U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq

As of  Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, at least 4,337 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 31,483 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department’s weekly tally.

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U.S. Troop Casualties in Iraq

Latest identifications:

Army National Guard Spc. Taylor D. Marks, 19, Monmouth, Ore., died Aug. 28, 2009 in Rashid, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an explosively formed penetrator. He was assigned to the 41st Special Troops Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, Portland, Ore.

Army National Guard Sgt. Earl D. Werner, 38, Mondovi, Wis., died Aug. 28, 2009 in Rashid, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an explosively formed penetrator. He was assigned to the 41st Special Troops Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, Portland, Ore.

U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan

As of Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, at least 734 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.

Latest identifications:

Army Sgt. Darby T. Morin, 25, Victoria, Canada, died Aug. 22, 2009 at FOB Shank, Logar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Capt. John L. Hallett III, 30, California, died Aug. 25, 2009 in Sha Wali Kot, southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, Mesa, Arizona, died Aug. 25, 2009 in Sha Wali Kot, southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17h Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, Trenton, Mo., died Aug. 25, 2009 in Sha Wali Kot, southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Spc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, Federal Way, Wash., died Aug. 25, 2009 in Sha Wali Kot, southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Staff Sgt. Kurt R. Curtiss, 27, Murray, Utah, died Aug. 26, 2009 in Sar Howzeh, Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot in a firefight while his unit was supporting Afghan security forces clearing a group of insurgents out of a hospital during an enemy attack. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Marine Lance Cpl. Donald J. Hogan, 20, San Clemente, Calif., died Aug. 26, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Nawa, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Army Pfc. Matthew E. Wildes, 18, Hammond, La., died Aug. 27, 2009 in Maywand, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Army Spc. Abraham S. “Rod” Wheeler III, 22, Columbia, S.C., died Aug. 28, 2009 in Charkh, Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Staff Sgt. Jason S. Dahlke, 29, Orlando, Fla., died Aug. 29, 2009 in Orgun, Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces Aug. 28 while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Army Pfc. Eric W. Hario, 19, Monroe, Mich., died Aug. 29, 2009 in Sharana, Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces Aug. 28 while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Army Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, Cumberland, Maine, died Aug. 31, 2009 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Marine Lance Cpl. David R. Hall, 31, Elyria, Ohio, died Aug. 31, 2009 in Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Army Spc. Tyler R. Walshe, 21, Shasta, Calif., died Aug. 31, 2009 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, Yorba Linda, Calif., died Aug. 31, 2009 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Remember Their Sacrifice

Related links

Iraq Casualties

Afghanistan Casualties

Honor the Fallen

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Visit Military Times — The top source for military news

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Video

August deadliest month (NBC Nightly News, Aug. 31, 2009) — With 52 U.S. troops killed last month in Afghanistan, August 2009 was the deadliest month yet in the deadliest year yet in the Afghan war. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (00:59)

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U.S. General: Afghan Strategy Needs Revision

Men walk past burnt vehicles along Chaman’s Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. Suspected Taliban militants set fire to 18 container trucks carrying supplies for Western forces in neighboring Afghanistan. (Photo credit: Saeed Achakzai / Reuters)

Aug. 31, 2009

KABUL — The commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan called Monday for a new strategy against the Taliban in an assessment of the 8-year-old conflict, saying the situation is serious but victory was achievable.

Afghan farmer Lal Mohammad, who claims his nose and ears were cut of by the Taliban. (Photo credit: Massoud Hossaini / AFP — Getty Images)

NATO officials disclosed that Gen. Stanley McChrystal is expected to separately request more forces to fight an increasingly deadly insurgency. …

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ordered the 60-day review to size up the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan as Taliban attacks rise and U.S. deaths spiral upward. Explosions killed two more U.S. troops, raising the record death toll in August to 47 — the deadliest month of the eight-year war for American forces. …

Full report

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Related reports

Taliban surprising U.S. forces with improved tactics; Obama facing major strategy decisions

Obama weighs Afghan report with 5 measures

Years wasted in Afghan effort, U.N. official says

Opinion by conservative columnist George Will
Time to get out of Afghanistan

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9/2/09 Update

Taliban Attack Kills Key Intel Official, 23 Others

Bombing at mosque strikes the heart of Afghanistan’s intelligence service

Video

Taliban blast kills Afghan intel official (MSNBC, Sept. 2, 2010) — A Taliban suicide bomber killed Afghanistan’s deputy chief of intelligence during a visit to a mosque east of Kabul on Wednesday in an attack that left 23 others dead. MSNBC.com’s Dara Brown reports. (00:41)

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Iraq update

Iraq Civilian Deaths are Highest Since April

Sept. 1, 2009

BAGHDAD — The number of civilians recorded killed in violence in Iraq shot up to 393 in August, its highest level since April, after a spate of huge bombings caused carnage in Baghdad and northern Iraq.

Figures from the ministry of health showed a big increase on last month’s 224 violent deaths in Iraq. The figure was also slightly higher than the 382 killed in August last year.

Two massive truck bombs in Baghdad on August 19 at government ministries killed 95 people in Iraq’s bloodiest day this year. …

In April, some 395 civilians died in violence in Iraq, including 105 Iranian Shi’ite pilgrims killed in bombings blamed on Sunni Islamist al Qaeda.

The numbers are still far lower than at the height of the sectarian violence between once dominant Sunnis and majority Shi’ites in 2006 and 2007. In August 2007, for example, 1,773 civilians were killed, according to the health ministry data.

The number of U.S. troops killed in hostile acts remained low at four in August, the same number killed in July, according to icasualties.org, which tracks coalition casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This was largely owing to sharply reduced U.S. military activity since its troops pulled out of Iraqi cities in June. …

At least 4,336 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, official figures show.

Close to 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq’s violence in that time, according to iraqbodycount.org.

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Related report

Iraq: Key figures since the war began

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago Today — September 1, 2008

On the Campaign Trail: Day 49 (Labor Day)

Patrick (2) fishing from a constituent’s dock during a campaign swing to Little Rock Lake in Benton County.

One year ago today, on the 49th day of my campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I visited the St. Stephen Parish Festival with my four children. Afterwards, we made a detour through Rice on the way home to Sartell, for an update on shoreline restoration and water quality issues on Little Rock Lake in Benton County.