U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq

As of Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at least 4,408 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, 31,865 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department’s weekly tally.

U.S. Troop Casualties in Iraq

Latest identifications:

Army Spc. Christopher W. Opat, 29, Spencer, Iowa, died June 15, 2010 in Baqubah, Iraq of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Army Capt. Michael P. Cassidy, 41, Simpsonville, S.C., died June 17, 2010 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Army Spc. Jacob P. Dohrenwend, 20, Milford, Ohio, died June 21, 2010 at Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. [He left a message for friends and family to be read in the event of his death: “I do not regret dying for a second. I only regret we did not have more time. This isn’t really a goodbye, but a temporary distance between us.”]

U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan

As of Friday, June 18, 2010, at least 1,036 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 Spc. Matthew R. Catlett, 23, Houston, Texas, died June 7, 2010 in Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Charles S. Jirtle, 29, Lawton, Okla., died June 7, 2010 in Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Sgt. Joshua A. Lukeala, 23, Yigo, Guam, died June 7, 2010 in Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Blaine E. Redding, 22, Plattsmouth, Neb., died June 7, 2010 in Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Brian M. Anderson, 24, Harrisonburg, Va., died June 12, 2010 in Za Khel, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Spc. Benjamin D. Osborn, 27, Queensbury, N.Y., died June 15, 2010 in Shigalwashheltan district, Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael C. Bailey, 29, Park Hills, Mo., died June 16, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Army Spc. Nathan W. Cox, 27, Fremont, Calif., died June 16, 2010 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained June 14 when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire at Near Forward Operating Base, Khogyani, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Pfc. Gunnar R. Hotchkin, 31, Naperville, Ill., died June 16, 2010 at North Kunduz, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 161st Engineer Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Army Spc. Joseph D. Johnson, 24, Flint, Mich., died June 16, 2010 at North Kunduz, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 161st Engineer Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Marine Cpl. Jeffrey R. Standfest, 23, St. Clair, Mich., died June 16, 2010 when an improvised explosive device struck him while on foot patrol supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Army Staff Sgt. James P. Hunter, 25, South Amherst, Ohio, died June 18, 2010 in Zhari district, Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Navy  Hospital Corpsman William Ortega, 23, Miami, Fla., died June 18, 2010 in Garmsir district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device blast while conducting combat operations against enemy forces. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Army Pfc. Benjamin J. Park, 25, Fairfax Station, Va., died June 18, 2010 at Zhari district, Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Scott A. Andrews, 21, Fall River, Mass., died June 21, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Zabul province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 618th Engineer Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy G. Serwinowski, 21, North Tonawanda, N.Y., died June 21, 2010 while supporting combat operations, when he was hit by sniper fire in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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Related report

Most 101st Airborne Soldiers Killed in 1 Day Since 2003

By Jake Lowary
The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.)

Excerpt

Fort Campbell on June 16 identified four of the five soldiers who died June 7 in one of the deadliest days for the 101st Airborne Division in recent memory.

According to Fort Campbell, the soldiers who died were:

• Sgt. Joshua A. Lukeala, 23, of Yigo, Guam.
• Spc. Matthew R. Catlett, 23, of Houston, Texas.
• Spc. Charles S. Jirtle, 29, of Lawton, Okla.
• Spc. Blaine E. Redding, 22, of Plattsmouth, Neb.

The Associated Press reported the fifth soldier who died was First Sgt. Robert N. Barton, a Roxie, Miss., native.

They were all assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team and died when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in the Dangam district of Kunar Province.

The deaths are the most in a single day since members of the division began deploying to the country earlier this year. It’s also the most casualties in a single day since a helicopter crashed in Mosul, Iraq, in 2003, killing four 101st soldiers. …

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Remember Their Sacrifice

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — June 22, 2009

Iraq/Afghanistan Weekly Update

One-year retrospective: One year ago today I provided a weekly summary of security incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan.