U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq

As of Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, at least 4,335 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

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U.S. Troop Casualties in Iraq

Latest identification:

Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings, 23, Claremore, Okla., died Aug. 17, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas.

Army Spc. William Z. “Will” VanOsdol, 23, Pinson, Ala., died Aug. 19, 2009 at Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy rocket fire struck his quarters. He was assigned to the 172nd Support Battalion, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Army 2nd Lt. Joseph D. Fortin, 22, St. Johnsbury, Vt., died Aug. 23, 2009 in Muhallah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan

As of Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, at least 724 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.

Family members receive the casket of Army Staff Sgt. Clayton Bowen, 29, after its arrival in San Antonio, on Tuesday. Bowen was killed in action Aug. 18, 2009 after he was struck by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. As troop deaths have risen, so have doubts about the war. (Photo credit: Eric Gay / AP)

Latest identifications:

Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class William B. (Brian) Woods, Jr., 31, Chesapeake, Va., died Aug. 16, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when he was shot Aug. 14 while on patrol in Ghanzi, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Maryland National Guard, Glen Arm, Md.

Marine Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, Floral Park, N.Y., died Aug. 17, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Garmsir, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marine Master Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, Garfield Heights, Ohio died Aug. 18, 2009 while supporting combat operations in in COP Payne, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Army Staff Sgt. Clayton P. Bowen, 29, San Antonio, Texas, died Aug. 18, 2009 in Dila, Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. “Joe” Crisostomo, 59, Injaran, Guam, died Aug. 18, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Troy O. Tom, 21, Shiprock, N.M., died Aug. 18, 2009 in Arghandab, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney, 20, Litchfield, Minn., died Aug. 18, 2009 in Arghandab, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Army Pfc. Morris L. Walker, 23, Chapel Hill, N.C., died Aug. 18, 2009 in Dila, Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Army Sgt. Paul E. Dumont Jr., 23, Williamsburg, Va., died Aug. 19, 2009 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 149th Transportation Company, 10th Transportation Battalion, Fort Eustis, Va.

Army Spc. Justin R. Pellerin, 21, Boscawen, N.H., died Aug. 20, 2009 at FOB Shank, Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Pfc. Brian M. Wolverton, 21, Oak Park, Calif., died Aug. 20, 2009 in Asadabad, Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Sgt. Matthew L. Ingram, 25, Pearl, Miss., died Aug. 21, 2009 in Chapa Dara, Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, and his unit came under small-arms fire from enemy forces. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Army Staff Sgt. (Green Beret) Andrew T. Lobosco, 29, Somerville, N.J., died Aug. 22, 2009 in Camp Bastion, Yakhchal, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

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Related report

NATO Deaths in Afghanistan Hit New High

Four U.S. troops deaths put Western toll for 2009 at record 295

A wounded U.S. soldier receives first aid inside a bunker in Bargematal, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. (Photo credit: Oleg Popov / Reuters)

Reuters and the Associated Press via MSNBC.com
Aug. 25, 2009

KABUL — Four U.S. servicemen were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday, making 2009 the deadliest year for the growing contingent of foreign troops since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

The deaths highlighted the steadily worsening violence in the country, which has been in political limbo since a disputed presidential election last week.

The election has also been a test of President Barack Obama’s strategy of rushing thousands of extra U.S. troops to the country this year in a bid to reverse Taliban gains.

More than 30,000 extra U.S. troops arrived in Afghanistan this year, most part of a package of reinforcements ordered by Obama in May. There are now more than 100,000 Western troops in the country, 63,000 of them Americans.

A NATO statement said the four U.S. service members were killed in the south, the Taliban’s heartland, but gave no further details.

That would bring the number of foreign troops who died in Afghanistan this year to 295, according to Web site icasualties.org, which compiles figures. Last year was the previous deadliest year when 294 were killed.

However, a count by The Associated Press puts the number of overall NATO deaths this year at 292. Last year, 286 died, according to AP figures.

The U.S. reinforcements sent by Obama, along with a British contingent already deployed in the south of the country, have advanced deep into formerly Taliban-held territory, taking heavy casualties mainly from roadside bombs. More Western troops have died since March than in the entire period from 2001-2004. …

Video

Deadly year in Afghanistan (MSNBC, Aug. 25, 2009) — NBC’s Richard Engel reports on the four American troops killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. (04:02)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago Today — August 25, 2008

On the Campaign Trail: Day 42

One year ago today, on the 42nd 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 posted the first image of the Minnesota state partisan primary ballot, information about Minnesota’s open primary election system, and information about absentee voting. In line with my campaign focus on national security, I also posted an update on the Iraq war, where a mass-casualty suicide bombing struck Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib district and a U.S. soldier was killed in action.