Military Suicide Awareness Different From Our Reality

Suicide Awareness Misses Our Reality
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 23, 2015

There are two vastly different conversations going on in the US today. One is what civilians repeat after reading the news and the other is what the veterans community talks about after having lived what reports write about.

Well meaning folks think they can raise awareness about what we live with without taking the time to even talk to us. Good intentions have very bad results. All the talk about how many veterans commit suicide in this country everyday mislead the rest of the country about what our reality is. Our reality is veterans commit suicide double the civilian rate and most are over the age of 50. You know, the veterans the media is no longer interested in and all the popup charities won't even talk to.

In 2007 CBS News had a headline Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans and in that article a study CBS News asked for,

It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets.

Since the report focused on OEF and OIF suicides, no one thought about the older veterans. As bad as all that was, what researchers focused on OEF and OIF veterans they found their rate of suicide was triple their civilian peer rate. What was not reported on is the simple fact, nothing has changed since then other than there are more in the total count of losses we grieve for.

The suicide rate among young male veterans continues to soar: ex-servicemen 24 and younger are now three times more likely than civilian males to take their lives,

Female military veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women, new research showed but when they factored in the younger female veterans

The rates are highest among young veterans, the VA found in new research compiling 11 years of data. For women ages 18 to 29, veterans kill themselves at nearly 12 times the rate of nonveterans.

But even that report had some wrong information

Male veterans 50 and older — the vast majority of whom served during the draft era, which ended in 1973 — had roughly the same suicide rates as nonveteran men their age. Only younger male veterans, who served in the all-volunteer force, had rates that exceeded those of other men.

For every death families also pay the price.

They survived the hell that's Iraq and then they come home only to lose their life.

Twenty-three-year-old Marine Reservist Jeff Lucey hanged himself with a garden hose in the cellar of this parents' home - where his father, Kevin, found him.

"There's a crisis going on and people are just turning the other way," Kevin Lucey said.

Kim and Mike Bowman's son Tim was an Army reservist who patrolled one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad, known as Airport Road.

"His eyes when he came back were just dead. The light wasn't there anymore," Kim Bowman said.

Eight months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Tim shot himself. He was 23.

Diana Henderson's son, Derek, served three tours of duty in Iraq. He died jumping off a bridge at 27.

"Going to that morgue and seeing my baby ... my life will never be the same," she said.

2012

Across the DoD Active Duty and Selected Reserve population, there are 2,228,348 military personnel and 3,066,717 family members, including spouses, children, and adult dependents.

And we wait.  We live with what the DOD is doing and wait for them to understand they need to change everything.  We wait for their excuses to end and for them to stop blaming everything on the soldiers and their families.  We wait for them to explain how it is the number of deaths by suicides went up after all the money had been spent to prevent them. Still waiting for them to explain how their psychological testing for all recruits missed all the "existing mental health problems they consistently want to hide behind. Wait for them to explain how they expected Comprehensive Soldier Fitness to work on those deployed if it didn't even work for the non-deployed.

We wait for Congress to actually start holding people accountable for all this and stop writing bills that have absolutely nothing to do with saving our family members while they call on us to tell stories of our anguish over and over again.

Those are the numbers we live with. They are our husbands, wives, sons, daughters, Dads and Moms. They are our family. Each one suffering has a family suffering as well. Each time a veteran commits suicide, they leave behind a grieving family, friends and too often unreported on, their military family reading about their suicide long after they willingly risked their lives.

We know that PTSD is tied to most of the lives we lost and pray to God they finally figure out that they are survivors of combat and survive Combat PTSD undefeated because they can heal. None of them are stuck the way they are today and they can change again. That can only happen if our voices are heard loud and clear.

For current military members, we also live with reality of what the number of suicide deaths really mean.

US military suicide rate stable high for 5 years, RT News, Published time: 14 Jan, 2015 seemed like a good article but they got this wrong.

The number of active-duty personnel committing suicide has fallen from its highest level of 352 in 2009.

This is from the DOD Suicide Event Report for 2012

According to AFMES data as of 31 March 2013, there were 319 suicides among Active component Service members and 203 among Reserve component Services members

319 + 203 is 522.

Also in the same report

A total of 841 Service members had one or more attempted suicides

By the time the 2013 Suicide Event Report came out

According to AFMES’s data as of June 30, 2014, there were 259 suicides among Active Component SMs and 220 among Reserve and National Guard SMs of the Selected Reserve

259 + 220 is 479

And in the same report

A total of 1,034 SMs had one or more attempted suicides reported in the DoDSER for CY 2013.

The general data suggests the number of suicides is growing in the Navy from 43 to 58 in 2013-2014, and in the Air Force 52 to 60; there has been a decline in suicides in the Army from 146 to 135, as well as in the Marines 45 to 35.

As bad as all that seems to be in January of 2014 KFOX News of Texas reported this stunning fact.

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a report that shows suicides among young veterans just getting out of the military are three times higher than active-duty soldiers

This is all the result from this.

PENTAGON SPENT OVER $4 BILLION ON MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 The Congressional Research Service just put a price tag on the mental health costs of the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: about $4.5 billion between 2007 and 2012. The Defense Department spent $958 million on mental health treatment in 2012, roughly double the $468 million it spent in 2007.

Eighty-nine percent of spending on mental disorder treatment between 2007 and 2012 -- approximately $4 billion -- went for active duty service members. Over the same time frame, the military health system spent about $461 million on mental health care treatment for activated Guard and Reserve members.

Of the nearly $1 billion the military medical system spent in fiscal 2012 on mental disorder treatments for active duty and activated National Guard and reserve members, CRS said more than half of the costs, about $567 million, were for outpatient active duty mental health care.

After all that money was spent the number of enlisted suicides went up and so did the number of younger veterans given the training to survive.

When civilians read about what the DOD is doing on "prevention" they think they are trying but when we read about what the DOD is doing, we live with the reality of the price being paid for their failures. We live with the risk to their lives during service as more and more commit suicide with less serving.

The War in Iraq ended in 2011 yet the number of suicides went up in 2012. According to the Department of Defense the total number of active duty members had been,

2005 1,412,895
2010 1,458,697
2011 1,453,436
2012 1,429,877

Proving as the number of suicides went up the number of enlisted went down but the press hasn't paid much attention to that either.  Those numbers matter to us but the rest of the county keeps talking about 22 a day as if it that was the truth.  They want to raise awareness about something they don't understand and that, that is the reality we live with everyday.

PTSD Final battle of war

After war, the price they pay goes on. They gave their best to us. Isn't it time to return the favor and do our best for them?

PTSD Final battle of war

This is the newest video I did on PTSD. Aside from these faces, there are more who are still alive, still fighting the battle to stay alive. They are the reason I do what I do. They are the reason thousands of others do what they do. Their lives are worth saving no matter what it takes and it's about time we did it. Vietnam veterans still lose their battles with PTSD and so do Gulf War veterans, just as the Korean veterans and all other veterans before them did. We have no excuses left. We've been at this for too many years to excuse the failures of this country when it comes to those who serve it. Everyday more veterans take their own lives.

As you watch the video, remember the stories behind the faces of just some of the warriors we've lost that should still be here.

The tragic death earlier this month of a 26-year-old Navy veteran who hung himself with an electrical cord while under the care of a Spokane, Washington Veterans Administration hospital depression underscores what veterans advocacy groups say is evidence of an epidemic of suicides due failures by the VA to identify and treat war veterans afflicted with severe mental health problems.

Lucas Senescall, who suffered from severe depression, was the sixth veteran who committed suicide this year after seeking treatment at the Spokane VA, according to a report published last weekend in the Spokesman Review.

Senescall’s father said his son was “begging for help and [the VA] kicked him to the curb,” according to the July 20 report in the Spokesman Review.
go here for more
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4525&Itemid=81

Marine Chad Oligschlaeger lost fight against PTSD
At Memorial Day: Another Iraq Vet, With PTSD, Suicide

Posted May 25, 2008 09:01 AM (EST)On Memorial Day weekend, yet another American family is mourning the death of son who survived the war in Iraq -- only to fall victim at home from post traumatic shock disorder.The family lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Marine was Chad Oligschlaeger, age 21, who committed suicide this week at the Twenty Nine Palms base in California.While the cause of his death is still being investigated, family members say he was taking eight different types of medications to deal with post traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours in Iraq.

click above for more

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

From Queens to Kuwait, Where a Life Was Ended
Sgt. Denise A. Lannaman fatally shot herself in Kuwait last year.From Queens to Kuwait, Where a Life Was Ended

In the space of three months last year, three members of the U.S. Army who had been part of a logistics group in Kuwait committed suicide. Two of them — a colonel and a major — had power over contract awards and had been accused of taking bribes just before they killed themselves.The third was Sgt. Denise A. Lannaman of Queens. In a war that has cost the lives of more than 3,700 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis, the death of one woman by her own hand has attracted little attention beyond the circle of shattered family and friends.Yet those who know her say that questions about Sergeant Lannaman’s death remain unsettled, and go well beyond psychic agonies that she struggled with her entire life. “From the day she was born, she was different,” Barbara Lannaman, her mother, said. “Life was just not satisfactory to her.”

click above for more

Saturday, September 1, 2007

WOUNDS OF WAR Mental troubles plagued man before suicide

WOUNDS OF WAR

For one veteran, struggle didn't end

Mental troubles plagued man before suicide

By Laura Ungarlungar@courier-journal.comThe Courier-Journal

RELATED VIDEO: Derek Henderson Interviews

Derek Henderson's hands shook as he held the railing on the Clark Memorial Bridge and stared down at the dark waters of the Ohio River.A few feet away stood Aisha "Nikki" McGuire and her boyfriend, Patrick Craig, who had spotted Henderson while driving by. They begged him not to jump -- "It's not worth it," they said.Henderson wouldn't say what brought him there. "I don't want to talk about it," he told Craig, before climbing over the railing and hanging for a moment off the other side.

click above for more

Jason Cooper

When he went to the VA, they didn't have room to treat him that day," said the mother of Jason Cooper, an Army reservist in the Iraq war. Jason hung himself four months after coming back to Iowa. He was 23
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49226/

Joshua Omvig

After a long-fought battle, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 327) overcame its last congressional hurdle Tuesday when it passed in the House for the second time by a vote of 417-0.
Introduced by Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-3rd District, the bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program addressing suicide prevention. The bill is named after Joshua Omvig, from Grundy Center, Iowa, an Iraq War veteran who served in the Army Reserve and took his own life in December 2005 after an 11-month deployment.
http://iowaindependent.com/1324/after-long-fought-battle-veterans-suicide-prevention-bill-passes

Army Reservist Lance Waldorf totes a child while serving in Afghanistan in 2004. The financial consultant was expecting orders for a third tour. (Waldorf family photo)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Major Lance Waldorf, suicide spotlights toll of repeated deployments

Michigan veteran's suicide spotlights toll of repeated deployments

Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

HOLLY TOWNSHIP -- Lana Waldorf took calls from concerned family and friends Wednesday evening and tried to make sense of her husband's apparent suicide in a military cemetery in Oakland County.

Lance Waldorf, a 40-year-old major in the U.S. Army Reserve and a resident of Bingham Farms, was found dead Monday afternoon of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township."The war had a great deal to do with this," said Lana Waldorf, about her husband's death.Waldorf said her husband suffered from post-traumatic stress and increasing depression after returning home from serving as a civil affairs specialist in Afghanistan.

go here for more

http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/major-lance-waldorf-suicide-spotlights.html

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Sgt. Brian Rand worth training but not worth saving

Since the start of the Iraq war, Fort Campbell, a sprawling installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, has seen a spike in the number of suicides and soldiers suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Sgt. Brian Rand, shown here grilling chicken in Iraq, killed himself a few months after being discharged from his second tour of duty in Iraq. Rand believe he was being haunted by the ghost of the Iraqi man he killed.

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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Camp Pendleton 80% PTSD at Wounded Warrior Battalion
"Eighty percent of our residents have some degree of PTSD," Lawhorne said, referring to the disorder that requires counseling and group therapy in mild cases and more intensive psychiatric treatment and medications in its more severe form. "At the same time, we're seeing a lot more TBI cases."
MILITARY: Treating the troopsWounded Warrior Battalion focuses on injured Marines and sailorsBy MARK WALKER - Staff Writer Friday, June 20, 2008 5:13 PM PDTCAMP PENDLETON ---- Nearly three years and 14 surgeries after the right side of his body was torn apart by shrapnel in a roadside bombing in Iraq, Marine Sgt. Sean Webster is working to save his military career.After he was injured, he had visions of becoming a drill instructor; now, he'd be grateful for a job training fellow Marines in some less-intensive discipline."My goal is to stay in the Marine Corps on limited duty," the 23-year-old Virginia native said during a Wednesday interview at the base. "What I'd really like to do is stay as a staff member here."
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Borne on the 4th of July: Wounded Iraq Vet Who Helped Others a Likely Suicide

By Greg Mitchell Published: July 04, 2008 12:10 PM ET
NEW YORK Sean Webster was helping other severely wounded Iraq vets cope with their injuries but, in the end, apparently could not quite save himself. For the past year, Sgt. Sean Webster, 23, had worked in Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton, aiding sailors and Marines wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan get much-needed medical and psychological care. Just two weeks ago he was featured in a front-page story on this effort in the local North County Times newspaper. "I'm a wounded Marine and I know what these guys are going through,'" he said.Webster had been severely injured by an anti-tank mine explosion in September 2005 and underwent 14 surgeries on an arm and a leg. The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday: "At the Wounded Warrior Battalion, he felt at home. He was the barracks manager and provided encouragement to the other guys, urging them not to get despondent. Forty-one troops live at the barracks. Staffers are tracking another 600 to make sure they're getting appropriate help."Like many wounded Marines, Webster wanted to remain in the Corps. 'What I'd really like to do is stay as a staff member here,' he told the newspaper."On June 23, Webster's body was found in an isolated part of the base. It was quickly ruled not an accident and homicide was not immediately ruled out. But now the Naval Criminal Investigate Service is probing the death as a "probable" suicide. There is a veritable epidemic of suicides among Iraq vets these days.
go here for more
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003824506

How do you fight bombs in Iraq?

There has been something bothering me about the numbers coming out of Iraq and to a lesser extent Afghanistan, for a long time now. I understand the rates of PTSD but considering how few troops are there now and how long they have been involved in the occupation of Iraq, the numbers have not seemed right. We have about 170,000 there now, most having been deployed there several times.

These were the numbers in Vietnam

Year American
1959 760
1960 900
1961 3205
1962 11300
1963 16300
1964 23300
1965 184300
1966 385300
1967 485600
1968 536100
1969 475200
1970 334600
1971 156800
1972 24200
1973 50

Vietnam

Bomb Explosion 52

Artillery, Rocket or Mortar 4,914

Other Explosive Devices 7,450

Multiple Fragmentary Wounds 8,456

http://www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war/casualty-statistics.html#cause

Yet this is Iraq.

Two more died from bomb blasts

01/07/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Jason F. Lemke, 30, of West Allis, Wis., died Jan. 5 in Ibrahim Al Adham, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat...
01/06/08 MNF: IED kills MND-B Soldier Multi-National Corps - Iraq
A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in southern Baghdad on Jan. 6.

3,911 died in Iraq as of tonight.

Hostile - hostile fire - explosion 17

Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, IED 18

Hostile - hostile fire - grenade 28

Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 59

Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 102

Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 93

Hostile - hostile fire - mortar attack 100

Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 1624

http://icasualties.org/oif/stats.aspx


Bombs
These are just some of them from last year.

Sgt. 1st Class Jesse B. Albrecht 31 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Hager City, Wisconsin One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Iskandariya, Iraq, on May 17, 2007

Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev 23 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Wilmington, California One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Sgt. John E. Allen 25 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Palmdale, California One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Sgt. Ian C. Anderson 22 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Prairie Village, Kansas One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on January 15, 2007

Sgt. Brian D. Ardron 32 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Acworth, Georgia One of three soldiers killed when multiple roadside bombs detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 21, 2007

Staff Sgt. Jason R. Arnette 24 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Amelia, Virginia Died in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 1, 2007, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 31, 2007

Pfc. James L. Arnold 21 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Mattawan, Michigan One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15, 2007

Spc. Benjamin J. Ashley 22 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Independence, Montana Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq, on May 24, 2007

Sgt. Corey J. Aultz 31 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Port Orchard, Washington One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on January 30, 2007

Pfc. Jeffrey A. Avery 19 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade Colorado Springs, Colorado Died from wounds suffered when a homemade bomb exploded during checkpoint operations in Muquadadiya, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

1st Lt. Andrew J. Bacevich 27 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Walpole, Massachusetts Killed by a bomb during combat patrol operations in Salah Ad Din Province, Iraq, on May 13, 2007

Pvt. William L. Bailey III 29 755th Chemical Reconnaissance/
Decontamination Company, Nebraska Army National Guard Bellevue, Nebraska Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Taji, Iraq, on May 25, 2007

Cpl. Zachary D. Baker 24 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Vilonia, Arkansas One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Pfc. Michael C. Balsley 23 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Hayward, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 25, 2007

Sgt. Jeremy D. Barnett 27 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Mineral City, Ohio Died February 24, 2007 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained from a landmine detonation in Dujail, Iraq, on February 21, 2007

Sgt. William J. Beardsley 25 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Troop Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division Coon Rapids, Minnesota Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Diwaniya, Iraq, on February 26, 2007

Spc. David W. Behrle 20 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Tipton, Iowa One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Spc. Ryan M. Bell 21 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Colville, Washington One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Staff Sgt. David R. Berry 37 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard Wichita, Kansas Killed when his vehicle was truck by a roadside bomb in Qasim, Iraq, on February 22, 2007

Cpl. Ray M. Bevel 22 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Andrews, Texas Killed when a homemade bomb exploded near his unit during combat patrol operations in Yusifiya, Iraq, on April 21, 2007

Spc. Ryan A. Bishop 32 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Euless, Texas Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb exploded while he was on dismounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 14, 2007

Spc. Jeffrey D. Bisson 22 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Vista, California One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in Karma, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Spc. Clinton C. Blodgett 19 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Pekin, Indiana Died when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Pfc. Kyle G. Bohrnsen 22 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Philipsburg, Montana Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 10, 2007

Pfc. John G. Borbonus 19 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Boise, Idaho One of two soldiers killed when their patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Russell P. Borea 38 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division El Paso, Texas Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on January 19, 2007

Pfc. Brian A. Botello 19 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Alta, Iowa One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2007

Pfc. Matthew C. Bowe 19 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Coraopolis, Pennsylvania One of three soldiers killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 19, 2007

Spc. William G. Bowling 24 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Beattyville, Kentucky One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghad, Iraq, on April 1, 2007

Sgt. Larry R. Bowman 29 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group Granite Falls, North Carolina Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 13, 2007

Spc. Joshua M. Boyd 30 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Seattle, Washington Died on March 14, 2007, at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

2nd Lt. Jonathan Carlos Bracho-Cooke 24 Company C, 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Hove, England Died of injuries sustained during a roadside bomb attack against his patrol of Warrior Armored Fighting Vehicles in Basra, Iraq, on February 5, 2007

Sgt. Emerson N. Brand 29 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Rigby, Idaho One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher R. Brevard 31 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Phoenix, Arizona Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 16, 2007

Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown 31 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Prichard, Alabama One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8, 2007

Spc. Nicholas P. Brown 24 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Huber Heights, Ohio Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, on January 22, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Scott J. Brown 33 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Windsor, Colorado One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a roadside bomb and small-arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 18, 2007

Pfc. Travis W. Buford 23 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Galveston, Texas One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 22, 2007

Staff Sgt. Jerry C. Burge 39 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Carriere, Mississippi One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Taji, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Sgt. William W. Bushnell 24 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Jasper, Arkansas Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 21, 2007

Staff Sgt. Steve Butcher Jr. 27 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Penfield, New York One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit in Ramadi, Iraq, on May 23, 2007

Spc. Jonathan D. Cadavero 24 Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Tuxedo, New York One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 27, 2007

Pfc. Daniel P. Cagle 22 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Carson, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit in Ramadi, Iraq, on May 23, 2007

Spc. Mark R. C. Caguioa 21 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Stockton, California Died on May 24, 2007 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, of wounds suffered when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 4

Pfc. Jay S. Cajimat 20 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Lahaina, Hawaii Died of wounds suffered when a car bomb detonated near his unit in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Keith A. Callahan 31 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division McClure, Pennsylvania Killed when a roadside bomb exploded while he was conducting a combat patrol south of Baghdad, Iraq, on January 24, 2007

Spc. Leeroy A. Camacho 28 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Saipan, Mariana Islands One of three soldiers that died of wounds from an explosion during breaching operations in Baquba, Iraq, on February 9, 2007

Cpl. Joseph H. Cantrell IV 23 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Ashland, Kentucky One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Taji, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Sgt. Robert M. Carr 22 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Warren, Ohio Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 13, 2007

Cpl. Brian L. Chevalier 21 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Athens, Georgia Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near him in Mufrek, Iraq, on March 14, 2007

Pfc. Adare W. Cleveland 19 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Anchorage, Alaska One of three soldiers killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 19, 2007

Spc. Ross A. Clevenger 21 321st Engineer Battalion Givens Hot Springs, Idaho One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit while on combat patrol in Karma, Iraq, on February 8, 2007

Pfc. James J. Coon 22 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Walnut Creek, California Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Sgt. John E. Cooper 29 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Ewing, Kentucky One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on January 15, 2007

Sgt. Wayne R. Cornell 26 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Holstein, Nebraska One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 20, 2007

Sgt. Richard V. Correa 25 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Honolulu, Hawaii One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol in Ilbu Falris, Iraq, on May 29, 2007

Sgt. Bacilio E. Cuellar 24 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Odessa, Texas One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 30, 2007

Pfc. Branden C. Cummings 20 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Titusville, Florida Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on February 14, 2007

2nd Lt. Mark J. Daily 23 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Irvine, California One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on January 15, 2007

Spc. Ryan S. Dallam 24 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Norman, Oklahoma One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2007

Spc. Michael W. Davis 22 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division San Marcos, Texas One of three soldiers killed when multiple roadside bombs detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 21, 2007

Pfc. William N. Davis 26 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Adrian, Michigan One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Pvt. Eleanor Dlugosz 19 Royal Army Medical Corps Southampton, England One of four British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded underneath their Warrior Armored Vehicle during a early morning patrol west of Basra, Iraq, on April 5, 2007

Sgt. Allen J. Dunckley 25 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Yardley, Pennsylvania One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, on May 14, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Robert E. Dunham 36 1st Brigade Transition Team, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Baltimore, Maryland One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 24, 2007

Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin 25 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Columbia, South Carolina One of three soldiers killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 19, 2007

Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II 22 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Moreno Valley, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Salah Ad Din province, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Staff Sgt. Terrence D. Dunn 38 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Houston, Texas One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 2, 2007

2nd Lt. Joanna Yorke Dyer 24 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Yeovil Somerset, England One of four British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded underneath their Warrior Armored Vehicle during a early morning patrol west of Basra, Iraq, on April 5, 2007

Hospitalman Lucas W.A. Emch 21 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Kent, Ohio Killed when a roadside bomb exploded in his vicinity while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on March 2, 2007

Spc. Ebe F. Emolo 33 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Greensboro, North Carolina One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Zaganiya, Iraq, on April 7, 2007

Staff Sgt. Justin M. Estes 25 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Sims, Arkansas One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing 22 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Phoenix, Arizona One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Pfc. Nathan P. Fairlie 21 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Candor, New York Died of injuries suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on January 26, 2007

Sgt. Sean P. Fennerty 25 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Corvallis, Oregon One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in Karma, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Spc. Wilfred Flores Jr. 20 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Lawton, Oklahoma Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 31, 2007

Pfc. Victor M. Fontanilla 23 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Stockton, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Iskandariya, Iraq, on May 17, 2007

Pfc. Walter Freeman Jr. 20 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Lancaster, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Pfc. Daniel A. Fuentes 19 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Levittown, New York Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2007

Sgt. Alexander H. Fuller 21 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Centerville, Massachusetts One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 25, 2007

Sgt. Alexander J. Funcheon 21 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Bel Aire, Kansas One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2007

Sgt. Freeman L. Gardner Jr. 26 18th Engineer Company, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Little Rock, Arkansas Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 22, 2007

Sgt. Mickel D. Garrigus 24 543rd Military Police Company, 91st Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Elma, Washington Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat patrol in Taji, Iraq, on January 27, 2007

Pfc. Aaron D. Gautier 19 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Hampton, Virginia Died of wounds suffered when his mounted patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire and a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 17, 2007

1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers 26 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Hastings, Nebraska One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Spc. Joseph A. Gilmore 26 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Webster, Florida One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Sgt. Milton A. Gist Jr. 27 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division St Louis, Missouri One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on January 30, 2007

Spc. Curtis E. Glawson Jr. 24 610th Brigade Support Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Daleville, Alabama Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 20, 2007

Sgt. Christopher N. Gonzalez 25 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Winslow, Arizona One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, on May 14, 2007

Pfc. Orlando E. Gonzalez 21 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division New Freedom, Pennsylvania One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on March 25, 2007

Pvt. Mark W. Graham 22 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Lafayette, Louisiana Died on March 7, 2007, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2, 2007

Spc. Matthew T. Grimm 21 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on January 15, 2007

Sgt. Ryan P. Green 24 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Woodlands, Texas Died on March 18, 2007, in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15.

Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie 22 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Died of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 16, 2007

Pfc. Derek A. Gibson 20 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Eustis, Florida One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh 25 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division East Hampstead, New Hampshire One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Zaganiya, Iraq, on April 7, 2007

Spc. Marieo Guerrero 30 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Fort Worth, Texas Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Hager 29 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Broomfield, Colorado One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 22, 2007

Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper 34 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Baltimore, Maryland Died of wounds suffered when he came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 21, 2007

Spc. Blake Harris 22 1st Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Pueblo, Colorado One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Baquba, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Staff Sgt. Blake M. Harris 27 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Hampton, Georgia One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15, 2007

Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge 20 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Rome City, Indiana Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using grenades and a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 14, 2007

Pfc. Travis F. Haslip 20 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Ooltewah, Tennessee One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Cpl. Lorne E. Henry Jr 21 Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Niagara Falls, New York One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 27, 2007 .

Pfc. Charles B. Hester 23 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), 2nd Infantry Division Cataldo, Idaho Died of wounds suffered when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. 24 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division College Station, Texas One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb and small arms fire during combat operations in Salman Pak, Iraq, on April 28, 2007

Staff Sgt. Kristopher A. Higdon 25 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Odessa, Texas One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit in Taji, Iraq, on May 22, 2007

Pfc. Ryan J. Hill 20 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Keizer, Oregon Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Pfc. Brian L. Holden 20 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Claremont, North Carolina One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 9, 2007

Sgt. James J. Holtom 22 321st Engineer Battalion Rexburg, Idaho One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit while on combat patrol in Karma, Iraq, on February 8, 2007

Spc. Levi K. Hoover 23 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Midland, Michigan One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Zaganiya, Iraq, on April 7, 2007

Sgt. Michael R. Hullender 29 1st Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Little Falls, New Jersey Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit during combat patrol operations in Iskandariya, Iraq, on April 28, 2007

Spc. Michael J. Jaurigue 20 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Texas City, Texas One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Salah Ad Din province, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Pfc. Allen B. Jaynes 21 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Henderson, Texas Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Iraq on January 20, 2007

Maj. Alan R. Johnson 44 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion Yakima, Washington Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Muqdadiyah

Pvt. 1st Class Tomasz Jura 25 25th Air Cavalry Brigade Poland Killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a patrol in Diwaniya, Iraq, on April 20, 2007

Staff Sgt. Darrel D. Kasson 43 259th Security Forces Company, Arizona Army National Guard Florence, Arizona Died on March 4, 2007, in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle at Bayji, Iraq

Staff Sgt. Bradley D. King 28 2nd Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Brigade Marion, Indiana Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Amiriya, Iraq, on April 2, 2007

Spc. Jerry R. King 19 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Browersville, Georgia One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Sgt. Jonathan P. C. Kingman 21 41st Engineer Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Nankin, Ohio Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baji, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Pfc. David A. Kirkpatrick 20 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Upland, Indiana One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on April 27, 2007

Spc. Rhys W. Klasno 20 1114th Transportation Company, California Army National Guard Riverside, California Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Haditha, Iraq, on May 13, 2007

Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll 23 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Bad Axe, Michigan One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Pfc. Cory C. Kosters 19 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division The Woodlands, Texas One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Staff Sgt. David C. Kuehl 27 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Wahpeton, North Dakota Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Taji, Iraq, on May 22, 2007

Sgt. Russell A. Kurtz 22 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on February 11, 2007

Capt. Kevin C. Landeck 26 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Illinois One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 2, 2007

Pfc. John F. Landry Jr. 20 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Lowell, Massachusetts One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Sgt. Thomas L. Latham 23 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Delmar, Maryland Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 11, 2007

Staff Sgt. Paul M. Latourney 28 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Roselle, Illinois One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2, 2007

Cpl. Ben Leaning 24 The Queen's Royal Lancers Scunthorpe, England One of two British soldiers killed when their Scimitar Armoured Reconnaissance vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb while providing protection for a convoy in Maysan province, Iraq, on April 19, 2007

Sgt. Nicholas J. Lightner 29 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Newport, Oregon Died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. on March 21, 2007, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol on March 15, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq

Spc. James T. Lindsey 20 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Florence, Alabama Died of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2007

Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr. 28 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Wakefield, Nebraska One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki 23 775th Civil Engineer Squadron New Castle, Delaware One of three airmen killed when a car bomb exploded while performing duties in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 7, 2007

Spc. James E. Lundin 20 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Bellport New York One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 30, 2007

Spc. Ronnie G. Madore Jr. 34 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division San Diego, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baquba, Iraq, on February 14, 2007

Cpl. Jonathan A. Markham 22 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Bedford, Texas Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted position in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 29, 2007

Pfc. Chad E. Marsh 20 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Wichita, Kansas Died of wounds suffered when a grenade detonated near him during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 18, 2007

Sgt. Randell T. Marshall 22 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Fitzgerald, Georgia One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Staff Sgt. Jay E. Martin 29 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Baltimore, Maryland One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2007

Sgt. Anselmo Martinez III 26 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Robstown, Texas One of three soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a roadside bomb in Tahrir, Iraq, on May 18, 2007

Sgt. Randy J. Matheny 20 1074th Transportation Company McCook, Nebraska Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 4, 2007

Pvt. Barry W. Mayo 21 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Ecru, Mississippi One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Baquba, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless 21 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Camden, Arkansas One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Zaganiya, Iraq, on April 7, 2007

Spc. Marquis J. McCants 23 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division San Antonio, Texas One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a roadside bomb and small-arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 18, 2007

Spc. Sean K. McDonald 21 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Rosemount, Minnesota Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 25, 2007

Sgt. Robert M. McDowell 30 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Deer Park, Texas One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghad, Iraq, on April 1, 2007

Staff Sgt. Thomas M. McFall 36 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), 2nd Infantry Division Glendora, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Sgt. Phillip D. McNeill 22 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Sunrise, Florida One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in Karma, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Sgt. Jean P. Medlin 27 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Pelham, Alabama One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Staff Sgt. David A. Mejias 26 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division San Juan, Puerto Rico One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghad, Iraq, on April 1, 2007

Spc. Gregory N. Millard 22 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division San Diego, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Salah Ad Din province, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr 24 775th Civil Engineer Squadron Galesburg, Illinois One of three airmen killed when a car bomb exploded while performing duties in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 7, 2007 .

Sgt. Robert J. Montgomery Jr. 29 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Scottsburg, Indiana Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit in Al Jabour, Iraq, on May 22, 2007

Staff Sgt. Christopher Moore 28 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Alpaugh, California One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Pfc. Joshua M. Moore 20 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Russellville, Kentucky One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 30, 2007

Staff Sgt. William C. Moore 27 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Benson, North Carolina One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Sgt. Ashly L. Moyer 21 630th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade Emmaus, Pennsylvania One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 3, 2007

Maj. Michael L. Mundell 47 1st Brigade, 108th Division (Institutional Training) Brandenburg, Kentucky Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq, on January 5, 2007

Spc. Casey W. Nash 22 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Baltimore, Maryland One of three soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a roadside bomb in Tahrir, Iraq, on May 18, 2007

1st Lt. Phillip I. Neel 27 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Maryland Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using grenades in Balad, Iraq, on April 8, 2007

Pfc. Christopher M. North 21 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Sarasota, Florida Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 21, 2007

Cpl. Jason Nunez 22 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Naranjito, Puerto Rico One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on March 25, 2007

Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby 27 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Grand Junction, Colorado One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Taji, Iraq, on April 18, 2007

Spc. Toby R. Olsen 28 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Manchester, New Hampshire One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee in Karma, Iraq, on January 20, 2007

Cpl. Kris O'Neill 27 Royal Army Medical Corps Catterick, Yorkshire, England One of four British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded underneath their Warrior Armored Vehicle during a early morning patrol west of Basra, Iraq, on April 5, 2007

Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins 21 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Ione, California One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb and small arms fire during combat operations in Salman Pak, Iraq, on April 28, 2007

Capt. Anthony Palermo 26 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Brockton, Massachusetts One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2007

Sgt. Steven M. Packer 23 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Clovis, California Died of wounds suffered when his dismounted patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, on May 17, 2007

Sgt. Brandon A. Parr 25 630th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade West Valley, Utah One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 3, 2007

Sgt. Michael C. Peek 23 630th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade Chesapeake, Virginia One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 3, 2007

Sgt. Andrew C. Perkins 27 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Northglenn, Colorado One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Sgt. Brice A. Pearson 32 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Phoenix, Arizona One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Spc. Coty J. Phelps 20 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Kingman, Arizona One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Iskandariya, Iraq, on May 17, 2007

Staff Sgt. Terry W. Prater 25 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Speedwell, Tennessee One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15, 2007

Cpl. Cody A. Putnam 22 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Lafayette, Indiana One of two soldiers killed when their patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2007

Spc. Shawn P. Rankinen 28 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Independence, Missouri One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 7, 2007

Spc. William J. Rechenmacher 24 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Jacksonville, Florida Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 18, 2007

Sgt. James J. Regan 26 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Manhasset, New York Killed when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during combat operations in northern Iraq on February 9, 2007

Pfc. Stephen K. Richardson 22 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Bridgeport, Connecticut One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 20, 2007

Pfc. Nicholas E. Riehl 21 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Shiocton, Wisconsin Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit during combat patrol in Falluja, Iraq, on April 27, 2007

Spc. James D. Riekena 22 145th Brigade Support Battalion Redmond, Washington Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 14, 2007

Sgt. Greg N. Riewer 30 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division Frazee, Minnesota Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Habbaniya, Iraq, on March 23, 2007

Spc. Brian E. Ritzberg 24 977th Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 1st Infantry Division Long Island, New York Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit during combat operations in Kirkuk, Iraq, on April 2, 2007

Spc. Michael D. Rivera 22 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Brooklyn, New York One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 7, 2007

Sgt. John D. Rode 24 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Pineville, North Carolina One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baquba, Iraq, on February 14, 2007

Pvt. Damian Lopez Rodriguez 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Tucson, Arizona One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 6, 2007

Spc. Luis O. Rodriguez-Contrera 22 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Allentown, Pennsylvania One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2, 2007

Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez 20 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Sanford, North Carolina One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Cpl. Michael M. Rojas 21 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Fresno, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Taji, Iraq, on April 18, 2007

Spc. Justin A. Rollins 22 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Newport, New Hampshire One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Spc. Joshua G. Romero 19 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Crowley, Texas One of three soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a roadside bomb in Tahrir, Iraq, on May 18, 2007

Spc. Alexander Rosa Jr. 22 293rd Military Police Company, 3rd Military Police Battalion Orlando, Florida Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Muqdadiya, Iraq, on May 25, 2007

Spc. Adam J. Rosema 27 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Pasadena, California Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during recovery operations south of Baquba, Iraq, on March 14, 2007

Staff Sgt. Eric Ross 26 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Kenduskeag, Maine One of three soldiers that died of wounds from an explosion during breaching operations in Baquba, Iraq, on February 9, 2007

Spc. Ryan D. Russell 20 1st Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Elm City, North Carolina One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Baquba, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Pfc. Jon B. St. John II 25 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Neenah, Wisconsin One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during convoy operations in Taji, Iraq, on January 27, 2007

Pfc. Junior Cedeno Sanchez 20 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), 2nd Infantry Division Miami, Florida One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Sgt. Paul T. Sanchez 32 543rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Irving, Texas Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle on January 14, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq

Staff Sgt. Ronnie L. Sanders 26 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Thibodaux, Louisiana Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feburary 3, 2007

Sgt. Ed Santini 25 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Toa Baja, Puerto Rico One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Sgt. Joshua A. Schmit 26 1451st Transportation Company, 13th Support Command Willmar, Minnesota One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Falluja, Iraq, on April 14, 2007

Spc. Collin R. Schockmel 19 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Richwood, Texas Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using grenades during security and observation operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on January 16, 2007

Sgt. Jason A. Schumann 23 A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Hawley, Minnesota Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle near Diwaniya, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin L. Sebban 29 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Chattanooga, Tennessee Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Baquba, Iraq, on March 17, 2007

Sgt. Carl L. Seigart 32 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division San Luis Obispo, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baquba, Iraq, on February 14, 2007

Sgt. Raymond S. Sevaaetasi 29 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Pago Pago, American Samoa Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 11, 2007

Spc. Jason A. Shaffer 28 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Derry, Pennsylvania Died of wounds suffered when a car bomb detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Baquba, Iraq, on April 5, 2007

Cpl. Stephen D. Shannon 21 397th Engineer Battalion Guttenberg, Iowa Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by a rocket during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on January 30, 2007

Staff Sgt. Alan W. Shaw 31 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Little Rock, Arkansas One of three soldiers that died of wounds from an explosion during breaching operations in Baquba, Iraq, on February 9, 2007

Pfc. Darrell W. Shipp 25 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division San Antonio, Texas Died of injuries suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 25, 2007

Staff Sgt. Russell K. Shoemaker 31 1st Brigade Transition Team, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Sweet Springs, Montana One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 24, 2007

Pfc. David N. Simmons 20 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Kokomo, Indiana One of two soldiers killed when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8, 2007

Pvt. Luke Daniel Simpson 21 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment Howden, England Died of injuries sustained when the vehicle he was driving was hit by a roadside bomb in southern Iraq on February 9, 2007

Sgt. Todd A. Singleton 24 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Muskegon, Michigan Died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using a homemade bomb and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8, 2007

Spc. Erich S. Smallwood 23 Company A, 875th Engineer Battalion, Arkansas Army National Guard Trumann, Arkansas Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle near Balad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Kingsman Adam James Smith 19 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Isle of Man, England One of four British soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded underneath their Warrior Armored Vehicle during a early morning patrol west of Basra, Iraq, on April 5, 2007

Spc. Ismael G. Solorio 21 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division San Luis, Arizona One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 9, 2007

Sgt. Richard A. Soukenka 30 Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Oceanside, California One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 27, 2007

Pvt. Cole E. Spencer 21 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Gays, Illinois One of three soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb and small arms fire during combat operations in Salman Pak, Iraq, on April 28, 2007

Spc. Lance C. Springer II 23 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Fort Worth, Texas Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 23, 2007

Spc. Curtis R. Spivey 25 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Chula Vista, California Died in San Diego, California, on April 2, 2007, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 6, 2006

Staff Sgt. Robert M. Stanley 27 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Spotsylvania, Virginia One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007

Pfc. Lucas V. Starcevich 25 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Canton, Illinois Died of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 16, 2007

Spc. Brandon L. Stout 23 46th Military Police Company, Michigan Army National Guard Grand Rapids, Michigan Died of wounds suffered when an explosively formed projectile detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 22, 2007

Cpl. James E. Summers III 21 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Bourbon, Missouri One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Cpl. Timothy A. Swanson 21 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division San Antonio, Texas One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during convoy operations in Taji, Iraq, on January 27 , 2007

Sgt. Jason W. Swiger 24 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division South Portland, Maine One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on March 25, 2007

Spc. Eddie D. Tamez 21 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Galveston, Texas One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on April 27, 2007

Pvt. Michael Tench 18 Company A, 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry Sunderland, England Killed when his patrol was struck by a roadside bomb in Basra, Iraq, on January 21, 2007

Cpl. Victor H. Toledo Pulido 22 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Hanford, California One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Nahrawan, Iraq, on May 23, 2007

Pfc. David T. Toomalatai 19 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Neenah, Wisconsin One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during convoy operations in Taji, Iraq, on January 27, 2007

Spc. Francis M. Trussel Jr. 21 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Lincoln, Illinois Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his position in Tahrir, Iraq, on May 26, 2007

Trooper Kristen Turton 27 The Queen's Royal Lancers Grimsby, England One of two British soldiers killed when their Scimitar Armoured Reconnaissance vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb while providing protection for a convoy in Maysan province, Iraq, on April 19, 2007

Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr. 26 303rd Psychological Operations Company, Army Reserve Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 1, 2007

Pfc. Alexander R. Varela 19 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Fernley, Nevada One of six soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan 20 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Otis, Oregon One of nine soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their location in Sadah, Iraq, on April 23, 2007

Sgt. Brandon L. Wallace 27 1451st Transportation Company, 13th Support Command St. Louis, Missouri One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Falluja, Iraq, on April 14, 2007

Pfc. Rowan D. Walter 25 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Winnetka, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 22, 2007

Pvt. Brett A. Walton 37 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Hillsboro, Oregon One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 9, 2007

Staff Sgt. Shannon V. Weaver 28 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Urich, Missouri One of three soldiers killed when multiple roadside bombs detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 21, 2007

Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Webb 28 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Winchester, California One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 7, 2007

Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Weiglein 31 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Audubon, New Jersey One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol in Ilbu Falris, Iraq, on May 29, 2007

Tech. Sgt. Timothy R. Weiner 35 775th Civil Engineer Squadron Tamarac, Florida One of three airmen killed when a car bomb exploded while performing duties in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 7, 2007

Pvt. Raymond M. Werner 21 321st Engineer Battalion Boise, Idaho One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit while on combat patrol in Karma, Iraq, on February 8, 2007

1st Lt. Kile G. West 23 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Pasadena, Texas One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Abu Sayda, Iraq, on May 28, 2007

Pfc. Anthony J. White 21 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Columbia, South Carolina One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Baquba, Iraq, on March 25, 2007

Spc. Doonewey White 26 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Milpitas, California Died on May 29, 2007, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations on May 28 in Baghdad, Iraq

Kingsman Danny John Wilson 28 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Workington, England Killed when his patrol came under small-arms fire near Basra Palace, a British Army base in Basra, Iraq, on April 1, 2007

Cpl. Jonathan D. Winterbottom 21 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Falls Church, Virginia One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Nahrawan, Iraq, on May 23, 2007

Sgt. Justin D. Wisniewski 22 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Standish, Michigan Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit while searching for three missing soldiers near Lutifiya, Iraq, on May 19, 2007

Sgt. Daniel E. Woodcock 25 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Glennallen, Alaska Died of wounds suffered from a building explosion while on combat patrol in Ad Dawr, Iraq, on March 11, 2007

Pfc. Robert A. Worthington 19 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Jackson, Georgia One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit in Taji, Iraq, on May 22, 2007

Sgt. James M. Wosika Jr. 24 Company B, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard St. Paul, Minnesota Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit while on combat patrol in Falluja, Iraq, on January 9, 2007

Sgt. Gregroy A. Wright 28 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Boston, Massachusetts Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Muqdadiya, Iraq, on January 13, 2007

Spc. Christopher D. Young 20 Company C, 3rd Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard Los Angeles, California Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Safwan, Iraq, on March 2, 2007

Pfc. Casey P. Zylman 22 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Coleman, Michigan Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Tal Afar, Iraq, on May 24, 2007

Again this is just a few names of the over 2,000 who have died from explosions.

When you consider how many suicides, homelessness and wounded, there appeared to be a huge difference between the two combat operations. Then I took a look at the numbers of those who died from bombs, car bombs, mortars and grenades. More than half of the deaths in Iraq have been caused by explosions. This would explain the residual effects of those around the explosions. We have thousands of cases of traumatic brain injury, PTSD is epidemic already and the survival rate is 7 wounded for every 1 killed. These numbers, as astonishing as they seem already, prove that this is just the beginning of what we can expect to see.

When you think of those who have died or lost limbs in these explosions, we do not tend to think about those who are in the area, witness it or have to take care of the aftermath of it. There are many people involved with explosions. The next factor is the civilian casualties they also come into contact with. With explosions there is no enemy to shoot at. There is nothing that can be done in retaliation.

This is not a war, or at least it is not supposed to be one with a clear enemy to fight, but an occupation. It is not a typical combat operation yet that is exactly how they have been treating it. The troops are not there to fight a conventional enemy but are in fact targets of an invisible evil.

It seems that Afghanistan is heading in the same direction. For all the talk about supporting the troops Congress has provided a lot of lip service and Bush has provided veto pens. We have not even begun to understand the full impact of this occupation. Look at the numbers and know this is going to be a lot worse than Vietnam ever was for the survivors.

Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

http://www.namguardianangel.org/

http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/

http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington