechanical," Marques said. "He took his truck apart piece by piece, which I thought was going to be the end of it. But it was that truck he drove across the country to report for duty" at the Marine base in California.

The Rev. Jerome Gillespie opened the noontime Mass by noting that another Mass for Vicente was being held at the same hour at a church in Lisbon, Portugal, the hometown of his parents, Celeste and Orlando Vicente.

"He chose it freely," Gillespie said of Vicente's decision to enlist in the Marines, "because in that he could somehow make a difference. We will remember his smile, his exuberance, and his want to serve the needs of others."

The Mass in Methuen drew several dignitaries, among them US Representative Martin Meehan, Mayor Sharon M. Pollard, state Senator Steven A. Baddour, Democrat of Methuen, state Representative Barbara L'Italien, Democrat of Andover, and City Council President William Manzi.

The Methuen police and fire department color guards participated, along with the American Legion Post 122 and Auxiliary.

Vicente grew up in Methuen, attending the Tenney Grammar School and graduating from the Greater Lawrence Regional Technical School in Andover in 1998. He joined the Marines in March 2001.

In addition to his parents, he leaves one brother, Daniel; his grandparents, Americo and Alice Marques, and John and Margaret Vicente, of Portugal; his fiancee, Alexandria Jabobs, of North Andover; and several aunts and uncles.

Orlando Vicente, left, receives the flag from the casket of his son, Marine Cpl. David Vicente during funeral services, Saturday, March 27, 2004, in Methuen, Mass. Seated next to Vicente from left; his wife Celeste, son Daniel and Cpl. Vicente's fiancee Alexandra Jacobs. Cpl. Vicente, 25, died March 19 in a clash with insurgents near the town of Hit, Iraq . He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

A picture of David..

 

[Dreadsox]

[Q]Plymouth tries to cope with death of young Marine

By Elaine Allegrini, Enterprise staff writer
PLYMOUTH ? Carol Machado tried Saturday to explain to her children the meaning of the lowered flag flying outside Memorial Hall honoring a young Marine killed in the Iraq War on Thursday.

"It frightens them to know it's so close to home," Machado said as she hugged her two children. "It makes me sad."

The photograph of Lance Cpl. Jeffrey C. Burgess, 20, has brought home the reality of war even for those, like Machado, who never knew the Marine whose baby face looks younger than his age.

"He looks just like the Burgesses," said selectmen Chairman Kenneth Tavares as he stood in the shadow of the lowered flag outside Memorial Hall Saturday. "This is one of our boys, one of our kids," he said, offering the town's support to the family as they prepare for a military funeral[/Q]

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2004/03/27/news/news/news05.txt

His family attends my church. It is a sad, sad time in Plymouth.

 

[STING2]

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq


Mar 29, 5:11 PM (ET)

By The Associated Press

As of Monday, March 29, 589 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq a year ago, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 398 died as a result of hostile action and 191 died of non-hostile causes, the department said.

The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 17; Spain, eight; Bulgaria, five; Ukraine, three; Thailand, two; Denmark, Estonia and Poland have reported one each.

Since May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 451 U.S. soldiers have died - 283 as a result of hostile action and 168 of non-hostile causes, according to the military.

Since the start of military operations, 2,992 U.S. service members have been injured as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. Non-hostile injured numbered 441.

---

The latest deaths reported by the military:

- A soldier was killed Monday in a bomb explosion near a U.S. military convoy west of Baghdad.

---

The latest identifications reported by the military:

- Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr., 21, Houston, Texas; died Friday from hostile fire in Anbar province, west of Baghdad; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

- Marine Master Sgt. Timothy Toney, 37, New York, N.Y.; died Saturday in a non-combat related incident at Camp Wolverine, Kuwait; assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

 

[STING2]

Iraqis Drag Four Corpses Through Streets


Mar 31, 9:00 AM (ET)

By SAMEER N. YACOUB


FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - Jubilant residents yanked the bodies of four foreigners - one a woman, at least one an American - out of their burning cars Wednesday, dragged the charred corpses through the streets, and hung them from the bridge spanning the Euphrates River. Five American troops died in a roadside bombing nearby.

The brutal treatment of the four corpses came after they were killed in a rebel attack on their SUVs in the Sunni Triangle city about 35 miles west of Baghdad, scene of some of the worst violence on both sides of the conflict since the beginning of the American occupation a year ago.

It was reminiscent of the 1993 scene in Somalia, when a mob dragged the corpse of a U.S. soldier through the streets of Mogadishu, eventually leading to the American withdrawal from the African nation.

In one of the bloodiest days for the U.S. military this year, five American troops died when their military vehicle ran over a bomb in a separate incident 12 miles to the northwest, among the reed-lined roads through some of Iraq's richest farmland.

Residents said the bomb attack occurred in Malahma, 12 miles northwest of Fallujah, where anti-U.S. insurgents are active. U.S. Marines operate in the area, but it was unclear whether the slain troops were Marines.

Chanting "Fallujah is the graveyard of Americans," residents cheered after the grisly assault on two four-wheel-drive civilian vehicles, which left both in flames. Others chanted, "We sacrifice our blood and souls for Islam."

Associated Press Television News pictures showed one man beating a charred corpse with a metal pole. Others tied a yellow rope to a body, hooked it to a car and dragged it down the main street of town. Two blackened and mangled corpses were hung from a green iron bridge across the Euphrates.

"The people of Fallujah hanged some of the bodies on the old bridge like slaughtered sheep," resident Abdul Aziz Mohammed said. Some of the corpses were dismembered, he said.

Beneath the bodies, a man held a printed sign with a skull and crossbones and the phrase "Fallujah is the cemetery for Americans."

APTN showed the charred remains of three slain men. Some were wearing flak jackets, said resident Safa Mohammedi.

One resident displayed what appeared to be dog tags taken from one body. Residents also said there were weapons in the targeted cars. APTN showed one American passport near a body and a U.S. Department of Defense identification card belonging to another man.

U.S. military officials in Washington said the situation was still confused but they did not think the victims were American soldiers and believed the SUVs were not American military vehicles.

Witnesses said the two vehicles were attacked with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades.

Hours after the attack, the city was quiet. No U.S. troops or Iraqi police were seen in the area.

Fallujah is in the so-called Sunni Triangle, where support for Saddam Hussein was strong and rebels often carry out attacks against American forces.

In nearby Ramadi, insurgents threw a grenade at a government building and Iraqi security forces returned fire Wednesday, witnesses said. It was not clear if there were casualties.

Also in Ramadi, a roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. convoy, witnesses said. U.S. officials in Baghdad could not confirm the attack.

On Tuesday in Ramadi, one U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in a roadside bombing, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt.

Northeast of Baghdad, in the city of Baqouba on Wednesday, a suicide bomber blew up explosives in his car when he was near a convoy of government vehicles, wounding 14 Iraqis and killing himself, officials said.

The attacked convoy is normally used to transport the Diala provincial governor, Abdullah al-Joubori, but he was elsewhere at the time, said police Col. Ali Hossein.

On Tuesday, a suicide bombing outside the house of a police chief in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, killed the attacker and wounded seven others.

A bomb exploded late Tuesday in a movie theater that had closed for the night. Two bystanders were wounded by flying glass, said its owner, Ghani Mohammed.

The latest violence came two days after Carina Perelli, the head of a U.N. electoral team, said better security is vital if Iraq wants to hold elections by a Jan. 31 deadline. The polls are scheduled to follow a June 30 transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi government.

Top U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer said Tuesday he had appointed 21 anti-corruption inspectors general to government departments to try to prevent fraud. More will be named in coming days, he said.

The inspectors will work with two other newly formed, independent agencies. Together, they will "form an integrated approach intended to combat corruption at every level of government across the country," Bremer said.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]