HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan – March 2010

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

October 29 2009



Honoring the Fallen: Casualties from Afghanistan.

Iraq, Rapidly becoming the Forgotten War!!

There have been 4,708 coalition deaths — 4,391 Americans, 2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians — in the war in Iraq as of April 5 2010, according to a CNN count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by the DoD of the United States. At least 31,762 {31,706 last month} U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan

Pfc. Raymond N. Pacleb 31 Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii Army National Guard Honolulu, Hawaii Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 29, 2010

Spc. Robert M. Rieckhoff 26 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division  Kenosha, Wisconsin Killed when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenade fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 18, 2010

Staff Sgt. Richard J. Jordan 29 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Tyler, Texas Died of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover in Mosul, Iraq, on March 16, 2010

Spc. Steven J. Bishop 29 Company C, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 352nd Civil Affairs Command Christiansburg, Virginia Died from a non-combat related illness at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, on March 13, 2010

Pfc. Erin L. McLyman 26 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Federal Way, Washington Died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked her base with mortar fire in Balad, Iraq, on March 13, 2010

Sgt. Aaron M. Arthur 25 Company G, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Lake City, South Carolina One of two soldiers that died of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover accident north of Kut, Iraq, on March 8, 2010

Sgt. Lakeshia M. Bailey  23 Company G, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Columbus, Georgia One of two soldiers that died of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover accident north of Kut, Iraq, on March 8, 2010

POW/MIA

Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status — Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009. The information below reflects the name, an unknown, officially listed as Prisoners of War or Duty Status — Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.

Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41 Army reservist assigned Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad Ann Arbor, Michigan On October 23, 2006, Altaie was categorized as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown when he allegedly was kidnapped while on his way to visit family in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon changed his status to missing-captured on December 11.

Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Ketchum, Idaho Captured in Paktika province in Afghanistan, on June 30, 2009. The Pentagon declared him Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3.

Afghanistan – Pakistan!!

There have been 1,696 coalition deaths — 1,026 Americans, 11 Australians, 280 Britons, 1 Belgian, 141 Canadians, 3 Czech, 29 Danes, 21 Dutch, 7 Estonians, 1 Finn, 40 French, 35 Germans, 2 Hungarian, 22 Italians, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian,  5 Norwegians, 16 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 12 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 28 Spaniards, 4 Swedes, 2 Turks — in the war on terror as of April 5 2010, according to a CNN count. Below are the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors whose deaths have been reported by their country’s governments. The troops died in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or were part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. At least 5,393 {5,131 last month} U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. In addition to the military deaths, one Jordanian and 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.


Lt. Miroslav Zilberman 31 Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower  Columbus, Ohio Killed when his E-2C Hawkeye command and control aircraft crashed into the Arabian Gulf after experiencing mechanical malfunctions and the crew performed a controlled bailout on March 31, 2010. The recovery effort was abandoned on April 2, 2010 and his body was not recovered. The other three crew members were rescued alive in good condition.

Staff Sgt. Scott W. Brunkhorst 25 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division  Fayetteville, North Carolina Died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, on March 30, 2010

Pfc. James L. Miller 21 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Yakima, Washington Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Dashat, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2010

Lance Cpl. Randy M. Heck 20 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Steubenville, Ohio Died from a non-hostile incident in Djibouti on March 28, 2010

Rifleman Daniel Holkham 19 Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Chatham, Kent, England Killed when a sucide bomber detonated an explosive device just outside the bazaar in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 27, 2010

Lance Cpl. of Horse Jonathan Woodgate 26 The Household Cavalry Regiment, attached to 4 Troop, Brigade Reconnaissance Force  Lavenham, Suffolk, England Killed when a grenade was thrown from behind a wall during a foot patrol operating about 1.8 miles (3 km) south of Sangin district center in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 26, 2010

Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni 19 Headquarters & Service Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Yorba Linda, California One of two Marines killed during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2010

Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle 45 Headquarters & Service Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Whittier, California One of two Marines killed during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2010

Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Ross 19 Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Gillette, Wyoming  Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2010

Sgt. Steven Campbell 30 Company A, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Durham, England Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a patrol about 1.8 miles (3 km) south of Sangin district center in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 22, 2010

Sgt. 1st Class Carlos M. Santos-Silva 32 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Clarksville, Tennessee Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on March 22, 2010

Lance Cpl. Justin J. Wilson 24 Company I, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Palm City, Florida Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 22, 2010

Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick 21 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry  Prince George, British Columbia, Canada Died on March 20, 2010, at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb exploded during a joint Canadian-Afghan dismounted patrol in Zhari district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on March 6, 2010

Chief Petty Officer Adam Brown 36 Naval Special Warfare Development Group Hot Springs, Arkansas Killed during a battle with heavily armed militants in Afghanistan on March 18, 2010

Sgt. Joel David Clarkson 23 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Fairbanks, Alaska Died on March 16, 2010, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained during a firefight that ensued after his unit attacked a group of Taliban fighters in Farah province, Afghanistan, on March 13, 2010

Gunnery Sgt. Robert L. Gilbert II  28 Company G, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment Richfield, Ohio Died on March 16, 2010, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Badghis province, Afghanistan,on March 8, 2010

Pvt. James Grigg 20 Company A, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment Hartismere, Suffolk, England One of two British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded during an operation 12.4 miles (20 km) north of Musa Qalah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 16, 2010

Lance Cpl. Scott Hardy 26 Company A, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment Chelmsford, England One of two British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded during an operation 12.4 miles (20 km) north of Musa Qalah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 16, 2010

Capt. Martin Driver 31 Company A, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England Died on March 15, 2010, at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, England, of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated during a patrol in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on February 21, 2010

Cpl. Jonathan D. Porto 26 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Largo, Florida Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 14, 2010

Sgt. 1st Class Glen J. Whetten 31 Military Transition Team member assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Mesa, Arizona Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on March 12, 2010

Lance Cpl. Garrett W. Gamble 20 Company G, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Sugarland, Texas Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 11, 2010

Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson 24 Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Bald Knob, Arkansas  One of two soldiers killed when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires in Khost province, Afghanistan, on March 9, 2010

Pfc. Jason M. Kropat 25 Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division White Lake, New York One of two soldiers killed when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires in Khost province, Afghanistan, on March 9, 2010

Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook 19 Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Hungry Horse, Montana Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on March 7, 2010

Lance Cpl. Tom Keogh 24 Company A, 4th Battalion, The Rifles Paddington, London, England Died of a gunshot wound sustained during a small arms engagement at Patrol Base Bariolai near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 7, 2010

Cpl. Stephen Thompson  31 1st Battalion, The Rifles Bovey Tracey, Devon, England Killed when a roadside bomb exploded while on patrol south of Sangin district center in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 7, 2010

Rifleman Liam Maughan 18 Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles  Doncaster, England Shot and killed while providing protection to his platoon as they engaged with the local population near Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 6, 2010

Rifleman Jonathon Allott 19 Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles  North Shields, England Killed when a roadside bomb exploded while conducting an operation to insert a new patrol base near Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 5, 2010

Spc. Alan N. Dikcis 21 630th Engineer Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade Niagara Falls, New York Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on March 5, 2010

Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen 21 Company C, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Orem, Utah Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 4, 2010

Spc. Anthony A. Paci 30 Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division  Rockville, Maryland Died of injuries suffered during a vehicle rollover in Gereshk, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 4, 2010

Cpl. Richard Green 23 Reconnaissance Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Reading, England Died as a result of small arms fire near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 2, 2010

Rifleman Carlo Apolis 28 Company A, 4th Battalion, The Rifles South Africa Killed when his foot patrol received small arms fire about 2,310 feet (700 meters) east of Patrol Base Blenheim in Sangin district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 1, 2010

Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Aragon 19 Company C, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve Orem, Utah Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 1, 2010

Spc. Josiah D. Crumpler 27 Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division  Hillsborough, North Carolina One of two paratroopers killed when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires in Bala Murghab, Badghdis province, Afghanistan, on March 1, 2010

Spc. Ian T.D. Gelig 25 Company A, 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Stevenson Ranch, Californa Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on March 1, 2010

Spc. Matthew D. Huston 24 Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Athens, Georgia One of two paratroopers killed when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires in Bala Murghab, Badghdis province, Afghanistan, on March 1, 2010

Sgt. Vincent L.C. Owens 21 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Fort Smith, Arkansas  Died on March 1, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Sharana of wounds suffered earlier that day when enemy forces attacked his vehicle using direct fire in Yosuf Khel, Afghanistan

PTSD – TBI and more

None left behind


February 28, 2010  Veterans’ safety net now requires many threads

The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton opened in 2007.

(Jonathan Miano/Sun-Times Media)

It’s often said that dying on the battlefield is the ultimate sacrifice that can be made for one’s country.

There is little disagreement that the adage holds true in the country’s current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But many of those serving on those faraway fighting fields also are giving up treasured parts of the lives they used to lead once their deployments end and they at last come home. >>>>>

War’s ghosts after two tours in Iraq


March 1, 2010 The triggers can come out of nowhere.

Marines and Iraq veterans Keith Ellis and Sarah Raby eat dinner with their children at their home in Hanover Park. (Jonathan Miano/Sun-Times Media)

Sometimes, rolling down an otherwise unremarkable stretch of road, Sarah Raby and Keith Ellis will spot a box or other sort of container left alongside the curb. Whichever of them is driving, the car suddenly cuts a wide berth around the nondescript object. It’s almost an involuntary reflex.

“It’s like a muscle memory, I guess, thinking that something’s going to happen,” Ellis said.

The couple, former Marines who have both served two tours of duty in Iraq, can’t forget that in some places, a plain-looking box can contain deadly explosives. >>>>>

PTSD: New War on An Old Foe. Big changes underway at the VA could mean better treatment for thousands of vets. A bureaucracy in transition.

The Hidden Casualties Of War: Suicide

Military suicides are causing civilian casualties, too


Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wimmer’s daughter Alex holds her sister Mi-Na at his grave. | MCT

Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wimmer charmed potential Army recruits with a movie star’s smile, but somehow it never quite reached his eyes, even when he was cradling his newborn twin daughters.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he dreamed of his own dead body swinging from a rope, his feet dangling just above a chair.

When those nightmares eventually blurred, the Persian Gulf veteran and former Army recruiter began trying to recreate their grisly images. He tried to kill himself with pills in the woods, and a razor blade in a hotel room, and every suicide attempt drew his wife, Jennifer, and their four daughters deeper into his dark world. >>>>>

Tough old soldier battles new enemy: Suicide epidemic

Despite prevention efforts, U.S. military suicides rise

Military Suicides


Military Suicides: A Billion to Sell a War

If you fit into any of the marketing data published weekly by pollsters, it is more likely you will have watched American Idol than wondered why so many of our military personnel are committing suicide.

If that offends any readers, the option is to stop here…>>>>>

A series many should visit and follow.


Women at Arms

The Psychological Scars

Articles in this series explore how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have profoundly redefined the role of women in the military.

Previous Articles in the Series

Traumatized Female Vets Face Uphill Battle


Veterans Administration, Geared to Men, Shortchanges Special Needs of Women

Kristine Wise (left) of Oceanside, Calif., had trouble getting respect from VA doctors when she returned from Iraq with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. She is shown here in Kuwait in 2003. (Courtesy Kristine Wise )

The first day Kristine Wise returned from eight months military service in Iraq, she knew something was wrong. Driving from San Diego to Bakersfield to see her brother, the road signs triggered flashbacks.

“One said ‘railroad,’ but instead I saw ‘roadside’ and in my mind a roadside bomb,” said Wise, who supplied parts to combat vehicles in the first wave of the war. “I would see ‘beware’ and my mind would see ‘Baghdad.’ I couldn’t explain it.” >>>>>

Veterans Courts are Only Part of What’s Needed


AIR DATE: March 3, 2010

Veterans Suspected of Crimes Swap Guilty Pleas for Rehabilitation

Transcript

TOM BEARDEN: Nic Gray was a sergeant with the 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was part of the Iraq troop surge in February 2007. >>>>>

Local doctor has a plan to help the VA treat America’s vets — for free

Defense, VA must prepare to help vets readjust, IOM report says

Civilian Casulties – Iraq

Just Foreign Policy Issues

Over a million {*1,366,350 plus} Iraqis are estimated to have been killed as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Learn More and Take Action»

*Estimate, click for explaination


.

To

John Hopkins School of Public Health { October 11, 2006 report } puts the count at 650,000, with a range from 400,000 to 900,000.

Civilian Casulties – Afghanistan


Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001-present)

The War in Afghanistan (2001-present) has caused the deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians directly from insurgent and foreign military action, as well as the deaths of possibly tens of thousands of Afghan civilians indirectly as a consequence of displacement, starvation, disease, exposure, lack of medical treatment, crime and lawlessness resulting from the war. The war, launched by the United States as “Operation Enduring Freedom” in 2001, began with an initial air campaign that almost immediately prompted concerns over the number of Afghan civilians being killed[1] as well as international protests. With civilian deaths from airstrikes rising again in recent years[2], the number of Afghan civilians being killed by foreign military operations has led to mounting tension between the foreign countries and the government of Afghanistan. In May 2007, President Hamid Karzai summoned military commanders to warn them of the consequences of further deaths.[3]……..>>>>>

Exact Count of Civilian Casulties may never be known, as is the case in every conflict, especially an Invasion by another Country. For it is the Innocent Civilians and those Defending their Countries {of which All would be counted if this land were ever invaded} who suffer the most, during and long after!

UNHCR – Refugees and more, Afghanistan and Iraq

Iraq Refugees UNHCR – Iraq: UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 – Iraq Situation

Afghanistan Refugees UNHCR – Afghanistan UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 – Afghanistan Situation

All the Deaths, Maimings and Destruction are the Blood on All Our Hands, No One can Escape that Guilt!

February 2010***January 2010***December 2009***November 2009***October 2009***September 2009***August 2009***July 2009***June 2009***May 2009***April 2009***March 2009***February 2009***January 2009***December 2008***November 2008***October 2008***September 2008***August 2008***July 2008***June 2008***May 2008***April 2008***March 2008***Febuary 2008***January 2008***December 2007***November 2007***October 2007***September 2007***August 2007***July 2007***June 2007***May 2007***April 2007***March 2007***Feb. 2007***Jan. 2007***2006***2005***2004***2003

The War in Iraq Costs, the rolling tabulation, over $715,942,572,832++++ and continually counting!

CNN-Iraq and Afghanistan War Casulties

In Remembrance – Moving Tributes



97 percent {now more} of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to “major combat.”

“Mission Accomplished!”

GOP Congressmen Say That ‘Everyone’ In Congress ‘Would Agree That Iraq Was A Mistake’

“Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is,”  – George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999

The Rand Corporation Terrorism Report the press release here, you can get the  full document here or a summary of the research brief here

“What is the difference between an al Qaida terrorist and a misguided American terrorist?” “The planes they fly!”

“How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me — unless you don’t count American soldiers as Americans.”

Matthew Alexander who is writing under a pseudonym for security reasons

“Torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough. It’s also perhaps the greatest recruiting tool that the terrorists have.”

Major General Paul Eaton

Done “In Our Names”!

The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades, This Time!!