Saturday, January 5, 2008

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





"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

Women Who Stay Religious Less Likely to Have Anxiety Disorder

Women Who Stay Religious Less Likely to Have Anxiety Disorder
Tuesday, January 1, 2008; 12:00 AM

TUESDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Women who stop being religiously active are three times more likely to suffer generalized anxiety disorder than women who have always been religiously active, researchers report.

In contrast, the researchers found that men who stopped being religiously active were less likely to suffer major depression compared with men who had always been religiously active.

"One's lifetime pattern of religious service attendance can be related to psychiatric illness," study co-author Joanna Maselko said in a prepared statement. She is an assistant professor of public health at Temple University.

Maselko and her team analyzed data from 718 adults who shared details of their religious activity in youth and adulthood. They found that a majority of the respondents changed their level of religious activity between childhood and adulthood. The data is published in the January issue ofSocial Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
click post title for the rest



When I was writing my book there were things I had to address but really didn't want to. One of the chapters addressed how I feel about the soul and the connection between us and God. It was hard because faith has always been very personal to me, at least my own faith. I have a hard time talking about it, but I'm fine talking about the Bible, God, Jesus with anyone. After all, you have to remember that is also my job as administrator of Christian Ed.

When it is about my personal relationship with Christ and God, I usually begin to weep if I have to speak of it, so I've been holding off writing about this. I guess I was waiting for someone else to do it.

I keep saying that I don't have PTSD but I never really said why. I've addressed the issue that I believe it is the sensitive people who end up with PTSD especially the people involved with violent trauma instead of natural disasters. I am one of the sensitive people. The choir at church makes me cry at least once a week and sometimes I'm not talking about a trickle running down my cheek. I see so much suffering that it's hard for my family to be able to understand why or how I do what I do. They know how it effects me. It all boils down to my faith.

I know the Bible very well from growing up in a family of believers all the way up to the most compelling reason I had to read the Bible. I went to a Greek church and didn't understand much of the language at all. I was also a very curious person, interested in history, so I read it, and read it, and read it. I came away with my own ideas about the kind of faith Christ was talking about and to me that was the point of the people who wrote the Bible.

I survived growing up with a violent alcoholic father, who stopped drinking when I was 13. I had been beaten, in a terrible car accident and almost died from an infection. This was not the beginning of my survival days because that would have started when I was 4 years old. I was pushed off a slide and fell head first on concrete. Ever since that day, the first time someone said, "she should have died but survived" I haven't been afraid to die. Reading the Bible helped me to understand where that attitude came from. I'm not saying I've never been afraid but I've never been afraid of dying.

Maybe that's the key to all of this. I keep addressing the need to treat the spiritual with the psychological and base it on the faith the person happens to have. There is tremendous healing power linking the two together. We all know scientist know very little about the power of the soul and mostly they attribute what the soul does to what the mind does. They never really put it into its proper placement of importance. They need to first understand the soul of man before they can address the healing of the minds of man. All elements are part of who we are, what we think, our character and past as a determination of our futures.

Given the odds of PTSD as one out of three it can be the only reason I have not developed it. I have all the characteristics of those who have been wounded by it and exposed to more than my share of traumatic events. I have nightmares doing what I do because of the pictures I have to look at and stay up late at night worrying about people who contact me. I also I cry a hell of a lot, yet I don't have PTSD. I say it's by the grace of God I don't because had it not been for my faith, I doubt I'd be here now. I do the work I do because of it. I feel the compassion I do because of it. People find me because they are lead to find me. I fell in love with a Vietnam vet with PTSD and that caused me to do what I do. It's all linked together. It is carried onto our daughter who was raised the way she was because of the way I was raised. It is also a circle.

Don't dismiss the spiritual especially when you are looking at the psychological. They are connected.


UPDATE This came in an alert about 15 minutes after I posted this. God does work in very strange ways.

The (research) question: Is there a God spot in the brain?

Neuroscientists study this question because they want to better understand the neural basis of a phenomenon that plays a central role in the lives of so many.

“These experiences have existed since the dawn of humanity. They have been reported across all cultures,” Mario Beauregard says. “It is as important to study the neural basis of [religious] experience as it is to investigate the neural basis of emotion, memory or language.”

Scientists and scholars have long speculated that religious feeling can be tied to a specific place in the brain.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Beauregard seeks to pinpoint the brain areas that are active while the nuns recall the most powerful religious epiphany of their lives, a time they experienced a profound connection with the divine.

Using fMRI and other tools of modern neuroscience, researchers are attempting to pin down what happens in the brain when people experience mystical awakenings during prayer and meditation or during spontaneous utterances inspired by religious fervor.

Because of the positive effect of such experiences on those who have them, some researchers speculate that the ability to induce them artificially could transform people’s lives by making them happier, healthier and better able to concentrate.

go here for the rest

http://malaysianunplug.blogspot.com/2008/01/searching-for-god-in-human-brain.html

Friday, January 4, 2008

Ottawa failing to support soldiers' families: military ombudsman

Ottawa failing to support soldiers' families: military ombudsman
Last Updated: Friday, January 4, 2008 9:35 PM ET
CBC News
The outgoing military ombudsman is criticizing Ottawa for failing to provide adequate support to families of fallen and injured soldiers, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Yves Côté said his office has dealt with many families who complain of too few answers after a death in Afghanistan or little help after loved ones return home with mental health problems.

"All too often, the system is just 'we'll come to you when we come to you'," Côté said. "Just take the time to show you have a heart as an organization and care about people."

Côté, who has served as ombudsman since 2005 and is now switching gears to become the associate deputy minister of justice, has condemned the military in the past for its relations with soldiers' families.

On Friday, his last day on the job, he said there has been little improvement.

"These people do suffer a lot, and sometimes they tend to be forgotten ... It is our high moral job to look after them and to make sure the right thing is done for them by the government of Canada," he said.
go here for the rest
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/01/04/military-ombudsman.html?ref=rss

Linked from

http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com/
2008/01/harper-government-failing-to-support.html

Tell Cavuto PTSD is not something to laugh at


Fox News graphic: "Rudov: Clinton's 'nagging voice' is reason she ...And men -- you know, the first time men hear nagging, they get post-traumatic stress disorder, and they never recover from it. CAVUTO [laughing]: All right, I don't find that that silly, I'm just wondering how it sounds. ...Media Matters for America - http://mediamatters.org/

RUDOV: Hillary tried in the last week of the campaign to be gentle and kind and civil, but it was too little and too late. And men -- you know, when -- the first time men hear nagging, they get posttraumatic stress disorder, and never recover from it.


This is nothing new. I get updates on what is being posted on PTSD all the time. Everyday there is another idiot using PTSD to "joke" about one thing or another. Marc Rudov thought he'd be making a point using PTSD connected to Clinton. You'd think that after all the information coming out on how serious PTSD is, the suicides caused by it, the families destroyed by it, the homeless veterans created by it, that no one would ever imagine taking it so lightly, but then you would also have to think that all humans are rational, thinking, caring people aware of the tremendous suffering caused by trauma, especially among the "troops they support" when it is convenient to mention it to score some kind of brownie points.

The fight back from PTSD

From The Times
January 5, 2008
by Martin Fletcher
The fight back
Times Online - UK

On the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan, British soldiers are losing legs or arms, their sight – but the loss that each sustains goes far beyond the physical. On the ski slopes of Colorado, they begin rebuilding their shattered lives

Watch the audio slide show of British soldiers skiing
Adam Nixon pauses briefly to admire the breathtaking view of the Colorado Rockies, with their icy peaks and forested flanks. Then the young British soldier launches himself down the mountainside, carving long arcs in the snow. He is not the most graceful skier, but no matter. Joy lights up his face, and with good reason.

In March 2004, in the heat and dust of faraway Iraq, a pipe bomb exploded during a riot in Basra. Fourteen British soldiers were injured, but none as badly as Nixon. A week later, he regained consciousness in Birmingham’s Selly Oak hospital to find both legs shattered. He spent the next two years in hospital, undergoing more than 20 operations. His doctors finally amputated his left leg in May 2006, and they are still fighting to save his right one. Nixon, 24, once ran ultra-marathons of 70 miles or more; now he is in a wheelchair and constant pain. He suffers from flashbacks, panic attacks and insomnia – classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He plies himself with painkillers and anti-depressants, had a breakdown earlier this year and has, at times, been suicidal.

In skiing, however, Nixon believes he has finally found salvation. Strapped into a bucket seat spring-mounted on a mono-ski, he has discovered that anything is possible if he is sufficiently determined, and that life is worth living again. He has reached a turning point, he says. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years. Until now, I’ve pretty much been a bum. I’ve just stayed at home and festered, but I’ve had enough of dwelling on the past. I want to get going.”

click above for the rest

Another non-combat death in Iraq

01/04/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 2 of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.


Ryan D. Maseth


Editor & Publisher -- The father of a local soldier has questions after learning of his son's death in Iraq and is anxious to bring his other son home. Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, 24, from Shaler, (Pittsburgh, PA) died in Baghdad on Jan. 2. Doug Maseth was told his son was electrocuted in the shower but there are no other details. Maseth says he's devastated.

"I could have put this to rest a lot better if he would have been shot or he would have got killed by an IED," he said. "I'd have said, 'OK. That's what happened.' How can you justify getting electrocuted in a shower?" While he waits for answers, he's making arrangements for Ryan's twin brother, Brandon, to come home at least temporarily. "I don't want to lose another boy," Maseth said. "Who wants to lose one? I don't [want to have] the chance of losing two." Right now, the loss of Ryan is all he can bear. "I'm heartbroken," he said. "I watched him from when he was born all the way up 'till now and I just ... turned into a good young man - taken away so fast."

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Dr. Sally Satan, is the Bush administration's EXPERT on PTSD


New VA finding: No liberal biased news limits PTSD stressors!
by Robert L. Hanafin, SP/5, U.S. Army (69-76)

The Deportment of Veterans Affairs (VA) yep, I spelled it correctly) says that Military Families and Troops that watch or listen to less ‘bad’ news from sensationalized media programs about Iraq limit their exposure to PTSD stressors.


Say what? Let us get this straight. If my military family listens to or watches only good news (meaning positive or optimistic NOT necessarily accurate or GOOD quality news, because there is no such thing) the brilliant Shrinks and Mental Health professionals at the VA assure us that we will endure less PTSD stressors. Hum-O-Ky-dokey!.

One more time, because my military family doesn't quite grasp this new VA finding. As long as we, hear of negative news on Iraq, see no negative news on Iraq, and touch no negative news on Iraq, we won't need to seek Life Skills, (I meanMental Health) treatment. I'm sorry but I just have to put that in the same catagory as VA PTSD rap sessions for all Vets, not just Iraq and Afghanistan...



At the NEOCON run VA, the first rule of PTSD treatment is to not talk politics (meaning anything that is negative about the war is TABOO, however anything that is negative about your part in it, go for it.) Point: I've seen with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears what VA PTSD raps sessions are really about. Ensuring patients continue to support the Iraq War as they seek a PTSD cure. Wo-We could make that into a hit song or at least PTSD poetry.

I tend to agree with Mark Twain when it comes to ‘the media,’ either of his day or ours. Twain most likely knew PTSD as "irritable heart" during the 19th century following the War Between the States. During WWI symptoms and stigma associated with PTSD was called Soldier’s Heart.

“A private should preserve a respectful attitude toward his superiors, and should seldom or never proceed so far as to offer suggestions to his general in the field. By the etiquette of war, it is permitted to none below the rank of newspaper correspondent to dictate to the general in the field.” Mark Twain - "The Benefit of Judicious Training," 6/8/1881

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." Mark Twain on Newspapers.

“...one should be gentle with the ignorant, for they are the chosen of God.” Mark Twain - Letter to W. D. Howells, 5/12/1899

With the humor of Mark Twain in mind, that is about how serious I take it when the Department of Veterans Affairs says that Military, “Families should minimize exposure to anxiety-arousing media related to the war. News programs often emphasize fearful content and frightening images to create a "story." Watching a lot of TV news programs, for example, can create needless distress. When children worry about war, let them know that the war is far away. Acknowledge children's fears, and let them know that parents, teachers, and police are here to protect them.”

I personally believe that what ‘the management’ of the VA meant to say way, “Limit exposure to news media programs that are not screened, monitored, and controlled by AmericaSupportsBush.mil. If the media refuses to paint a rosy picture of Iraqinam, boycott it. IBEWARE the doom sayers of CBS, PBS, plus any other mainstream media outlet that does not enforce the Pentagon/VA picture of the war President Bush and enough members of Congress sent you to fight and die in and ‘maybe, just MAYBE’ you will limit your exposure to PTSD stressors.” COME ON NOW PEOPLE, the following had former House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyers and American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Doctor Phil (oops I mean) Sally Satel's behind the scenes stench all over it.

EVERY American Veteran knows who Steve Buyer is, IF you are a Vet who does not know who Dr. Sally is or what the American Enterprise Institute is. The AEI for Public Policy Research is one of the oldest and most influential of the pro-business right-wing think tanks. It promotes the advancement of free enterprise capitalism, and has been extremely successful in placing its people in influential governmental positions, particularly in the Bush Administration. AEI has been described as one of the country's main bastions of neoconservatism.

Dr. Sally, is the Bush administration's EXPERT on PTSD, with 'too many' PTSD fraud 'conspiracy' theorys [She really sounds more like a UFO expert, EXCEPT UFO experts have more credibility.] She adores B.G. Burkett, the Texas associate of the Bush mob, and she TOO OFTEN quotes FACT from Burkett's fake Vet book, Stolen Valor. Dr. Sally looksdown on Vietnam Vets unless they fit Stolen Valor's criteria.

click post title for the rest

When it comes to PTSD, Sally Satel is really Satan. Look her up the next time you have a chance to see what I'm talking about. She and AEI have been talking up a storm on how PTSD is fake and all the veterans, at least most of them, are "out to suck off the system" instead of being wounded. How Satel would explain that PTSD has been documented before there was any kind of veterans care is never entering into their brain cells. The "expert" Satel seems to ignore all the evidence going back to Ancient Greek and Rome as well. If you want to know why the system sucks so bad for our veterans, start with Satel and go from there.

Iraq Vet "former" PTSD helps soldiers deal with screamers

Iraq vet, former post-traumatic stress sufferer helps returning soldiers deal with ‘the screamers’
By Amy Guckeen
1/4/2008
Catholic Herald (www.chnonline.org)

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Catholic Herald) - John Zemler had nightmares. For 23 years, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, he awoke every night from the “screamers.”


Then one morning in January 2007, he realized, the screamers were gone.

“A lot of my anger and fear, God just took it away from me,” Zemler said. “He gave me my identity back.”

Zemler’s mission is to provide that same gift to other sufferers of PTSD.

As an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University, with his wife Wanda Zemler-Cizewski, an associate professor, Zemler is in a unique position to provide outreach to those with PTSD — as a veteran, theologian, and victim.

“I’m born into this job — theologian and as a veteran with PTSD,” Zemler said. “I’m called to it. You can get through this. A relationship with God will get you through it. It won’t defeat you.”
go here for the rest
http://www.catholic.org/diocese/diocese_story.php?id=26347

I do not like what is happening in the military today as Evangelical chaplains run around more interested in converts than saving minds. I figure if the soldier happens to be an Evangelical Christian, go for it but when it comes to a Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist or so on, it is not up to them to try to get anyone to change their faith. They cross the line.

I put the disclaimer in all the time when I do anything addressing spirituality that I work for a Presbyterian church as Administrator of Christian Education. I don't want anyone to accuse me of being bias. (Not that they could considering I'm Greek Orthodox.) What I've found over the years is that when the psychological is blended with the spiritual, the healing is much greater and deeper. I believe that both factors need to be addressed for the needs of the veterans, especially when you consider most veterans will tell you the same thing. They felt abandoned by God in the traumatic moment. Most of them hang onto that feeling thinking God just judged them. They do this because regular people do not fully understand the Bible or the history in the Bible.

The section called Judges, is filled with war stories. The Hebrew people would go through hand to hand combat and it was very horrific.

Bible Battles from the History Channel
In one of the most hostile lands on the planet, an ancient people called the Israelites forged an army and carved out an empire. Their ancient military exploits are described in one of history's most famous religious texts--the Old Testament of the Bible. But by reading between the religious lines, military historians unlock the soldiers' secrets of the Bible by examining the weapons, strategies, and the commanders, some of whom are not always thought of as warriors, like Abraham, Moses, and Deborah. In this 2-hour special, we explore the biblical world from a military perspective from the time of Abraham until David's ascension to the throne. Blood often flows more freely than holy water in the days of the Old Testament, and the military secrets of the Bible have yet to be revealed...until now!
Rating: TVPG V
Running Time: 120 minutes
Genre:Religion
http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=173387&action=detail

This program takes a look at how wars were won and lost but also looks at those who fought in them. What we now call PTSD was addressed when the warriors would have to stay away from their homes for days to "cleanse" themselves. What this did was provide support for each other as they tried to recover from what they just had to do. This was also to address the spiritual condition.

Ancient Native American Indians carried on a practice of cleansing and still do to this day. Ancient Greek and Roman historians documented their own practices.

The spiritual and psychological have always been linked because face it, we are linked to both as humans.

In a few weeks I'll be addressing a group of pastors training as Chaplains who want to know more about PTSD. I jumped at the chance to do this because of how deeply I believe the members of the clergy are not fulfilling Christ's commission to "cast out demons" by ignoring PTSD. When they treat the veterans spiritual needs they are also treating the families they return home to.

As I said before, my only problem is that they also try to take advantage of hurting souls by having them convert. This should never be done in combat. All should be treated as if they were already a member of the brotherhood of humanity alone.

Operation Homefront comes through for Johnson Family

Army couple finds help after pain of Iraq, deaths of their 3 children
09:23 PM CST on Thursday, January 3, 2008
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmclemore@dallasnews.com

CIBOLO, Texas – In near-freezing temperatures Thursday, Spc. Austin Johnson and his wife, Lisa, cut through a yellow ribbon stretched across the porch of their new home and walked in to a house full of furniture.

The move into the new home – their first house since the couple married right out of high school – is bittersweet for the Johnsons.

Last August, Spc. Johnson, 27, received a traumatic brain injury from an improvised explosive device blast in Iraq, his fifth explosion in two tours.

Tragedy struck again in October, not long after he began rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center. Their three children were killed after Mrs. Johnson's car was overturned by heavy winds in West Texas as she drove from El Paso to be with her husband.

"There are a lot of Johnsons out there," said Amy Palmer, co-founder of Operation Homefront, the nonprofit group that called on local businesses and dozens of donors to help the Johnsons.

More than 30,000 troops have been wounded in six years of war; and as many as 100,000 may experience post-traumatic stress disorder.Officials with Operation Homefront hope Thursday's event serves as a model to help other wounded service members whose lives have been disrupted by war.
click above for the rest

Army specialist Brian Gorham wounded in Iraq dies 18 days later

KY soldier dies

Updated: Jan 3, 2008 07:57 AM EST


New Media Producer: Amanda Lents

A Kentucky soldier dies from burns suffered when the humvee he was riding in rolled over a bomb in Afghanistan.

Twenty-three-year-old Army specialist Brian Gorham, of Woodburn died 18 days after the explosion.

Specialist Gorham was being treated at the Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Governor Steve Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of Specialist Gorham.
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=7571058&nav=menu54_3


His death has not been counted yet on CNN or ICasualties.org yet. How many others die and are not counted? They count with their families and friends. They count in their own community. We do a horrible job of making sure they count to the rest of the nation.

I found several non-combat deaths connected to their service in Iraq and Afghanistan who have not been counted in any of the figures. Why is this happening? All of them need to be counted. They paid the price in service to this nation as surely as those who were killed on the spot from a bullet or bomb. They should not be forgotten because their passing was after they came home. If we cannot even count those who died from obvious wounds from service, how can we come close to counting those who die because of wounds we cannot see?

Presidential Candidates On Veterans

I would be a lot more impressed if they took a look back on what candidates promised veterans and what they delivered on already. Take Bush for example. He had a long, long history of talking a good game and we saw what he did. Like Biden said his father told him "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I'll know what you value." In this case, show us what they promised and what they did for veterans since all of them have a record to stand or fall on.

Posted Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:32 AM
Presidential Candidates On Veterans, Part II
David Botti
Yesterday we took at look at four presidential candidates and examples of how veterans issues factored into their campaigns. Today's post contains five more front-runners:


http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/soldiershome/
archive/2008/01/03/presidential-candidates-on-veterans-part-ii.aspx


As for politics right now I care more about what is being done today than what a bunch of people say they will do if they get the chance to do it. It matters more what they did do with the chances they already had.

Baylor researchers collaborate with rats for PTSD study

I found the following from Baylor Proud blog. Nice blog. Check it out when you get a chance here.


Baylor researchers working to treat PTSD
Researchers from Baylor, Texas A&M and the US Department of Veteran Affairs are working together to treat and possibly prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the collaborators recently received $2.7 million from the federal


I keep hoping to read something inventive, something promising, something that gives one single indication the "researchers" have a clue what PTSD is. Every time it turns out to be a waste of time to read it. They keep going over things that have been done over to death for over 30 years! When will they really start to take a look at the people who have PTSD and take it from there?

Endeavors

Searching For The Source

Baylor researchers collaborate to treat-and possibly prevent-post-traumatic stress disorder.

By Franci Rogers


As an intern at a Veterans Affairs hospital seven years ago, Matthew Schobert encountered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the first time.

A Vietnam veteran had been admitted to the hospital for a routine medication adjustment. Schobert recalls that the man exhibited some of the classic symptoms of the disorder: he was distant and reserved, and he chose to remain silent most of the time, especially about his time in combat. His case made an impression on Schobert, who was then a graduate student at Baylor University's School of Social Work, and sparked an interest in the mental health issues of those who have served in the military.

Schobert earned his Master of Social Work degree in 2002, in addition to his Master of Divinity degree from Truett Seminary (1999), and now works at the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a licensed clinical social worker in the acute psychiatric unit. He continues to see PTSD patients, including a new influx from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While Schobert sees veterans and active duty personnel with a variety of mental health issues, he often wonders about the causes of PTSD.

"I have some friends who have had three deployments, and they talk about the graphic and difficult things they've seen, but they are just fine," Schobert says. "And there are others who have been deployed once, but when they come back I see symptoms of PTSD and encourage them to talk to someone. It makes you wonder why."

Researchers at Baylor are hoping to help find that answer.


Investigating PTSD


Last fall, Baylor, Texas A&M University and the VA received a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materials Command to study PTSD. A portion of the three-year grant will fund research in neuroscience and computer science at Baylor.


PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Although many people associate PTSD with military combat, any kind of life-threatening event can create the trauma. Survivors of natural disasters (such as Hurricane Katrina), terrorist attacks (such as 9/11), and physical or sexual assaults can experience PTSD. Even witnesses to such events, such as first responders or military personnel, can develop PTSD. While it is natural to be stressed and anxious after a traumatic event, people who develop PTSD exhibit chronic symptoms which don't subside and begin to interfere with day-to-day life.


Those suffering from the disorder can exhibit a variety of symptoms. They may have flashbacks of the incident, become hyper-vigilant, suffer from social anxiety, be prone to impulsive behavior, avoid normal activities, be unable to sleep or eat, and/or suffer from depression. They are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, become unemployed and have marital problems.


The treatment for the disorder, according to the National Center for PTSD, can include psychotherapy (or talk therapy), medication or both. But it can be difficult to treat.


That's why Baylor researchers are excited about their work. Not only could their research help those already living with PTSD, but it could also help prevent it.

go here for the rest
http://www.baylormag.com/dept.php?id=000686

The rates of PTSD have always been one out of three. At least that was the rate from the last thirty years. Doesn't matter the source of the trauma but one thing that comes out more often is that people who are exposed to it more get hit harder by it.

Combat is number one. That's because they not only participate in it, they are exposed to it over and over again. It's not just once during a deployment, but many times. Redeployments increase the risk by 50%. This is why we have such high numbers in combat veterans, plus you also have the survival rate keeping more severely wounded alive.

Down the list you find police, firefighters and other emergency responders. Think of the traumatic events they are exposed to, again more than once. Some have their entire careers with one traumatic event after another.

Researchers have to be serious about all of this. Rats do not try to save lives. Rats do not bond to others, yet rats and animals they have been studying for years show trauma symptoms. That does not mean it's PTSD but it does mean it's animal instinct. Remember the Christmas tsunami and the reports of animals heading up to higher ground before it hit? They had elephants picking people up with their trunks and taking them to safer ground. Dogs have saved people. They use dogs to sense when a seizure is coming in epileptic people. Animals experience trauma but trauma does not hit all animals turning them into timid creatures. It makes some of them angry enough to kill. The day they can study a rat having a flashback is the day I give them credit for trying.

I've talked to these guys for 25 years. It comes down to this. There are three types of basic personalities. Selfish, sensitive and a mix of both. As with anything it depends on the degrees of the personality. The selfish will survive trauma, feel lucky like they deserved to live because they were born untouchable mattering more in the grand program than others. The mixed ones feel that way too but see a purpose in their survival and they go off to help the others. That is their focus, not themselves as much as what they can do.

The really sensitive people take it all in. They don't feel lucky to be alive as much as they are sickened by what happened. They want to help and usually do, but they feel it all in the walls of their soul. They take in the sites, sounds, smells and all are born within them. You don't want this kind of "birth pang" that's for sure.

They say that no one comes back from combat the same way and everyone is changed. That's true but no on comes out of any kind of trauma the same way. Life changes people. The next time "researchers" try to tell you that they found the answer to PTSD in rats, then they can figure out how to send them into combat and let them prove it.


Here is a case to point to.

A Mother's Mission

While serving in Iraq, Noah Pierce survived the bombs, the snipers, and countless encounters with the enemy.

But his family and friends say it was the guilt that finally overcame him.

"The demons and the pain...he's too sensitive," said his mother, Cheryl Softich. "He couldn't handle the innocents that were killed, the kids he got attached to. He was a good boy, he had a heart."

When Noah came home from Iraq in April of 2006, he was 22. He had served two tours of duty there; two years of his young life. He tried to readjust to life back in Eveleth. He went hunting with his step-dad, and partied with friends.

But it was difficult. Noah was depressed, he suffered from nightmares, and drank to get through the days. Doctors diagnosed him with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. They recommended he get counseling. But he didn't go, instead spending much of his time convincing himself and others that he was getting better.

go here for the rest

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S302385.shtml?cat=10349



You can say that being sensitive makes them weak but it doesn't. It just makes them feel it all. They are not cowards or they wouldn't have joined. They are the kind of people who think they can make a difference and that's why they join. Talk about bravery! Wanting to change something like they are willing to go into takes either the most brave or the most foolish. The men and women who develop PTSD have it hit them because of what happened to them as well as what happened to others. Flashbacks when it is caused by combat trauma comes with the harm being done to others more often than the harm done to them.

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
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

Count all non-combat deaths part 4

Non-combat deaths K-L

Pfc. Douglas E. Kashmer, 27, of Sharon, Pa., died June 8 in Nippur, Iraq, when the wrecker in which he was a passenger was involved in a non-combat related rollover. Kashmer was assigned to the Army's 70th Transportation Company, Mannheim, Germany




ADAM KELLY LAS VEGAS, NV GUNSHOT 6/22/2004 Adam Kelley survived the Persian Gulf War but not the aftermath of his combat experience.For 13 years after the war, he suffered not only from physical problems but mental ones as well.His No. 1 enemy was post-traumatic stress disorder, the illness affecting thousands of veterans in Southern Nevada, including hundreds who have lived through the horrors of death and danger in Iraq and Afghanistan.His mother, Marsha Kelley, said he joined the Army at 21 because he liked being outdoors and he wanted to earn money for college. "He liked hunting, but he didn't like killing," she said in an interview last month.But in the end, he shot and killed himself last year while sitting in his truck behind a sandwich shop not far from his northwest Las Vegas home. His mother blames the Army and the Veterans Administration for not giving him the proper care soon enough.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Sep-25-Sun-2005/news/27253080.html



Spc. Mike N. Kenagy Feb. 20, 2005 The shooting happened Feb. 13 at a townhouse in Annandale, Va., the two soldiers shared with the victim’s wife, police and Army officials said. Spc. Wayne Grimm, 22, of D Company, was charged with manslaughter rather than murder because a preliminary investigation revealed Grimm apparently did not intend to kill his friend, said Fairfax County, Va., Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Horan. Officer Bud Walker, a Fairfax Police spokesman, said Grimm fired a single shot from a handgun at roommate Spc. Mike N. Kenagy, 24, of B Company, as Kenagy stood on the other side of a closed door. Grimm has no bonds but is supposed to appear at a preliminary hearing April 5, Horan said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-667464.php





Philip Kent South Carolina, gunshot Phillip Kent was down to 90 pounds when he returned to Columbia from Iraq. "It's screaming at me when he gets off that bus," Phillip's mother, Laura told WIS News. "He is not well - he's stressed, he's on edge, he's just a bundle of nerves. Besides that just his general appearance, any mother would pick up on that immediately." Laura says her son would not eat or sleep, had anxiety, and lost interest in doing all the things he loved growing up, like playing sports and making music. Laura believes Phillip was scared to ask for help. "If he were to admit it, i4 was a sign of weakness - and of course in the military you don't want to be weak," said Laura. So behind his back, Laura called a military chaplain. However, she says nobody followed up with her son. Two months later he was hospitalized. "For two days in the psychiatric unit - boy that was sure a long time for someone that - I just thought 'what a sham.' That was so ridiculous." Six months later, Phillip was honorably discharged from the military after being arrested but not charged for a fight he had with his wife. Laura says Phillip's mental health had strained his marriage and at this point his life began to really unravel. Then he threatened suicide..."He said 'I'm going to get a bottle of Jack [Daniel's Whiskey] and I got my pistol right here,'" Laura tearfully remembers, "and then I got the call that no human being wants to get ever." Phillip killed himself, exactly the way he said he would.




Lt Col Paul W Kimbrough 2003-10-03 44 Washington DC District of Columbia 415th Engineer Command, Team 28 Army Reserve Kimbrough died on October 3, 2003, in Incirlik, Turkey, of a non-combat related cause. He was medically evacuated from Bagram, Afghanistan, and was taken to the 39th Medical Squadron in Turkey, where he remained hospitalized until his death.
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit



Levi B. Kinchen, 21, Tickfaw LA A specialist dies in his sleep, possibly from heat stress.
8/9/03
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000



Capt. Nathaniel L. King, 31, of Fishers, Ind., jumped Friday and died of his injuries the next day at Duke University Medical Center, said XVIII Airborne Corps spokesman Maj. Rich Patterson. King’s parachute didn’t malfunction, and it’s not yet clear what led to the injuries, said Patterson, who declined to describe the injuries. King was among about 140 jumpers Friday and the only one who suffered serious injury, Patterson said. The Fort Bragg Safety Office and the Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the death. King, a nine-year veteran of the Army, had deployed to Iraq twice, returning from his most recent one-year stint in January. His awards included a Bronze Star. April 12, 2006
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-1682916.php





Spc. Tremayne King, 27. Man found guilty in stabbing soldier A Holyoke, Mass., man who said he was having an affair with a National Guard soldier’s wife was convicted May 24 of stabbing the soldier to death shortly before his scheduled deployment to Iraq, The Associated Press said. Pablo Vargas, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Vargas admitted he stabbed Spc. Tremayne King, 27. But Vargas claimed the stabbing was a desperate act of self-defense against an enraged soldier who found him with his wife.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1829501.php




David M. Kirchhoff, 31, Anamosa IA 8/8/03 A private first class suffers a fatal heat stroke while driving a truck.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000





John K. Klinesmith Jr., 25, Stockbridge GA 6/12/03
A specialist drowns while swimming in a lake in a palace compound. http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000





Floyd G. Knighten Jr., 55, Olla LA A sergeant dies from the heat. 8/9/03
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000






Spc. Allen J. Knop 22 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Willowick, Ohio Died of non-combat related injuries in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 23, 2005


Cpl. Alexander J. Kolasa 22 704th Main Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division White Lake, Michigan Died on non-combat related causes in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 31, 2006 Cpl.Alexander J. Kolasa 22 Army A soldier from suburban Detroit who died in Iraq served his country with the same pride he had in it while growing up, his mother said Thursday. Cpl. Alexander J. Kolasa, 22, of White Lake Township in Oakland County, died of noncombat causes, the Defense Department announced. Kolasa's mother, Kathy, said in a telephone interview that her son was manning a guard tower north of Baghdad on Wednesday when he suffered a heart attack. "It was very sudden," she said. "From the information I got, he collapsed, they performed CPR for 30 minutes, they electroshocked him. Then they helicoptered him out to a hospital, and that's where he died." Asked if family members had any idea that Kolasa had heart problems, Kathy Kolasa said "absolutely none."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/fmmac2.mm.ap.org/




Capt. Edward J. Korn 31, of Savannah, Georgia U.S. soldier killed by possible "friendly fire" in central Iraq. It appears he was mistaken for an enemy soldier while investigating a destroyed Iraqi tank. (4/03/2003)
http://www.lunchwithgeorge.com/lwg_iraqwar.html



Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus 28 Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group Davenport, Iowa Drowned while crossing the Saddam Canal on March 24, 2003

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html



Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward A. Koth 30 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight Towson, Maryland Died after ordnance exploded during a disposal operation at Camp Victory, Iraq, on July 26, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html






Australia
Pvt. Jacob B. Kovco 25 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Victoria, Australia Died when accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning his gun in the Australian security detachment barracks in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 21, 2006


Lance Cpl. Jakub Henryk Kowalik 21 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Force Service Support Group Schaumburg, Illinois Killed when the unexploded ordnance he was handling detonated near a Marine encampment in Iraq on May 12, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html






Kreider, Dustin L. Private 19 Army 3/21/04 weapon discharge added 4/1/07 Pvt. Dustin L. Kreider, 19, of Riverton, Kan., died March 21 near Samarra, Iraq during a unit weapon test-firing incident. Kreider was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/mar2004/a032304a.html


Army Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna,
44, Waipahu, Hawaii; died Monday in Al Qayyarah of a non-combat related illness; assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqgQCcv26kB1dkgZRZNHmbn_1J8gD8TUNOC02


MARY GENTILE LACEY, WA HANGING 5/9/2006



Army Spc. Rachel Lacy Prior to deploying to the Persian Gulf in March 2003, she received these shots in a single day: anthrax, smallpox, hepatitis B, typhoid VI, and measles, mumps and rubella and died just 33 days later. She was 22 years old. Two expert panels one affiliated with the CDC, the other under the Department of Health and Human Services said one or more of the vaccines may have triggered an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder that killed her. But they could not pinpoint which ones. Her case was the only one of four cases of severe illness or death reviewed by the panel that found a link between vaccination and death. The coroner said in his official report that smallpox and anthrax vaccines may have contributed to Lacy’s death. Her father agrees, dismissing the theory that she had an underlying autoimmune disease. He questions giving numerous shots on the same day, saying it can only complicate learning which vaccine caused a problem.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-519369.php





Spc. Felicia LaDuke, 22, in October 2005 at Mokuleia Beach. SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii A Schofield Barracks soldier was convicted Tuesday of premeditated murder in the death of a fellow soldier. Spc. Jeffery White, 22, was found guilty by a court-martial panel of killing Spc. Felicia LaDuke, 22, in October 2005 at Mokuleia Beach. Officials had said LaDuke had been seeking child support from White for their son, who was 20 months old at the time. White was married and had another child with his wife, the officials said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/com/1-comnews-2420672.php


Lance Cpl. Alan Dinh Lam, 19, of Snow Camp, N.C. He was assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. WASHINGTON--The Department of Defense identified today three Marines killed in a non-hostile accident during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned. The incident occurred April 22 (03)on a firing range near the city of Al Kut, Iraq.



James I. Lambert III, 22, Kenbridge VA 7/31/03 A specialist is shot in the head and killed by a stray bullet fired during a local Iraqi celebration.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000



Robert Langley Miss. guardsman killed at work A 30-year-old Mississippi National Guard soldier who worked as a police officer at the University of Mississippi died Oct. 21 of head injuries after being dragged by a vehicle some 200 yards, officials said. Authorities have not clearly described how Robert Langley came to be dragged by the vehicle, which Langley had stopped for speeding, The Associated Press reported. A second-year freshman has been charged with capital murder of a police officer in the case. State Guard spokesman Maj. Danny Blanton said Langley returned in May from a tour in Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 114th Artillery.

http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-2315510.php





Lt. Cmdr. Jane Elizabeth Lanham 43 Naval Branch Health Clinic, Naval Support Activity, Bahrain Owensboro, Kentucky Died of non-hostile causes in Manama, Bahrain, on September 19, 2006 Sunday, December 17 2006 http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/TafoyaJaneE



Sgt. Denise A. Lannaman 46 1569th Transportation Company, New York Army National Guard Bayside, New York Died of non-combat related incident at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, on October 1, 2006


Spc. Aaron P. Latimer 26 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Ennis, Texas Died in Mosul, Iraq, on May 9, 2006 Alaska-based soldier who was found dead this week at his base in Iraq has been identified as Spc. Aaron P. Latimer, 26. Very few details about the soldier's death have been released. Military officials say Latimer, of Ennis, Texas, was found dead Tuesday at his forward operating base in Mosul around 5:30 a.m. Alaska time. His death was not combat related and is under investigation, according to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke. http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/LatimerAaronP



Pfc. Arwana Lattimore-Oliver joined the Army Reserve in 1991, re-enlisted and was serving at Fort Riley, Kan., in March 1998. In April 1998, she got at least three shots, for yellow fever, typhoid, and diphtheria and tetanus, on the same day. Later that month, she got a hepatitis shot. In September, she went to the hospital with vomiting and low heart rate, according to a source familiar with her medical records. Her condition worsened over the following months, robbing her of her vision and sense of touch, her balance, and ability to walk or even feed herself. She also contracted multiple sclerosis and slowly faded away until she died May 24, 2002, at 28.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-519369.php





Pfc. Casey M. LaWare 19 Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Redding, California Died April 9, 2005, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from non-combat related injuries sustained in Al Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on April 6, 2005




Sgt Marc D. Leger 2002-04-18 29 Lancaster Ontario 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry Canadian Army Marc was one of four soldiers killed in a freindly fire accident near Kandahar when a bomb was dropped on their location. Canada
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit




Spc. Samuel S. Lee 19 Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division Anaheim, California "Died of non-combat related injuries in Ramadi, Iraq, on March 28, 2005 suicideIn the months before Army Pfc. Samuel Lee, of Anaheim, Calif., killed himself in March 2005, an investigative report says, the 19-year-old had talked to fellow soldiers about a dream in which he tried to kill his sergeant before taking his own life, and of kidnapping, raping and killing Iraqi children. Three times, a soldier recounted in a sworn statement, Lee had pointed his gun at himself and depressed the trigger, stopping just before a round fired.


JEFFREY LEHNER 40 CA GUNSHOT12/1/2005 In December 2005, Jeff Lehner, 40, a former Marine sergeant who served in Afghanistan, shot and killed his elderly father, then killed himself in Santa Barbara County. He had been in counseling for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1079473-p2.html




Staff Sgt. Jason A. Lehto 31 Detachment B, Marine Wing Support Group 47, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve Mount Clemens, Michigan Died from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 28, 2004





Spc. Cedric L. Lennon 32 Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment West Blocton, Alabama Died of a non-combat related cause in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 24, 2003


Spc. Farao K. Letufuga 20 Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division Pago Pago, American Samoa Died when he fell from a building while performing guard duty in Mosul, Iraq on August 5, 2003

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html



Staff Sgt. Brandon Lewis was involved in a single-vehicle wreck while driving near Dallesport, Wash., July 17. One passenger was treated and released on the scene and another was taken to a hospital, according to a base release. August 2, 2004
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-ARMYPAPER-275004.php






Cpl. Timothy D. Lewis 20 Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Died as a result of non-hostile action in Jolo, Republic of the Philippines, on February 15, 2007. His death is under investigation.


Liguori, Carlo Lieutenant Colonel 07/02/0641 Lt Col Carlo Liguori 41 2006-07-02 Gragnano Naples Italian General Staff Italian Army Suffered a heart attack in the morning while he was standing in line for breakfast
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit



Romania

Dobre Lili Saturday, April 01 2006 BUCHAREST - A Romanian soldier in Iraq who tried to commit suicide ten days ago died in a Kuwaiti hospital late Saturday, the Romanian news agency reported Sunday The soldier, Dobre Lili, fired at his head in his tent on March 14 after finishing petrol around the area. He was in an immediate coma after the shot and was rushed to a nearby Kuwaiti hospital for treatment.The cause of suicide was unknown.A spokesman for the Romanian Defense Ministry told Xinhua that Lili is the first soldier dead in Iraq. So far, three Romanian soldiers died in Afghanistan, he added.Romania currently has more than 840 soldiers in Iraq.
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/LiliDobre



Pvt. Philip Linden, 20, was involved in a domestic dispute. Linden then fled in his car with a loaded shotgun, pursued by Fort Drum police. Troopers pulled Linden over, but he sped off when they approached his car. About three miles down the road, he made a U-turn and crashed his vehicle. Linden was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment. Linden He had been based at Fort Drum since March 2003 and never deployed with the 10th Mountain Division. March 27, 2006
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1606768.php






Capt. James Linton 43 40 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery England Collapsed and died on July 18, 2003, following a training run at a British base in Az Zubayr, Iraq

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html




STEVEN MICHAEL LOGAN2/28/2005 26 DELAWARE SSgt. Steven Michael Logan memorial website STATESIDE INCIDENT: 1 suicide. A 26-year old Marine who’d personally been reenlisted by the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, at the peak of Mount Suribachi above Iwo Jima the year before, committed suicide. At the time of his reenlistment, the intelligence clerk in the 3rd Materiel Readiness Battalion said, “The experience was definitely a chance of a lifetime and a great feeling…Not many Marines or Sailors can say they were re-enlisted on top of Mount Suribachi by the Secretary of the Navy. Also, knowing who and what I was representing at such a level was a good feeling in itself. It was definitely an honor to be in that position.”
http://timelines.epluribusmedia.org/timelines/index.php?table_name=tl_ajax





Pfc. Duane E. Longstreth 19 Company B, 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division Tacoma, Washington Died from noncombat-related injuries in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 7, 2003 A private first class who had survived being accidentally shot in the chest by a machine gun while riding in a truck in May shoots himself in the head with a confiscated revolver after loading it with one bullet and reportedly joking about playing Russian roulette.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000



Steven D. Lopez.An active-duty sergeant in the U.S. Army, Lopez, 23, shot his wife, Brenda Lee Davila, 22, before turning the gun on himself Monday afternoon.




Lance Cpl. Timothy A. Lovett ARLINGTON, Va. — Investigators are looking into last week’s death of a young Marine at Camp Lejeune, N.C., a Camp Lejeune spokesman said. Lance Cpl. Timothy A. Lovett, 20, was found dead at 12:50 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Stone Bay Rifle Range, Lt. Col. Curtis Hill said. “I will add that he was not on the firing line when he was found,” Hill wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday. Lovett, of Los Angeles County, Calif., was assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group for II MEF.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49437




David L. Loyd, 44, Jackson TN 8/5/03 A staff sergeant dies of a heart attack while on a mission in Kuwait.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000






JEFFREY LUCEY 23 BELCHER, MA HANGING 6/22/2004 'Something happened to Jeff' Jeff Lucey returned from Iraq a changed man. Then he killed himself. By Irene Sege, Globe Staff March 1, 2005 BELCHERTOWN -- Less than three weeks before he committed suicide, Jeffrey Lucey, lance corporal in the Marine Reserves, veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, totaled his parents' Nissan Altima.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/mental/articles/2005/03/01/jeff_lucey_returned_from _iraq_a_changed_man_then_he_killed_himself/
November 15, 2004
Family tries to come to terms with Iraq vet’s suicide By Adam Gorlick
Associated Press BELCHERTOWN, Mass. Jeffrey Lucey was just an ordinary kid from small-town America. He grew up loving his parents, his high school sweetheart and backyard ballgames in this quiet, picturesque community bordering the Quabbin Reservoir. Even his decision to enlist in the Marine Reserves two years before the burst of patriotism following the 2001 terrorist attacks was run-of-the-mill.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/com/1-comnews-505406.php




Pfc. Jason C. Ludlam 22 Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Arlington, Texas Ludlam was electrocuted while laying telephone wires at Forward Operating Base Comanche north of Baquba, Iraq, on March 19, 2004.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html




Pfc. Kevin M. Luna 26 Company B, 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Oxnard, California Died of non-combat related injuries in Muqdadiya, Iraq, on January 27, 2005


Sgt. Robert D. Lund, recently returned from Iraq. Lund, 24, an aircraft armament system repairer assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), based at Fort Campbell, Ky., was participating in over-water aircraft training with his unit, said Maj. Robert Gowan, a spokesman. died during a water-training exercise off Key West was identified Monday as Sgt. Robert D. Lund, recently returned from Iraq. March 2004
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2783337.php


Capt. Joe F. Lusk II 25 Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment Reedley, California Died of non-combat related injuries at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, on January 21, 2005

Second Wind Foundation out to de-stigmatize PTSD

New Recovery Program Created in Response to Epidemic Numbers of Vets Suffering Trauma, PTSD
Grassroots Non-profit's Goal to Provide Model for Recovery Centers Throughout the Nation
By Healing Those Who Serve

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3 --With the unmet mental health needs of our military men and women reaching critical mass, The Second Wind Foundation, a 501c3, has created a publicly funded treatment program for returning military personnel suffering from trauma and PTSD called Healing Those Who Serve (HTWS). Funded through private and corporate donations, the Healing Those Who Serve pilot program is slated to launch at The Ranch, an internationally renowned recovery center set on 2,000-acres in rural Tennessee, in February 2008. The monies raised will create scholarships to fund Veterans in need of PTSD treatment for the recommended 60 to 90-day stay.

Second Wind Foundation co-founder Lee McCormick explains, "This program is designed to raise funds and awareness, de-stigmatize, and heal the minds and spirits of our warriors. It is unique in that we are experienced in concurrently treating related and often times recurrent disorders, such as alcohol and drug abuse, along with trauma, which has proven to be most effective."
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/275441.html

Where candidates put mental health on their to do list

NAMI sent out questions to all the candidates. You would think they would all take the mental health conditions of so many Americans important enough to stop and answer the questions, but you would be wrong. It appears that most of them think this is not worthy of their time to address.

Questionnaire View a copy of our candidate questionnaire.


Biden sent a letter instead of answers but at least he showed he does know some of the facts.



Sen. Joseph Biden of DelawareSenator Biden has provided NAMI with this

Mental Health Policy Statement
in lieu of a response to our questionnaire.
Edwards addressed the questions.

John Edwards, former Senator from North Carolina
Questionnaire response
Obama answered the questions

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois

Questionnaire response
Richardson responded

Gov. Bill Richardson of New MexicoGov. Richardson has provided NAMI with this
Mental Health Platform
in lieu of a response to our questionnaire.


McCain did not address mental health other than fluff.



McCain, who you would think as a Vietnam vet and POW, would put this on the front of his to do list considering we are loosing more when they come home than we do when they are in Iraq or Afghanistan. You would think that with the track record of the government addressing PTSD in Vietnam veterans is so deplorable, McCain would be the first one screaming about his but I guess it doesn't fit in with his priorities.
Sen. John McCain of ArizonaSenator McCain has provided NAMI with this
Mental Health Statement in lieu of a response to our questionnaire. The Campaign has informed us that it is Senator McCain’s policy not to respond to questionnaires.

But at least he responded. The other Republican candidates didn't bother. But Romney offers something very interesting.
Mitt Romney, former Governor of MassachusettsThe Campaign has informed us that it is Governor Romney’s policy not to respond to questionnaires. As with all candidates, we have asked whether they have information that they would like to submit on their mental healthcare/healthcare positions and the response is pending.


http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=2008_Primaries_and_Elections&Template=/ContentManagement/
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With two occupations still going on with no ending date, why is this not important to all of them? Why wouldn't they stop talking and start listening to veterans and their families? How many times have they showed up at VFW or American Legion halls looking for supporters without showing any real support when it mattered?

The next president will be the next Commander-in-Chief. They need to take all of this seriously or we will keep seeing mental health for all Americans suffer, crime rates go up and homelessness go up. We have thousands in New Orleans suffering from the trauma of Katrina. We have close to that figure in New York still suffering from the 2001 attacks. From coast to coast, police, firefighters and emergency responders suffer with PTSD. If we cannot manage to take care of the people we count on the most when they are wounded by their jobs, then where will that place the rest of the people suffering with the aftermath of trauma? kc

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

DOD three more non-combat deaths in Iraq


01/02/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.


01/02/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Joseph R. Berlin Jr., 21, of Chelsea, Ala., died Dec. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.


01/01/08 MNF: Soldier dies from non-combat-related injury (Qayyarah)
A U.S. Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related injury in the vicinity of Qayyarah Airfield West Dec. 31. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

47% Warrior Transition Unit Positions not filled yet?

Critics blast shortages, turnover in Army care

By Laura Ungar - The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:55:02 EST

Injured in a roadside blast in Iraq, Sgt. Gerald Cassidy was assigned to a new medical unit at Fort Knox, Ky., devoted to healing the wounds of war.

But instead of getting better, the brain-injured soldier from Westfield, Ind., was found dead in his barracks Sept. 21. Preliminary reports show he may have been unconscious for days and dead for hours before someone checked on him.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., linked his death in part to inadequate staffing at the unit. Only about half of the positions there were filled at the time. The Army is still investigating the death and its cause, and three people in Cassidy’s chain of command have lost their jobs.

“By all indications, the enemy could not kill him, but our own government did,” Bayh told the Senate Armed Services Committee recently. “Not intentionally, to be sure, but the end result apparently was the same.”


Bayh pointed to a September report from the Government Accountability Office showing that more than half of the Warrior Transition Units nationwide had shortages in key positions at the time. Of 2,410 positions, 1,127 — or 47 percent — had not been filled.

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War weapon becomes life saver in TBI research

Other symptoms of TBI include headaches, difficulty remembering or concentrating, fatigue, mood changes, sadness or anger and dizziness. Many of these are also symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But now, researchers say that some of those PTSD cases could be TBI.


TBI studied in lab equipped with cannon

By Jeff Seidel - Detroit Free Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:34:45 EST

DETROIT — The doors are locked.

“Testing!” shouts Dr. Pamela VandeVord, an assistant professor at Wayne State University. She stands back, holding her hands over her ears, bracing for another explosion.

Brain research sounds like the height of academic aloofness, filled with arrogant intellectuals wearing white lab coats in a pristine environment, pondering the meaning of life while listening to Beethoven.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

At Wayne State University, in the biomedical engineering department, brain research is done by researchers wearing blue jeans and T-shirts, working in an old laboratory that looks like an auto shop. It’s more rock ‘n’ roll than classical music.

The research is loud, powerful and exciting — and the topic is relevant: Wayne State has been chosen to receive a $778,000 grant to figure out why so many troops are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries caused by roadside bombs.

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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/gns_tbistudy_080102/