Friday, July 07, 2006 7:41 AM - The DoD has formally confirmed the identity of an Indiana National Guardsman who died in Iraq on July 3rd in Iraq: Staff Sergeant Paul S. Pabla, 23, of Fort Wayne, IN.

Friday, July 07, 2006 10:34 AM - An Associated Press article has appeared today, July 7th, that sheds more light on the death of Airman 1st Class Carl Jerome Ware, Jr., at Camp Bucca in the south of Iraq on July 1st. He was apparently shot by someone at the base. An investigation is underway to determine if the shooting was deliberate or accidental.

Saturday, July 08, 2006 5:26 AM - The Washington Post is reporting this morning that 3 US soldiers attached to a Marine unit were killed in Al Anbar Province Iraq on Saturday, July 8th. Details are sketchy at this point.

Saturday, July 08, 2006 5:51 AM - CENTCOM has confirmed the deaths of 3 US soldiers in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on Saturday, July 8th.

Saturday, July 08, 2006 6:41 PM - Details are scanty ... and this servicemember may have been a soldier, not a Marine ... but KGBT-4 and the Associated Press have identified one of the dead from the July 8th attack that killed three Americans in Al Anbar Province, Iraq: Omar Flores of Mission, Texas.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 5:45 AM - Station KGBT-4 and the Associated Press have published a few more details on Staff Sergeant Omar Demetrio Flores Flores who died July 8th in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, along with two other Americans.

Sunday, July 09, 2006 1:18 PM - CENTCOM has issued a press release to the effect that a US soldier died in Baghdad early on July 9th in a non-combat related incident.

Monday, July 10, 2006 5:02 AM - The Associated Press is reporting that Army Specialist Troy Carlin Linden, 22, of Rochert, Minnesota, was killed in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on Saturday, July 8th. A roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle.

Monday, July 10, 2006 3:50 PM - The DoD has released the names of the three soldiers who died in Al Anbar Province on July 8th:
              Staff Sgt. Omar D. Flores, 27, of Mission, Texas.
              Spc. Troy C. Linden, 22, of Detroit Lakes, Minn.
              Spc. Joseph P. Micks, 22, of Rapid River, Mich.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 2:15 PM - The DoD has formally confirmed the death of Sgt. Justin L. Noyes, 23, of Vinita, Oklahoma, on July 2nd in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 5:17 AM - The Detroit News is reporting the death of a Michigan Army National Guardsman on July 10th at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX: Sgt. Duane Dreasky, 31, of Lodi, Michigan. He had been seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq in November of last year.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 12:39 PM - The DoD has now formally confirmed the death of Sgt. Duane J. Dreasky, 31, of Novi, Michigan. He died on July 10th at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:37 PM - The Associated Press is reporting that a 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldier was killed Wednesday, July 12th, in Mosul when he was hit by small arms fire.

Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:18 PM - CENTCOM is reporting the death of a US sailor in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 12th.

Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:52 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the soldier killed in Mosul, Iraq, on July 12th: Sgt. Irving Hernandez, Jr., 28, of New York, New York.

Thursday, July 13, 2006 3:38 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the soldier who died from an unspecified cause in Baghdad on July 9th: Spc. Damien M. Montoya, 21, of Holbrook, Arizona.

Friday, July 14, 2006 2:12 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the Seabee who was killed in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 12th: Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry A. Tharp, 44, of Muscatine, Iowa.

Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:35 AM - CNN is reporting the death today of a U.S. servicemember in Baghdad near the Sadr City area from a roadside bomb.

Saturday, July 15, 2006 9:39 AM -

Sunday, July 16, 2006 6:36 AM - The British Ministry of Defense has confirmed that one of their troops died this morning, July 16th, after coming under small arms attack in Basrah in southern Iraq. The soldier was evacuated to a British medical facility, but subsequently died.

Monday, July 17, 2006 6:51 AM - The British Ministry of Defense has released the identity of their soldier killed in Basrah, Iraq, on Sunday, July 16: Corporal John Johnston Cosby, 28, from Exeter in the south of England.

Monday, July 17, 2006 7:09 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Iraq, the Multi-National Corps - Iraq, has released confirmation of a soldier's death in western Baghdad on Monday, July 17th.

Monday, July 17, 2006 9:24 AM - The Multi-National Corps - Iraq headquarters has issued another press release announcing the death of a second U.S. soldier today, July 17th ... this one from a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad.

Monday, July 17, 2006 10:36 AM - Multi-National Corps - Iraq has posted a third press release on its website this morning announcing another death: a U.S. soldier killed in Al Anbar Province due to hostile fire on July 17th.

Monday, July 17, 2006 12:30 PM - The DoD has announced the death of Sgt. Thomas B. Turner, Jr., 31, of Cottonwood, California, on July 14th from injuries received when an IED exploded near his vehicle in Iraq.  The Redding Record-Searchlight has published a brief article about Sgt. Turner.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:53 AM - The DoD announced the death on July 16th of Staff Sgt. Jason M. Evey, 29, of Stockton, CA, from injuries caused by a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:10 AM - Although media articles had begun to appear on the death of 23 year old Al'Kaila Floyd in Iraq, none had given his date of death. Finally today the Grand Rapids Press stated that he died at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on Thursday, July 14th.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:17 PM - The DoD has just confirmed the death of Sergeant Al'kaila T. Floyd, 23, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He died last Thursday, July 13th, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:35 AM -

(1) The DoD released the identity of the soldier killed near Sadr City in Baghdad on July 15th: Sgt. Andres J. Contreras, 23, of Huntington Park, California. It is likely that he is the death covered in this CENTCOM release.   (2) The DoD released the identity of the soldier killed in the southern part of Baghdad on July 15th: Spc. Manuel J. Holguin, 21, of Woodlake, California. His unit is working alongside soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division in the general area of south Baghdad.   (3) The DoD released the identity of a soldier killed in Bayji, Iraq, from a rocket propelled grenade attack on July 17th: Cpl. Nathaniel S. Baughman, 23, of Monticello, Indiana. A brief article appeared at the WLFI website.   (4) The DoD released the identity of a soldier killed in Ramadi in Al Anbar Province on July 17th: Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickinson II, 26, of Battle Creek, Michigan. An article on the sergeant (with picture) can be found at the Fayetteville Online website.   (5) The DoD released the identity of a soldier killed by small arms fire in Baghdad on July 17th: Cpl. Kenneth I. Pugh, 39, of Houston, Texas.   (6) The DoD released the identity of a soldier killed by an improvised explosive device in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on July 17th: Sgt. 1st Class Scott R. Smith, 34, of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.   (7) Multi-National Corps - Iraq is reporting the death of a US Marine of a non-hostile, unspecified cause in Al Anbar Province on July 18th.   (8) CBS-4 News in Boston is reporting the death on July 18th of a US Army soldier in Iraq: Sgt. Mark Veccione, 25, of Eastham, Massachusetts. [Note that this same article also announces the death of US Marine Lance Corporal Geoffrey Cayer of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, but no date of death is given.]   (9) Buried deep within this article from the London Guardian is a report of the death of a Salvadoran soldier near Kut southwest of Baghdad in a bombing on July 19th. (10) The Kuwait News Agency is reporting the death of a British soldier on Wednesday, July 19th, in Basrah.

Friday, July 21, 2006 6:14 AM - This morning, a Southern Maryland Online article identified a US soldier who had been badly burned in an IED attack in Iraq last Sunday, July 16th.  Matthew Wallace, of Lexington Park, Maryland, had been transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany but was not expected to live.

The Wallace Family were able to get to Germany safely, thank you for your prayers.

At 07:30a.m. EST, the family chose to unplug Matthew from the ventilator. He very quickly and peacefully passed away. The family reports the "Spirit of Liberty" was very present in the room, there was a strong presence of comfort, release and edification surrounding them. They are at peace with their decision, and grateful to have been together as a family in that moment.

Friday, July 21, 2006 9:10AM - The website El Mundo has a series of articles published (in Spanish) on the third El Salvadoran to die in Iraq: 41 year old Subsargento José Miguel Sánchez Perdomo of San Rafael Oriente in San Miguel Province.  He was part of the El Salvadoran Navy's 600-man Marine Infantry Battalion (Batallón de Infantería de Marina).  Perdomo was the driver of an armored Humvee that was hit by a roadside bomb in the district of Alkarramm in the city of Al Kut, southwest of Baghdad in Wassit Province.

Perdomo entered the army for the first time in 1985.  But after a 6 year retirement, he returned to the service in 2000, this time with the Marine Infantry Battalion based in La Union.  This was his second tour of Iraq.  His brother Juan Alvaro Perdomo, who is also in the army, said that Jose was well content to go to Iraq a second time.   His wife, Minora Avalos, conscious of the danger in Iraq, tried to stop him.  She caught him by the shirt and begged him not to go.  Jose's argument was that he was going to Iraq to make money to construct his own house.  Also, he had promised his 4 year old son Bryan that he would buy him a Nintendo game when he got back.   In each communication with his family from Iraq, he said he was content and seemed tranquil.  But his father had a hunch. Tuesday he felt a pain in his chest and much fatigue which was rare for him.  Wednesday the phone rang, and he was told that the second of his five children had died in an explosion.

Friday, July 21, 2006 9:21AM - The Multi-National Force in Iraq has announced the death of a Marine in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 21st from hostile fire.

Friday, July 21, 2006 7:01 PM - The DoD has announced a new death ... a National Guardsman who died on July 20th in Iraq: Pfc. Derek J. Plowman, 20, of Everton, Arkansas. The DoD does not specify if the death was hostile or non-hostile, so we have only assumed it to be hostile until further research can be done.

The DoD has also identified the Marine who was killed in Al Anbar Province on July 20th: Cpl. Julian A. Ramon, 22, of Flushing, New York.

 

Saturday, July 22, 2006 7:56 AM -

(1) CENTCOM has issued a notice of a 43rd Military Police Brigade death on July 20th. This is a very vague notice, to say the least.  The dead person is referred to as a "Servicemember" ... which could mean any branch of service.  And the death location is not specifically given, although the byline on the notice is "Baghdad."  It is possible that this could be referring to the death of Pfc. Derek Plowman on July 20th; but Plowman belonged to an artillery unit, not a military police outfit.  So we are considering this latest death to be a new one until more information turns up.   (2) Incidentally, as of 8 AM this morning, no further information has been published on the death of Derek Plowman that might shed light on how he died.   (3) CENTCOM has also issued a notice announcing the death of a soldier on July 22nd from an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.

Saturday, July 22, 2006 12:22 PM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Baghdad, Multi-National Force - Iraq, is reporting another death today, July 22nd ... a soldier killed by small arms fire south of Baghdad.

Sunday, July 23, 2006 2:47 AM - The DoD has formally confirmed that Cpl. Matthew P. Wallace, 22, of Lexington Park, Maryland, died at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on July 21st.

Correction: To keep from unintentionally inflating the death numbers, we are removing the extra death on July 15th for which the DoD has yet to provide a name.  It is appearing more and more likely that CENTCOM inadvertently doubled up on their death notices and reported 3 deaths that day when in reality there were only 2.

Sunday, July 23, 2006 4:33 AM - The Charlottesville Daily Progress is reporting on the death of a local man in Iraq.  Specialist Adam Fargo, 22, of Ruckersville, Virginia, died in an IED blast in Baghdad on July 22nd.  CENTCOM has previously confirmed an IED death on that day, without naming the victim.

Monday, July 24, 2006 2:44 AM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Baghdad, Multi-National Force - Iraq, has issued a notice of a soldier's death in the Al Anbar Province on July 22nd.

Monday, July 24, 2006 12:11 PM - CENTCOM's headquarters in Baghdad, MNF-I, has just reported two more deaths: two soldiers killed today, July 24th, in separate incidents in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

Monday, July 24, 2006 2:47 PM -

(1) The DoD has released the identity of the Marine killed on July 21st in Al Anbar Province: Captain Christopher T. Pate, 29, of Hampstead, North Carolina.   (2) The DoD has also released the identity of a soldier who died on July 22nd from what sounds like a possibly booby-trapped mortar cache, or perhaps enemy fire while investigating the cache: Captain Blake H. Russell, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas. The circumstances of his death don't quite match anything that CENTCOM has previously announced. But his unit, the 1st Battalion of the 502nd Infantry is definitely operating in the area south of Baghdad. Until other information comes to light, and in order to avoid inflating the death count, he will be counted as the small arms death south of Baghdad on the 22nd already described by CENTCOM.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 7:15 AM - WSAW-News Channel 7 is reporting on the death of a Wisconsin National Guardsman in Iraq on Monday, July 24th: Specialist Stephen William Castner, 27, of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the details are still too sketchy to add him to the database. He could be one of the two soldier deaths in Al Anbar Province on the 24th that CENTCOM previously reported. Or he could be a whole new death. His unit, the 1st Battalion of the 121st Field Artillery Regiment, was assigned convoy duty from Kuwait up through Iraq, so his death could have happened just about anywhere. Hopefully, more info will be forthcoming soon...  The Associated Press has published a statement from the young man's parents, Kay and Steve Castner.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 3:02 PM -

(1) The DoD has now confirmed the death of Spc. Stephen W. Castner on July 24th. He is indeed a new death, not previously reported by CENTCOM. He died near "Tallil", which refers to the Tallil Air Base located 20 km southwest of the city of An Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.   (2) The DoD has also confirmed the death of Cpl. Adam J. Fargo on July 22nd. The only discrepancy here is that the DoD are saying that his death was by small arms fire, whereas the media have quoted his father as stating that his son's vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.   (3) CENTCOM is reporting the death of a "Servicemember" killed in action north of Baghdad on July 25th.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 10:27 AM - CENTCOM has announced the death of a U.S. sailor in Baghdad, Iraq, from non-hostile causes on July 26th.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 1:13 PM - The Associated Press is reporting on the death of a Western Michigan man in Iraq: Spc. Dennis K. Samson, 24, of Hesperia, Michigan. The article places his death on July 24th, although it doesn't say where in Iraq the death occurred. Since CENTCOM has already confirmed two soldier deaths that day in Al Anbar Province, we've placed Spc. Sampson in one of those slots until more information turns up.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 4:54 PM - The DoD is now confirming that Spc. Dennis K. Samson, Jr. was indeed one of the Al Anbar Province deaths on July 24th. He died at or near Al Taqaddum Airbase which is between Ramadi and Fallujah near Habbaniyah west of Baghdad.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 4:41 AM - The Associated Press has published an article on the death of Staff Sgt. Christopher Swanson, 25, of Rose Haven, Maryland, who was killed in Iraq on Saturday, July 22nd. His place of death is not given, so we can only assume for now that he is the Al Anbar death on the 22nd, the only death remaining that day for which we do not have a name.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 7:57 AM - The DoD has announced the identity of the soldier killed north of Baghdad on Tuesday, July 25th: Spc. Joseph A. Graves, 21, of Discovery Bay, California.

Thursday, July 27, 2006 1:50 PM -
(1) The DoD has now confirmed that Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swanson, 25, of Maryland, was indeed the Al Anbar Province death on July 22nd. He died in Ramadi from small arms fire.
(2) The DoD has also announced the identity of the second soldier killed in Al Anbar Province on July 24th: Captain Jason M. West, 28, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He also died in Ramadi

Friday, July 28, 2006 5:02 AM -

(1) Multi-National Corps - Iraq is reporting the death of a Marine due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 28th.   (2) The Associated Press is reporting the death of another Salvadoran soldier in Iraq: Deputy Sergeant Donald Alberto Ramirez. The sergeant was killed on the outskirts of Diwaniyah in southern Iraq by a roadside bomb on July 27th.

Friday, July 28, 2006 11:08 AM -

(1) The DoD has identified the sailor who died on July 26th in Baghdad, Iraq: Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward A. Koth, 30, of Towson, Maryland. His death apparently occurred when ordnance exploded prematurely during a disposal operation.   (2) WCPO-TV is reporting the death of a U.S. Marine in Ramadi in Al Anbar Province, Iraq: Corporal Timothy Roos, 20, from the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. Although a date of death was not specifically given in the article, CENTCOM did post a notice yesterday of a Marine death on July 28th. As the family was notified at 4 AM on the 28th, and considering the 8 hour time difference, the corporal likely did die that day. (Here's a story published less than 2 months ago, telling how Roos and 4 other marines walked away from an explosion unharmed: "Marines clean mean streets of Ramadi," by Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo, Marine Expeditionary Force. The story quotes Tim Roos, “'The explosion shattered all the glass on the vehicle, popped all four doors open and sent shrapnel ripping though the engine,' he said. 'It’s scary, and if you’re not scared there is something wrong with you. … but it’s our job, so you got to do it.'”

Friday, July 28, 2006 5:11 PM - Multi-National Force - Iraq has just announced the deaths of three U.S. Marines in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 27th.

Sunday, July 30, 2006 9:26 AM - Multi-National Force - Iraq, CENTCOM's headquarter's in Baghdad, is reporting the deaths of four U.S. Marines in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, July 29th.

Monday, July 31, 2006 2:49 PM - UPDATES & HOUSECLEANING

(1)	It has been 10 days now since CENTCOM reported a non-combat injury death on July 20th. It was a vague notice describing a "servicemember assigned to the 43rd Military Police Brigade" ... and did not even give the place of death, although the notice was datelined Baghdad. Up to today, the DoD has not released a name that would recognizably fill this slot.   But there was another death on the 20th that did NOT have a prior CENTCOM notice. We first heard about it when the DoD issued the name: Pfc. Derek J. Plowman, an Arkansas National Guardsman with the 142nd Fires Brigade. The DoD notice stated that he died in Baghdad from a gun shot wound ... but did not specify if the injury was hostile or non-hostile, a highly unusual omission. Because we could not determine at the time if his death was the same as the one described in the above CENTCOM report, Plowman was listed as a whole new death in our database.   After some research, an article was finally discovered in the Arkansas Democrat & Gazette, dated July 30, 2006, that stated: "Plowman, 20, was killed July 20 after he was shot by an 'accidental discharge of a weapon by another soldier', said his stepfather, Andrew Campbell, in a phone interview ..." Later in the article was this quote: "Plowman served as a military police officer ..."   It now seems clear that the death of the "servicemember assigned to the 43rd MP Brigade" and the death of Pfc. Derek Plowman are one and the same. The duplicate entry has been removed from our database.
(2)	The DoD has released the identities of the three Marines who died in Al Anbar Province on Thursday, July 27th:       Lance Corporal Adam R. Murray, 21, of Cordova, Tennessee     Corporal Timothy D. Roos, 21 of Cincinnati, Ohio     Private 1st Class Enrique C. Sanchez, 21, of Garner, North Carolina   We had already heard of the death of Corporal Roos through the news media and learned that he had died in Ramadi when a roadside bomb exploded beneath his vehicle. Since all three men were from the same unit ... the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines ... it's likely that all three died in the same incident. The first media articles that came out on Roos did not give an exact date of death. Consequently, we had him incorrectly listed as dying on July 28th. The record has now been corrected.
(3)	In the same release, the DoD listed a 4th Marine who also died on the 27th but was from a different unit: Lance Corporal James W. Higgins, 22, of Fredericks, Maryland. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. There was a CENTCOM release issued that might be a match for this death. On July 28th, CENTCOM issued a statement saying that a Marine from Regimental Combat Team 5 died "today". As we have seen many times before, "today" is a misleading term when a report might be written one day and published the next. The 1st Battalion, 1st Marines are assigned to RCT-5. Consequently, and in the interest of not inflating the death count, we have changed the date of this slot to the 27th and assigned it to Lance Corporal Higgins.

Monday, July 31, 2006 3:13 PM - Another Californian has died in Iraq according to a report from ABC-30 News: Tony Butterfield of Clovis. He was one of the four Marines who died on Saturday, July 29th. An article in The Fresno Bee tells of Tony's high school days, and interviews a number of his high school classmates.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 8:06 AM - CENTCOM is reporting the death of a "Servicemember" on July 31st ... a person killed by an improvised explosive device while on convoy duty south of Baghdad.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 12:14 PM - The DoD has now released three of the names of the Marines who died in Al Anbar Province on July 29th. The first press statement covered:
	Lance Corporal Anthony E. Butterfield, 19, of Clovis, CA Sergeant Christian B. Williams, 27, of Winter Haven, FL
The second press statement covered:  Corporal Phillip E. Baucus, 28, of Wolf Creek, Montana.
	Max Baucus' nephew killed in Iraq by kos   Tue Aug 01, 2006 at 04:22:55 PM PDT A nephew of Sen. Max Baucus serving in the Marines was killed in Iraq during the weekend, the senator's office said Tuesday. Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, died Saturday during combat operations in Anbar province, the Department of Defense said. It did not immediately release further information. In a statement, Baucus, D-Mont., said the family was "devastated by the loss." (more...)

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 5:56 PM - KETV.com is reporting the death of a National Guardsman in Iraq: Spc. Joshua Ford, 20, of Pender, Nebraska. He is likely the death described in this CENTCOM release from earlier today.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006 3:55 AM - The DoD has given us an early morning identification. This one is the fourth Marine who died on July 29th in Al Anbar Province: Pfc. Jason Hanson, 21, of Forks, Washington.

Friday, August 04, 2006 8:40 AM - More details are now coming to light about the deaths of four U.S. Marines in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on July 29th. The Lakeland Ledger and the Peninsula Daily News both have articles put together from interviews with the families involved, now that the military has released more details directly to those families.
	The Ledger interviewed the family of Sgt. Christian B. Williams, 27, of Winter Haven, Fla., who was killed Saturday along with Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19, of Clovis, Calif., Pfc. Jason Hanson, 21, of Forks, Wash., and Baucus, 28, of Wolf Creek. "They were killed in the Al Anbar province, Iraq, when a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives into a building just behind the checkpoint to their base," the Ledger reported.
The other article reported that the vehicle was a gasoline tanker. Neither could give a location for the attack.

Friday, August 04, 2006 10:36 AM - The DoD has finally confirmed the death of Sgt. Joshua A. Ford, 20, on July 31st. Notice how vague this release is ... no specific cause of death given. This is usually the case with Marine deaths from the I Marine Expeditionary Force. But it appear to be official policy for even Army deaths lately. We know from local officials with the Nebraska Army National Guard that he was killed by a roadside bomb while engaged in convoy security.

Saturday, August 05, 2006 9:05 AM - Several articles (see here and here for two of them) have now appeared in the Spanish-language media on the death of the Salvadoran soldier on July 27th at Diwaniya in Iraq. His full name was Donald Alberto Ramírez García. He was 34, originally from San Miguel in El Salvador and, from all accounts, unmarried. An interesting note: many El Salvadorans are accusing their government of withholding the news of this death because the day he died was the day their legislature was voting on whether or not to send another 6 month contingent of soldiers to Iraq. The government apparently waited several hours until the approval was obtained ... then released the information.

The current time in Iraq is..

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