Posts Tagged ‘war dead in Iraq’

The moon is full, bright in the sky to shine on new headstones. Raise a glass, honor the fallen; cry for the bereaved.

Lt. Douglas Dalzel, 27, of Bershire, England, died in Afghanistan on his birthday on 18 February, when an IED detonated and fatally wounded him.

LSgt. DAvied Walker, 36 of Glasgow, Scotland, was killed in a firefight on 18 February in Afghanistan during a ground domination patrol.

US Army Sgt. Michael D. Cardenaz, 29, of Corona, California was killed in Afghanistan on 20 February, when his unit was attacked with RPG fire.

SGM Florin Badiceanu, 31, of Romania, died in Afghanistan on February 23 when an IED detonated beneath his humvee.

US Army Cpl. Daniel T. O’Leary, 23, of Youngsville, N.C., died Feb. 23 in Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.

US Army Sgt. William C. Spencer, 40, of Tacoma, Wash., died Feb. 25 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained Feb. 20 while supporting combat operations in Iraq.

US Army Staff Sgt. William S. Ricketts, 27, of Corinth, Miss., died Feb 27 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.

Another week, the moon is a sweet crescent in the clear winter sky. It is the sort of shape ancient cultures interpreted as the boat that carried the souls of the dead away to an afterlife. I hope all the families and friends of the fallen troops on this list can find some comfort in a belief of a welcoming better place. Soon, it will be warm enough to put the 6200 counting beads back on the monument. And sadly, soon, it will be time to add another strand of 220 more.

Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19, of Manchester, England, died in Afghanistan when he was shot to death during an ambush on February 14.

Rifleman Mark Marshall, 29, of Exeter, England, was killed in Afghanistan by an IED detonation on February 14.

Sapper Guy Mellors, 20, of Coventry, England, was in killed in Afghanistan on February 15 when an IED exploded as he worked in explosive ordinance removal in Afghanistan.

US Marine PFC Jason H. Estopinal, 21, of Dallas, Ga., died Feb. 15 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Noah M. Pier, 25, of Charlotte, N.C., died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

The following three US Army men died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device Feb. 13 in Afghanistan:

Staff Sgt. John A. Reiners, 24, of Lakeland, Fla.;
Sgt. Jeremiah T. Wittman, 26, of Darby, Mont.; and
Spc. Bobby J. Pagan, 23, of Austin, Texas.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie, 23, of Rock Point, Ariz., died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sean L. Caughman, 43, of Fort Worth, Texas, died Feb. 16, while supporting operations in Kuwait in support of the war in Afghanistan.

US Marine PFC. Eric D. Currier, 21, of Londonderry, N.H., died Feb. 17 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Pfc. Charles A. Williams, 29, of Fair Oaks, Calif., died Feb. 7 in Afghanistan, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations. (No idea of why there was such a delay on the release of the name.)

US Marine Pfc. Kyle J. Coutu, 20, of Providence, R.I., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton, Pa., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Kielin T. Dunn, 19, of Chesapeake, Va., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, of Columbus, Ind., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan

US Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Cpl. Gregory S. Stultz, 22, of Brazil, Ind., died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Eckard, 30, of Hickory, N.C., died Feb. 20 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Adam D. Peak, 25, of Florence, Ky., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Matthias N. Hanson, 20, of Buffalo, Ky., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army PFC. JR Salvacion, 27, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died Feb. 21 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

The following US Army pilots died when their helicopter crashed in Iraq on February 21:
Capt. Marcus R. Alford, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn.

Chief Warrant Officer Billie J. Grinder, 25, of Gallatin, Tenn.

US Army Sgt. Marcos Gorra, 22, of North Bergen, N.J., died Feb. 21 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations.

The moon goes dark, the winter storms lash the homelands of soldiers in harm’s way far away. American soldiers had a relatively death-free week; but England’s forces and others suffered more losses. Remember those lost in our cause!

US Army Sgt. Dillon B. Foxx, 22, of Traverse City, Mich., died Feb. 5 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Capt. John Palmlov, 28, of Sundbyberg, Sweden and
Lt. Gunnar Anderson, 31, of Stockholm, Sweden both died in Afghanistan in a firefight on February 7th.

Cpl Johnathan Moore, 22, of Lanarkshire, Scotland and
Pvt Sean McDonald, 27, of Edinborough, Scotland both died in Afghanistan of wounds from an IED detonation on February 7th.

WO2 David Markland, 36, of East Lancashire, England died in Afghanistan on February 8th, when an IED exploded.

Pvt Enguerrand Libaert, 20, of Lyon, France died February 9th, in a firefight in Afghanistan.

US Army Sgt. Adam J. Ray, 23, of Louisville, Ky., died Feb. 9 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. (local post soldier)

US Army Pfc. Adriana Alvarez, 20, of San Benito, Texas, died Feb. 10 in Baghdad, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations.

Late additions:
LCpl Darren Hicks, 29 of Cornwall, England, died in Afghanistan on February 11 when an IED detonated.

Cpl Joshua Caleb-Baker, 24 of Edmonton, Canada, died in Afghanistan in a training range accident on February 12.

LSgt Dave Greenhalgh, 25, of Derbyshire, England, died in Afghanistan on February 13, when his vehicle hit an IED.

US Marine Cpl. Jacob H. Turbett, 21, of Canton, Mich., died Feb. 13 while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

The full moon rides the clouds, lighting up the billows of vapour carrying snow to my mountains. The bright light keeps me awake nights. And gives me, like those mourning the fallen below, too much time to think about the losses of the wars. Too much time to wonder what these men’s lives bought, for all they lost. May wisdom prevail….and soon!

US Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane, 22, of Towson, Md., died Jan. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 19, of Folkestone in Kent, England, died in Afghanistan on January 22, from wounds caused by an IED detonating near his patrol.

The following US Marines died Jan. 24 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:

Sgt. Daniel M. Angus, 28, of Thonotosassa, Fla.

Lance Cpl. Timothy J. Poole, 22, of Bowling Green, Ky.

Lance Cpl. Zachary D. Smith, 19, of Hornell, N.Y.

Soldier Claes Jochim Olsson, 22, of Gressvik, Norway, died in Afghanistan on January 25, when his vehicle hit an IED.

LCpl Daniel Cooper, 22, of Hereford, England, died in Afghanistan on January 24, of wounds resulting from an IED explosion.

US Army Sgt. Carlos E. Gill, 25, of Fayetteville, N.C., died Jan. 26 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center of an illness. He was evacuated from Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, Dec. 19, 2009, where he was supporting combat operations. He was a member of the local Ft. Lewis, WA Stryker Bde.

US Army Pfc. Scott G. Barnett, 24, of Concord, Calif., died Jan. 28 in Iraq, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations.

Running late on a rainy, sodden, cold week. The month turns in this new year, and the death count grows. Same sh*t, different day, we used to say. I’d like to say something inspiring, but bitter grief weighs my words. I can only bow my head in sorrow and salute those who are finished with the wars.

US Army Spc. Brushaun X. Anderson, 20, of Columbus, Ga., died Jan. 1 in Iraq, of wounds suffered from a non-combat related incident. He died of wounds suffered when attacked by an unknown assailant.

US Air Force Senior Airman Bradley R. Smith, 24, of Troy, Ill., died Jan. 3 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations

The following three US Army personnel died Jan. 3, in Afghanistan, when their position was attacked with multiple IEDs and small arms fire:

Sgt. Joshua A. Lengstorf, 24, of Yoncalla, Ore.

Spc. Brian R. Bowman, 24, of Crawfordsville, Ind.

Pvt. John P. Dion, 19, of Shattuck, Okla.

Pvt. Robert Hayes, 19, of England, died Jan. 3 in Afghanistan, when an IED exploded as his security patrol passed.

US Army Spc. David A. Croft Jr., 22, of Plant City, Fla., died Jan. 5 in Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.

The nights seem darker in the absence of moonlight, do they not? As dark, perhaps as the holiday season must seem for the families and friends of the fallen—-for whom this month can only be a memory of a beloved light blowing out in the wind of war.

US Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, 26, of Lake Oswego, Ore., in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device

US Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, 31, of Panama City, Fla., died at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

US Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, of Detroit, Mich., died as a result of unknown causes in Iraq.

US Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga., died in Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

US Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles, Calif., died in Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

LCpl Adam Drane, 23, of England was killed in Afghanistan while carrying out security duties at a checkpoint.

US Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr., 35, of Florence, Ky., died of wounds suffered from the detonation of an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

I have no names newly released. There may indeed be service men and women who have died this past week since the moon began to wane; but their names lag behind. So instead, I give you an overview of the sacrifices made on war’s altar. And yes, I feel grim this December—30,000 more will go into harm’s way and too soon.

The counts are rough, and from CNN, but in Iraq the dead include: 4,370 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, one South Korean, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians.

And in Afghanistan thus far, since 2001 the losses include: 927 Americans, 11 Australians, one Belgian, 236 Britons, 133 Canadians, three Czech, 28 Danes, 21 Dutch, six Estonians, one Finn, 36 French, 31 Germans, two Hungarians, 22 Italians, three Latvian, one Lithuanian, four Norwegians, 15 Poles, two Portuguese, 11 Romanians, one South Korean, 26 Spaniards, two Swedes and two Turks.

Not exactly going to fit in the lyrics of the Twelve Days of Christmas, is it?

An unusually quiet week, perhaps with the Islamic holiday of Eid coming, nobody was in the mood to fight? Wouldn’t that be nice, if everyone could cancel war and dying due to a lack of interest?

US Army PFC. Michael A. Rogers, 23, of White Sulphur Springs, Mont., died in Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

US Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David M. Mudge, 22, of Sutherlin, Ore., died Nov. 28, in a non-hostile accident aboard USS Rentz while in Port Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates.

US Army Pfc. Derrick D. Gwaltney, 21, of Cape Coral, Fla., died in Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla., died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, of Chrisman, Ill., died in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires

(Special Listing)
Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va., had been listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown. His status was changed Nov. 29 to having died in a non-combat related incident.
***Earlier, I reported this soldier as “missing in action”…the old description for what they now euphemistically call “duty station unknown”. (I will spare you my rant about how a military unit can NOT know where a troop’s duty station is located). As of Nov 29, he is listed as dead from a NON-COMBAT incident. I don’t know what that means, since he and a comrade disappeared in circumstances that seemed combat related—the men were on mission to recover an air drop of supplies. Since it was a combat related mission, I scarcely see how the death can be considered non-combat related.

The list grows. Bugels sound, rifles are raised to the sky in salute. My usual apologies apply for names not here—the release takes time, and I know there are more who have died.

US Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis, 26, of Terrell, Texas died on Nov. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian M. Patton, 37, of Freeport, Ill., died Nov. 19 in Kuwait in a non-combat accident.

Two US Army men died Nov. 19 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when a suicide car-bomber attacked their unit:

Staff Sgt. John J. Cleaver, 36, of Marysville, Wash.; and

Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier, 25, of Saint Joseph, Mo.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand, 20, of Kansas City, Mo., died Nov. 22 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Sgt. Briand T. Williams, 25, of Sparks, Ga., died in Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.

Rifleman Andrew I. Fentiman, 23, of England was killed in Afghanistan by small arms fire during an attack on his unit.

Cpl. Loren O.C. Marlton-Thomas, 28, of England, died in Afghanistan when an IED detonated as he searched the road to find such bombs.

Sgt Robert D. Loughran-Dickson, 33, of England, died in Afghanistan of gunshot wounds from an attack on his patrol.

Pvt. Rune Westye Z. Nielsen, 22, of Denmark, died after medevac from Afghanistan due to wounding by an IED explosion.

US Army Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, 34, of Cockeysville, Md., died in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

US Army Spc. Jason A. McLeod, 22, of Crystal Lake, Ill., died in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with mortar fire

Two US Army men died in Afghanistan when an IED exploded as their vehicle passed:
Sgt James M. Nolen, 25, of Alvin, Tx.
PFC Marcus A. Tynes, 19, of Moreno Valley, Ca.

The night skies are full dark, as the moon goes new—soon we will see a slender crescent rising in the morning sky. The list of the dead, sadly augmented with the names of those killed in Texas this month is now over 6200. New counting prayer beads are strung….

US Army Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn, 35, of Upton, Wyo., died on the day the moon went new, in Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.

US Marine Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright, 26, of Union Bridge, Md., died Nov. 7 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.

US Army Warrant Officers were killed when their helicopter crashed in Iraq:
Chief Warrant Officer Mathew C. Heffelfinger, 29, of Kimberly, Idaho

Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III, 24, of Jacksonville, Fla.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson, 21, of Anaheim, Calif., died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Spc. Christopher J. Coffland, 43, of Baltimore, Md., died inAfghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

US Marine Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy, 36, of Jaffery, N.H., died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Iraq.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner, 22, of Hico, Texas, died Nov. while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

In addition to the above deaths, the Dept of Defense has released the names of two soldiers originally listed as missing in action in Afghanistan:

Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va., has been unaccounted for since Nov. 4 in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, when he went missing while involved in a resupply mission. (still missing, but possibly dead)

Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, Mass., has been identified as having been killed while participating in the Nov. 4 resupply mission. (His body was found in a river)

Members of the British military died in separate incidents in Afghanistan when IEDs exploded:

Sgt. Phillip Scott, 30, of England
Rifleman Philip Allen, 20, of England
Rifleman Samuel J. Bassett, 20, of England