USWarWatch.org - Coalition deaths in Iraq, January, 2007

COALITION DEATHS IN IRAQ
ARCHIVE - JANUARY, 2007
A running log of text entries for the month of January, 2007 (chronology runs top to bottom)

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 5:14 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a soldier southwest of Baghdad from an improvised explosive device attack on Monday, January 1st. Three others were wounded in the incident, including an interpreter.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 4:26 PM - The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting the death of 26-year-old Thomas Vandling in Iraq. No date of death is given. However, Pittsburgh station WTAE is reporting that his family was informed of the death on New Year's Day. He could be the soldier who died southwest of Baghdad in a roadside bomb attack on that day as described in this CENTCOM release. Vandling may have been assigned to the Army Airborne Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He was from Bellevue, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Vandling, 26, Bellevue, Pennsylvania

Thursday, January 04, 2007 12:35 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a soldier in western Baghdad in a small arms fire attack on Thursday, January 4th.

Thursday, January 04, 2007 6:46 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Sergeant Thomas E. Vandling, Jr., 26, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a roadside bomb attack in the Baghdad vicinity on New Year's Day.

Jeremiah Johnson, 23, of Vancouver, Washington

Friday, January 05, 2007 6:22 PM - The Portland (Oregon) station KGW is reporting the death of a soldier at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany ... a soldier who had been on life support from injuries he suffered on December 26th when the vehicle he was riding in rolled over into a canal. Specialist Jeremiah Johnson, 23, of Vancouver, Washington, died on Friday morning, January 5th, with his wife and parents at his bedside. According to a write-up in the Columbian News, the accident had trapped him under water for 10 minutes before he could be pulled free, leaving him with traumatic brain injuries. Johnson was the father of two small children.

Jeremiah Johnson, 23, Vancouver, Washington

Saturday, January 06, 2007 10:25 PM -
	(1) MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a soldier assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group in Al Anbar Province due to enemy action on Friday, January 5th.
	(2) MNF-Iraq is also reporting the death of a soldier from small arms fire in southwest Baghdad on Saturday, January 6th.

Sunday, January 07, 2007 8:23 AM -
	(1) The British Ministry of Defense is announcing the death of one of their soldiers in a vehicle accident in Maysan Province on Sunday, January 7th. The accident involved a tracked reconnaissance vehicle. The soldier who died was from the Queen's Royal Lancers regiment.
	(2) The Associated Press, citing U.S. military sources, is reporting the deaths of three U.S. airmen when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad on Sunday, January 7th.

Sunday, January 07, 2007 4:13 PM - The DoD has identified the soldier who died in a small arms fire attack in western Baghdad on Thursday, January 4th: Staff Sergeant Charles D. Allen, 28, of Wasilla, Alaska.

Sunday, January 07, 2007 7:46 PM - The Associated Press is reporting the death in Iraq of U.S. Army Major Michael Lewis Mundell, 47, of Brandenburg, Kentucky. According to the article, Mundell was an army reservist with the 108th Division (Institutional Training) who had been assigned to Fallujah to assist in training Iraqi soldiers. On the day after Thanksgiving, he was wounded by a sniper's bullet; but, although supposedly on "light duty", he refused to be relegated to less dangerous assignments. On Friday, January 5th, Mundell was killed when an IED exploded near him. He leaves behind a wife ... and four children ranging in age from 11 to 17.

Michael Lewis Mundell, 47, Brandenburg, Kentucky

Monday, January 08, 2007 6:30 AM -
	(1) MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a soldier from a small arms fire attack north of Baghdad on Sunday, January 7th.
	(2) MNF-Iraq is also reporting the death of a soldier based out of Fort Hood, TX from enemy action in Salah ad Din Province on Sunday, January 7th.
	(3) The Worksop (England) Guardian has posted a little more information on the British soldier who died in a vehicle accident in Iraq on January 7th. Although not identifying the man by name, they did confirm that he was a family man in his 30's who was from Worksop in Nottinghamshire in central England. The army is still investigating why the tracked vehicle left the road and crashed, killing the vehicle's commander and injuring two others.

Wayne Rees, 36, of Nottinghamshire, England

Monday, January 08, 2007 10:41 AM - The British Ministry of Defense has now released the identity of the British soldier who died in a Scimitar tank crash in Maysan Province on Sunday, January 7th: Sergeant Wayne Rees, 36, of Nottinghamshire, England. Rees had served in the British army, The Queen's Royal Lancers Regiment, since 1988. He is survived by an 11 year old daughter and a 7 year old son.

Wayne Rees, 36, Nottinghamshire, England

Monday, January 08, 2007 3:43 PM - The DoD has released the identities of the three Air Force personnel who died when a roadside bomb exploded in the Baghdad area on Sunday, January 7th:
	Technical Sergeant Timothy R. Weiner, 35, of Tamarac, Florida
	Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki, 23, of New Castle, Delaware
	Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr., 24, of Galesburg, Illinois

	Monday, January 08, 2007 4:01 PM - The Galesburg (Illinois) Register-Mail is running an article on U.S. Air Force Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr. who died in an IED blast in the Baghdad area on January 7th. According to his father, the blast happened south of Baghdad in the town of Al Mahmudiyah. Miller was the oldest of five siblings, one of whom also recently served in Iraq.
Daniel B. Miller Jr., 24, Galesburg, Illinois

January 9, 2007 7:42 AM - The Anchorage Daily News has posted an interesting story about Staff Sgt. Charles D. Allen, 28, of Wasilla, Alaska, who was shot in the neck by small-arms fire and killed on January 4th. Allen's wife said he was a combat medic. Although he was assigned to the 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., his wife said Charles often volunteered for duty and was traveling with another unit, the 23rd Infantry Brigade when he was killed. Allen was midway through his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed. He preferred his work as a combat medic to his job during his first tour of duty, tending to Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, his father said. Allen's wife is left to care for their 7 year old, Orion.

Charles D. Allen, 28, Wasilla, Alaska

Tuesday, January 09, 2007 3:25 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Army Corporal Jeremiah J. Johnson, 23, of Vancouver, Washington. Unfortunately, the release is in error regarding the date and place of death. Johnson did not die on January 6th in Baghdad. He died early in the afternoon on Friday, January 5th, at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. His parents and his wife were at his bedside. His mother wrote the following on the www.caringbridge.org website: "The past 24 hours have taken us through all ranges of emotion. It is with deep sadness that I write that our dear Jeremiah went to be with the Lord at 1:52pm (German time) (4:52am PST) Friday, January 5, 2007." It looks as though Johnson has been posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007 3:34 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division soldier from small arms fire in Diyala Province on Tuesday, January 9th.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 7:34 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of two soldiers in Al Anbar Province from enemy action on Tuesday, January 9th. One was assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters ... the other to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 8:00 AM - Delaware Online has an article about Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki, 23, of New Castle, Delaware, who was killed January 7th when her explosive ordnance disposal team was targeted by a car bomber near Al-Mahmudiyah. She was the first Delaware woman killed in the line of duty in Iraq and the 66th female American soldier to die there. In a Deseretnews.com article, Lt. Col. Craig Biondo, squadron commander of the 775th, said Loncki is the first female explosive-ordnance disposal technician for the Air Force to have been killed in action in Iraq. Loncki was described by her aunt as a faithful Catholic who enjoyed rock music and swimming, and whose beauty belied an athletic toughness evidenced by her success on Padua’s volleyball team and her ability to match boys push-up for push-up.

Elizabeth A. Loncki, 23, New Castle, Delaware

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 8:00 AM - Deseretnews.com has an article about the three explosive ordnance disposal team soldiers who were killed January 7th when a bomb went off in a car bomber they were investigating near Al-Mahmudiyah. Tech Sgt. Timothy R. Weiner, 35, of Tamarac, Florida, leaves behind a wife and a teenage son, and loved the technical side of defusing bombs. "He loved the fact that he was out there saving lives," his brother Eric Weiner said. Timothy Weiner was married to his "high school sweetheart" for 18 years.

Timothy R. Weiner, 35, Tamarac, Florida

James M. Wosika, Jr., 24, of St. Paul, Minnesota

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 3:10 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) soldier when an improvised explosive detonated near his vehicle on the outskirts of Fallujah on Tuesday, January 9th. As it happens, the soldier's identity has just been posted at the Minnesota Army National Guard website: Sergeant James M. Wosika, Jr., 24, of St. Paul, Minnesota.

James M. Wosika, Jr., 24, St. Paul, Minnesota

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 3:31 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Army National Guard Sergeant James M. Wosika Jr., 24, of St. Paul, MN. He died January 9th near Fallujah in an IED attack.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 4:51 PM -
	(1) The DoD has release the identity of the soldier who died in southwest Baghdad from a small arms fire attack on Saturday, January 6th: Specialist Raymond N. Mitchell III, 21, of West Memphis, Arkansas. He was a 10th Mountain Division soldier out of Fort Drum.
	(2) The DoD has also identified the soldier who died north of Baghdad from small arms fire on Sunday, January 7th: Specialist Eric T. Caldwell, 22, of Salisbury, Maryland. Caldwell's unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, is a part of Multi-National Division - Baghdad and is currently based out of Camp Taji just northwest of Baghdad, making him the death described in this CENTCOM release.

Thursday, January 11, 2007 5:10 AM -
	(1) The DoD has identified the "1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division" soldier who died in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Wednesday, January 9th. Private 1st Class Ming Sun, 20, of Cathedral City, California, died in Ramadi in a small arms fire attack. His unit, the 1st Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Carson, CO, is currently attached to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Iraq.
Ming Sun, 20, Cathedral City, California
	(2) The Gloucester-Matthews (Virginia) Gazette-Journal is carrying an interview with the mother of Army Specialist Eric Thomas Caldwell, 22, who was killed in the Baghdad area in a small arms fire attack on Sunday, January 7th. Caldwell had been in Iraq since November and was due to come home for a two week leave this coming weekend. Although yesterday's DoD confirmation of his death gives his hometown as Salisbury, Maryland, he apparently attended all four years of high school in Gloucester, Virginia, where his mother now resides. However, he did serve in the Maryland Army National Guard for two years before joining the regular army in 2005. Caldwell's mother described him as "good as gold" ... "He laughed a lot and found humor in everything."
Eric Thomas Caldwell, 22, Salisbury, Maryland

Thursday, January 11, 2007 5:43 AM - The Memphis (Tennessee) Commercial Appeal has published an interview with the grandparents of Army Specialist Raymond "Neal" Mitchell III who died in a small arms fire attack in Baghdad on Saturday, January 6th. Mitchell lived with them at a public campsite they owned and ran while attending his last two years of high school in West Memphis, Arkansas. He had just turned 21 five days before he died. Jonesboro (Arkansas) station KAIT is also carrying a feature on Mitchell covering his high school years in West Memphis. According to them, he had moved there from Colorado in his junior year.

Thursday, January 11, 2007 8:51 PM -
	(1) The DoD has confirmed the death of Major Michael L. Mundell, 47, of Brandenburg, Kentucky, on Friday, January 5th. He died in Fallujah when an IED detonated near his vehicle.
	(2) The DoD has identified the soldier who died in Diyala Province in a small arms fire attack on Tuesday, January 9th: Private 1st Class Ryan R. Berg, 19, of Sabine Pass, Texas.

Saturday, January 13, 2007 6:15 AM - The Prescott (Arizona) Daily Courier is reporting the death in Iraq of a soldier from Peoria, Arizona. Corporal Stephen James Raderstorf, 21, died on Sunday, January 7th, in the Balad area in Salah ad Din Province. This would make him the death described in this CENTCOM release.

Saturday, January 13, 2007 12:06 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Corporal Stephen J. Raderstorf, 21, of Peoria, Arizona, in Balad on Sunday, January 7th, from enemy action.

Saturday, January 13, 2007 12:18 PM - The British Ministry of Defense is reporting the death of one of their soldiers in Basra in southern Iraq on Saturday, January 13th. They make no mention of whether the death was hostile or non-hostile, nor do they divulge the soldier's army unit.

Sunday, January 14, 2007 10:45 AM -
	(1) The British Ministry of Defense has identified the British soldier who died in Basra City on Saturday, January 13th: Kingsman Alex Green, 21, of Warrington, near Liverpool, England. He was apparently part of a patrol escorting a convoy out of the city that day. On the way back to their base in the center of the city afterward, Green was shot and killed by enemy small arms fire. He leaves behind a 2-year-old son.
Alex Green, 21, Warrington, England
	(2) MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a 105th Engineer Group soldier in an "explosion" somewhere in northern Iraq on Saturday, January 13th.

Sunday, January 14, 2007 2:14 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in an IED blast while on a route clearing mission in central Baghdad on Sunday, January 14th. Four other soldiers were wounded in the explosion.

Sunday, January 14, 2007 8:38 PM - The Southeast Texas Examiner has an article out on 19-year-old Army Private 1st Class Ryan Berg of Sabine Pass, Texas, who died in Iraq on Tuesday, January 9th. Berg was killed only days after returning to Iraq from a holiday leave with his family. He was apparently shot in the shoulder by a sniper. Berg was recently married ... his wife is expecting their first child.

Ryan Berg, 19, Sabine Pass, Texas

Monday, January 15, 2007 3:59 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of an 89th Military Police Brigade soldier north of Baghdad in a roadside bomb blast on Sunday, January 14th.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:25 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of four 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division soldiers in a roadside bomb attack in Ninawa Province in the north of Iraq on Monday, January 15th.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 4:47 PM -
	(1) The DoD has identified the 89th Military Police Brigade soldier who was killed in a roadside bomb blast north of Baghdad on Sunday, January 14th: Sergeant Paul T. Sanchez, 32, of Irving, Texas.
Paul T. Sanchez, 32, of Irving, Texas
	(2) The DoD has also identified the Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier who died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in central Baghdad on Sunday, January 14th: Specialist James D. Riekena, 22, of Redmond, Washington.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 8:01 AM - CENTCOM is reporting the deaths of two soldiers from enemy action in Al Anbar Province. One, assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, died Monday, January 15th. The other, assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, died "today" according to the report which was dated January 17th.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 8:55 AM - Several articles have appeared now in Wisconsin news media that are reporting the death of a 21-year-old Wisconsin Rapids soldier in Iraq: Army Specialist Matthew Tyler Grimm. Of all of them, the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune probably has the most detailed article. According to them, Grimm served with the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, which unit is part of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. According to the Current Iraq Order of Battle on Wikipedia, Grimm would indeed have been based in the Mosul area in Ninawa Province as stated in the Daily Tribune piece. His mother is quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as saying that Grimm died in a roadside bomb attack on Monday, January 15th. That could very well make him one of the four deaths described in this CENTCOM release.

Matthew Tyler Grimm, 21, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 10:26 AM - The DoD has released the identities of the four soldiers who died in the Mosul area in Ninawa Province in an IED blast on Monday, January 15th:
	2nd Lieutenant Mark J. Daily, 23, of Irvine, California
	Sergeant Ian C. Anderson, 22, of Prairie Village, Kansas
Ian and Suzanne Anderson, who served in the same military unit
	Sergeant John E. Cooper, 29, of Ewing, Kentucky
John E. Cooper, 29, of Ewing, Kentucky	Sergeant John E. Cooper, 29, of Ewing, Kentucky
	Specialist Matthew T. Grimm, 21, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 12:02 PM (DECEMBER 2006 UPDATE) - On December 26, 2006, CENTCOM issued this press release announcing the deaths of three Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers in a roadside bomb attack northwest of Baghdad on December 26th. It is now January 17th ... and the DoD has failed to issue the names of the victims. In the nearly four years that we have been keeping the casualty count, the DoD has NEVER taken longer than 10 to 15 days after a death to identify that person. We're now forced to believe that this CENTCOM release was simply made in error, especially since the DoD's own database (updated as of January 6th) does not include these three deaths. By eliminating these three deaths from our own records, we will be in exact agreement with the DoD as to the U.S. death toll in Iraq: 3,005 as of January 6th, 2007. Our corrected death toll as of today, January 17th, is 3,023.

Thursday, January 18, 2007 4:58 AM -
	(1) An article in the Houston Chronicle and also one on the Brazoria County (Texas) website The Facts.com are confirming the death of a 19-year-old soldier from Richwood, Texas, in Iraq. Private Collin Schockmel apparently died on Tuesday, January 16th, when he was hit by a rocket propelled grenade while out on patrol in the Ramadi area. We believe that he was the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division death described in this CENTCOM release, although we also believe that "today" as mentioned on the release was actually meant to be Tuesday, the 16th. Although he was a radio operator by training, he had been assigned to short-handed patrol units. Both articles stressed that although he had only been in Iraq since October, he'd been granted the rare privilege of a trip home for Christmas. His grandmother commented, "It was as if he came home to tell us goodbye."
Collin Schockmel, 19, Richwood, Texas [Sierra Vista, Arizona]	(2) CENTCOM is reporting the death of a U.S. sailor in a non-combat related incident at Camp Bucca near Umm Qasr in the far south of Iraq on Wednesday, January 17th.

	Thursday, January 18, 2007 9:42 AM - The Orange County (California) Register has published a good article on Army 2nd Lieutenant Mark J. Daily who died in a roadside bomb blast in the vicinity of Mosul in northern Iraq on Monday, January 15th. The 23-year-old had been in Iraq for only three months. He leaves behind a wife of 18 months, his parents and three siblings.
Mark J. Daily, 23, Irvine, California

Friday, January 19, 2007 5:26 AM - CENTCOM is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier when an improvised explosive device detonated in a northwestern part of Baghdad on Thursday, January 18th. Three other soldiers were wounded in the incident.

Friday, January 19, 2007 1:32 PM - The DoD has identified the 105th Engineer Group soldier who died in an explosion on Saturday, January 13th. Sergeant Gregroy A. Wright, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts, died in a roadside bomb attack in the vicinity of Muqdadiyah in Diyala Province northeast of Baghdad. A memorial service for the sergeant was held at Fort Riley on Thursday, the 18th. Topeka (Kansas) station KTKA has a brief video clip here.

Gregroy A. Wright, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts

Friday, January 19, 2007 1:50 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Army Specialist Collin R. Schockmel, 19, of Richwood, Texas, in a grenade attack in the vicinity of Ramadi in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 16th.

Saturday, January 20, 2007 7:34 AM -
	(1) MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division soldier in Ninawa Province in northern Iraq on Friday, January 19th, when a roadside bomb detonated. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack.
	(2) MNF-Iraq is also reporting the death of a Regimental Combat Team 5 Marine from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Friday, January 19th.
	(3) Lastly, MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from an improvised explosive device attack in a northern district of Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th.

Saturday, January 20, 2007 7:48 AM - The DoD has identified the sailor who died of an unspecified cause at Camp Bucca near Umm Qasr in Basrah Province in the far south of Iraq on Wednesday, January 17th: Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph D. Alomar, 22, of Brooklyn, New York.

	Saturday, January 20, 2007 8:58 AM - Reuters, citing US military sources, is reporting that a U.S. helicopter went down northeast of Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th, killing all 13 people aboard. We will post these deaths once we have confirmation that all of the deaths were indeed military.

	Saturday, January 20, 2007 10:06 AM - MNF-Iraq has now confirmed the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemen in the crash of a U.S. military helicopter northeast of Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th. The release does not indicate if the crash was the result of hostile action or an accident.

Saturday, January 20, 2007 3:21 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of five American soldiers in an attack by a militia group on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center building in Karbala, south of Baghdad, on Saturday, January 20. The Americans were apparently in the building to discuss security measures with local Iraqi officials for pilgrims traveling to Karbala to celebrate Ashura, when it was attacked with small arms fire, grenades and indirect fire (mortars or rockets). Three American soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

Saturday, January 20, 2007 5:07 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a 105th Engineer Group soldier in northern Iraq from a roadside bomb attack on Saturday, January 20th. This is the second death from this unit in the span of a week, Sergeant Gregroy Wright having died on January 13th.

Military revises US battle toll from Saturday

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The US military says it isn't sure why a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq yesterday, killing everyone on board. The military initially reported 13 killed in the crash but has now corrected the number to 12. A military spokesman in the United Arab Emirates has told al-Arabiya television the helicopter may have had technical troubles.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 3:41 AM - Reuters is reporting the death of a British soldier in a northern part of Basra City in the far south of Iraq on Sunday, January 21st. Apparently a routine armored patrol was hit with a roadside bomb that killed one soldier and wounded four, one seriously.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 5:43 AM -
	(1) The British Ministry of Defense has posted confirmation on their website of the death of one of their soldiers in Basra City from a roadside bomb attack on Sunday, January 21st.
	(2) MNF-Iraq has posted a correction to their press release issued yesterday concerning the crash of a Blackhawk helicopter northeast of Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th. The death count has been revised downward from 13 dead to 12 dead ... 8 passengers, 4 crewmembers ... all soldiers. According to media reports, the craft went down in Diyala Province in the vicinity of Ba'qubah. There is still no official word as to the cause of the crash.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 8:23 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting five more American deaths on Saturday, January 20th. These latest are described as four soldiers and a Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 who died from enemy action in Al Anbar Province. The total U.S. death count for the 20th alone now stands at 24.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 9:19 AM - MNF-Iraq is now reporting a 25th American death on Saturday, January 20th: a Multi-National Baghdad soldier killed in a roadside bomb attack northeast of Baghdad.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 12:28 PM - The Kansas City Star has published an article on Sergeant Ian C. Anderson, 22, from Prairie Village, Kansas, who died on January 15th along with three other soldiers in a roadside bomb blast in the vicinity of Mosul. In a rare turn of events, Anderson's wife Suzanne was also in the army, serving in the same unit alongside her husband in Mosul, their 3-year-old daughter being cared for by Suzanne's parents back in the States. Suzanne is currently making her way back to Kansas for the funeral, although bad weather along the way is slowing her return.

Ian and Suzanne Anderson, who served in the same military unit

Sunday, January 21, 2007 12:46 PM - Newsday is carrying an interview with relatives of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph D. Alomar, 22, who died of a non-hostile cause at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq on Wednesday, January 17th. He was the eldest brother of a large family ... seven siblings and three step-siblings ... raised in Brooklyn, New York. Alomar had served in the Navy for two and a half years, much of it security-related "land duty", about which he told his relatives little. His mother has disclosed that his body was found at Camp Bucca with a bullet to the head, and that an autopsy is pending and an investigation underway. Alomar was married and had a 5-year-old daughter.

Joseph D. Alomar, 22, Brooklyn, New York

Sunday, January 21, 2007 3:56 PM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of two 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit marines in separate hostile incidents in Al Anbar Province on Sunday, January 21st.

Sunday, January 21, 2007 5:51 PM -
	(1) The DoD has released the name of the soldier assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 who died in Al Anbar Province on Monday, January 15th. Army Specialist Jason J. Corbett, 23, of Casper, Wyoming, died in a small arms fire attack in the vicinity of Karmah near Fallujah.
	(2) The DoD has also identified the soldier who died in an improvised explosive device attack in northwestern Baghdad on Thursday, January 18th: Specialist William Joshua Rechenmacher, 24, of Jacksonville, Florida. The local FOX station has interviewed his parents who at this point know only that their son, who went by the name of "Joshua", was the gunner atop his Humvee when the bomb detonated, killing him instantly. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

	Sunday, January 21, 2007 6:08 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the soldier who died in a roadside bomb attack in the vicinity of Mosul in Ninawa Province on Friday, January 19th: Sergeant 1st Class Russell P. Borea, 38, of El Paso, Texas.
Russell P. Borea, 38, of El Paso, Texas

Monday, January 22, 2007 3:15 AM - On January 10th, CENTCOM issued a notice of the death of a soldier "assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group" in Al Anbar Province on January 9th. Presumably this soldier would have died in the Fallujah area where that headquarters is located. However, 12 days have now gone by and the DoD has failed to identify this death. Moreover, also on January 10th, CENTCOM issued a report of a soldier assigned to the 13th Sustainment Command dying on January 9th in Fallujah. This soldier was later identified by the DoD as Sergeant James M. Wosika Jr. We now believe that CENTCOM erroneously issued two notices for the same death. The exact same situation with the exact same units happened on December 2nd with the deaths of Spc. Bryan McDonough and Spc. Corey Rystad ... only in that situation CENTCOM actually issued a formal retraction of one of the doubled up notices. At this time, we are deleting the unidentified death on the 9th and reducing our death count by one.

Monday, January 22, 2007 4:00 AM - The British Ministry of Defense has issued a little more information on the soldier who was killed in an IED blast on the northern outskirts of Basra City on Sunday, January 21st. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of The Light Infantry based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Monday, January 22, 2007 6:17 AM - The DoD has announced the death of Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer A. Valdivia, 27, in Bahrain where she was stationed as part of Naval Support Activity (NSA). The DoD would state only that her death was non-hostile. However, a write-up in the English-language Gulf Daily News in Bahrain cited local police and US military in reporting that her death was a suicide. Valdivia lived off-base in a villa in Zinj. Last seen on January 11th, she was reported missing when she failed to report for duty on the 14th. On January 16th, her residence was searched and her body found. She had gassed herself, leaving a suicide note behind. Her remains are in the process of being returned to her family in Cambridge, Illinois.

Jennifer A. Valdivia, 27, Cambridge, Illinois

Monday, January 22, 2007 6:40 AM - The Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Advocate is reporting the death of a young soldier from Prairieville, Louisiana: Army Specialist Bryan Chism, 22. According to his mother, he was one of the five soldiers who died in an attack upon the provincial headquarters in Karbala, Iraq, on Saturday, January 20th. Friends describe him as a tall, lanky "regular country kid" who enjoyed sky diving and rock climbing. This was his first tour to Iraq. Chism was due to return home for two weeks of R&R in February. A sister is also serving in Iraq as an army paralegal with a medical unit in Baghdad.

Bryan Chism, 22, of Prairieville, Louisiana

Monday, January 22, 2007 9:36 AM - The British Ministry of Defense has identified the soldier who died on Sunday, January 21st, in a roadside blast in Basra City in southern Iraq: Private Michael Tench, 18. According to the MOD statement, he grew up in Sunderland in Tyne & Wear up on England's northeast coast where he was a fitness buff and an avid boxer, later teaching the sport to several friends in the army.

Michael Tench, 18, of Sunderland (Tyne & Wear), England

Monday, January 22, 2007 10:29 AM - Little Rock (Arkansas) station KATV is reporting the death of a 40-year-old Army Reservist in Iraq. Captain Michael Taylor of North Little Rock, Arkansas, was apparently piloting the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed near Ba'qubah in Diyala Province on Saturday, January 20th, killing all 12 passengers and crew aboard. He and his wife had two children, ages 11 and five.

Monday, January 22, 2007 10:43 AM - CENTCOM is reporting the death of a 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division soldier in Ninawa Province (likely in the Mosul area) from an improvised explosive device attack on Monday, January 22nd.

Monday, January 22, 2007 11:01 AM - Memphis station WMC-TV is reporting the identity of another crewmember on the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed in Diyala Province on Saturday, January 20th: Crew chief Gary Brown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Brown had just returned to Iraq after a vacation in Arkansas with his family and was on his first day of duty at the time of his death.

Monday, January 22, 2007 11:50 AM -
	(1) Cincinnati station WCPO is reporting the death of Army Sergeant Phillip McNeill, 22, of Louisville, Kentucky, in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 20th. He was the victim of a roadside bomb attack. McNeill was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 509th Infantry Regiment based at Fort Richardson, AK. That unit has been operating in the Fallujah area as part of Regimental Combat Team 5.
Phillip McNeill, 22, of Louisville, Kentucky
	(2) Radio station KLZA in Falls City, Nebraska, is reporting the identity of one of the five U.S. soldiers killed in the attack on the provincial government center in Karbala on Saturday, January 20th: 1st Lieutenant Jacob Fritz, 25. Fritz was from Falls City. No other information is available at this time.
Jacob Fritz, 25, of Falls City, Nebraska
	(3) Virginia station KTKR is reporting the identity of another victim of the Blackhawk helicopter crash on Saturday, January 20th: National Guardsman Daryl Booker, 38. His family says that he was an air traffic controller on his second deployment to Iraq. He was living in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and five children.
Daryl Booker, 38, Richmond, Virginia

	Monday, January 22, 2007 1:03 PM - Syracuse (New York) station News 10 Now is reporting the identity of a third victim of the attack on a government building in Karbala on Saturday, January 20th: Army Private Shawn Falter, 25, of Homer, New York.
Shawn Falter, 25, of Homer, New York

Monday, January 22, 2007 3:49 PM -
	(1) The DoD has identified the Regimental Combat Team 5 Marine Reservist who died in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Friday, January 19th: Corporal Jacob H. Neal, 23, of San Marcos, Texas.
	(2) The DoD has also identified the Regimental Combat Team 5 Marine Reservist who died in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 20th: Lance Corporal Luis J. Castillo, 20, of Lawton, Michigan.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 4:12 AM -
	(1) The DoD has identified one of the two Multi-National Division - Baghdad IED deaths from Saturday, January 20th: Private 1st Class Allen B. Jaynes, 21, of Henderson, Texas. Because his unit, the 3rd Squadron of the 61st Cavalry Regiment has been consistently operating on Baghdad's east side and in the vicinity of Sadr City in northeast Baghdad, we are thinking it is probable that he is the "northeast of" Baghdad death described in this CENTCOM release. An article that has appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette indicates that he was from Murchison, Texas, not Henderson as the DoD had stated in their release. An article from the Tyler (Texas) station KLTV says that he was the oldest of three children. Jaynes was a scout who'd been deployed to Iraq since October.
Allen B. Jaynes, 21, of Henderson, Texas
	(2) CENTCOM is reporting two new deaths in Iraq: (a) a Marine assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was killed in enemy action on Sunday, January 21st, just south of Baghdad in the Multi-National Division - Baghdad area of operation, and (b) a soldier assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died from enemy action on Monday, January 22nd, in Al Anbar Province.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 5:24 AM -
	(1) Oregon station KTVX is reporting the death of Army Sergeant Sean Fennerty, 26, of Portland, Oregon, when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 20th. The article states that he was based at Fort Richardson, AK ... which means it is likely he died in the same blast that killed Sergeant Phillip McNeill in Fallujah on that day. Fennerty had graduated from Oregon State University in 2004 as a history major. He is survived by his parents, two sisters and a brother.
	(2) Birmingham (Alabama) station WBRC-TV is reporting the death of local soldier Private 1st Class Jonathan Millican, 20, of Locust Fork, Alabama. According to his father, he was killed "during an ambush on his unit". Millican was based at Fort Richardson, AK, where his wife is currently residing. Neither the place nor the date of his death was given in the article, so we cannot add him to our database at this time.
	(3) An article that has appeared on Alaska station KYUU's website specifically identifies 5 soldiers who died over this past weekend as being with the 3rd Battalion of the 509th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Richardson, AK (caution: this article may have mistakenly cited certain ranks and ages):
		Specialist Bryan Chism, 22, of Prairieville, Louisiana
	Bryan Chism, 22, of Prairieville, Louisiana
		Private 1st Class Shawn Falter 25, of Homer, New York
		Private 1st Class Sean Fennerty 26, of Portland, Oregon
		Private 1st Class Jonathan Millican, 20, of Locust Fork, Alabama
	Jonathan Millican, 20 of Locust Fork, Alabama
		Sergeant Phillip McNeill 22, of Louisville, Kentucky

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6:04 AM -
	(1) The San Diego North County Times is reporting the death of 31-year-old Army Reserve Captain Brian Freeman in Iraq on Saturday, January 20th. Freeman is believed to have died in the attack on the provincial government building in Karbala. He indeed worked in civil affairs. Although born in Bakersfield, California, he was raised in San Diego ... and had lived for the past three years just north of there in Temecula. Freeman was married with a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter.
	(2) Green Bay (Wisconsin) station WFRV-TV is reporting the death of a young Marine from Weyerhaeuser, Wisconsin: Lance Corporal Andrew Matus, 19. Details are sketchy, but the article states that Matus was shot in Al Anbar Province ... and that the family was notifed on Sunday, the 21st. This leads us to believe that he could have been one of the two 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit deaths on Monday, January 22nd. Due to the nine hour time lag between Iraq and Wisconsin, he could have died early Monday, which would have been Sunday Stateside time. All Marine deaths on the 19th and 20th have already been identified by the DoD, leaving only Monday's Al Anbar Marine deaths as possibilities.
Andrew Matus, 19, Weyerhaeuser, Wisconsin

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6:38 AM - CENTCOM is reporting the death of an 89th Military Police Brigade soldier in a roadside bomb attack north of Baghdad on Monday, January 22nd.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 7:18 AM - The Detroit News is carrying an article on Marine Reservist Lance Corporal Luis J. Castillo, 20, who died in Al Anbar Province from enemy action on Saturday, January 20th. Castillo was born in Mexico City, Mexico, but his family moved to Michigan when he was 3 years old. He had joined the Marine Reserve fresh out of high school in an effort to earn money for college. He had hoped to eventually become a police officer. Castillo is survived by his mother, a brother and two sisters.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:16 AM -
	(1) The Associated Press is reporting the death of Command Sergeant Major Roger W. Haller, 49, in the Blackhawk crash near Ba'qubah on Saturday, January 20th. Haller, who resided in Annapolis, was the second in command of the Maryland Army National Guard's Headquarters, 70th Regiment (LDR), where he was in charge of training soldiers in disciplines such as ethics and military history.
Roger W. Haller, 49, Annapolis, Maryland
	(2) The DoD has confirmed the death of Captain Brian S. Freeman, 31, in the January 20th attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala. Freeman was an Army Reservist assigned to the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion. He currently resided in Temecula, California.
	(3) The Spokane Spokesman Review is reporting the death of Marine Darrel J. Morris, 21, of Spokane, Washington. According to the paper, Morris was one of the two Marine deaths in Al Anbar Province on Sunday, January 21st. He had already been deployed to Iraq once, during which time he was shot with a small firearm, earning a Purple Heart.
Darrel J. Morris, 21, of Spokane, Washington

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 12:40 PM - The Associated Press is now reporting that Private Jonathan Millican, 20, from Locust Fork, Alabama, died in an ambush in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 20th. Although details of his death are still sketchy, this does give us enough information to be able to place him in our database.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 1:49 PM -
	(1) The Dayton Daily News is reporting the identity of yet another of the Blackhawk helicopter crash victims from Saturday, January 20th: Colonel Paul Kelly, 45, of Stafford, Virginia. The article is very brief, reporting only that he was with the Army National Guard ... and that he had been scheduled to return home in March following an extended deployment. He was a graduate of the University of Dayton.
Paul Kelly, 45, of Stafford, Virginia
	(2) The Associated Press is reporting the death of Marine Lance Corporal Emilian Sanchez of Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, on Sunday, January 21st. A statement from Governor Richardson's office said that he was killed in Ar Rutbah, which is in Al Anbar Province near the Jordanian border. Because the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is stationed there, this definitely makes him one of the two deaths described in this CENTCOM release. This means that either Marine Andrew Matus or Marine Darrel Morris was the Marine who died south of Baghdad on that day (see this CENTCOM release). We are electing to move Matus to that slot for the time being. We will know for sure if that is correct once the DoD confirms his death.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 4:00 PM - The Wyoming Army National Guard has posted a statement on its website regarding Specialist Jason J. Corbett, 23, of Casper, Wyoming, who was killed by small arms fire in Karmah near Fallujah in Al Anbar Province on January 15th. According to it, he was formerly known as Jason Vantrease. The Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Star-Tribune has also published an article on Corbett entitled "Soldier remembered for his smile". He was an avid fisherman and general all-around outdoorsman, activities he engaged in frequently while stationed at Fort Richardson in Alaska. He was engaged to be married upon his return from Iraq.

Jason J. Corbett, 23, of Casper, Wyoming

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 3:04 AM -
	(1) The DoD has released the identity of the second soldier to die in separate roadside bomb attacks in Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th: Private 1st Class Ryan J. Hill, 20, of Keizer, Oregon. The Salem (Oregon) Statesman Journal has published a brief article about the death stating that Hill's mother was too broken up to comment at this point, but that a family statement would be issued on Thursday.
Ryan J. Hill, 20, of Keizer, Oregon
	(2) The DoD has also released the identities of the four soldiers who died from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 20th. They died in an improvised explosive device attack in the vicinity of Karmah near Fallujah. All were based at Fort Richardson, AK:
		Sergeant Sean P. Fennerty, 25, of Corvallis, Oregon
	Sean P. Fennerty, 25, of Corvallis, Oregon	Sergeant Sean P. Fennerty, 25, of Corvallis, Oregon
		Sergeant Phillip D. McNeill, 22, of Sunrise, Florida
		Specialist Jeffrey D. Bisson, 22, of Vista, California
	Jeffrey D. Bisson, 22, of Vista, California	Specialist Jeffrey D. Bisson, 22, of Vista, California
		Specialist Toby R. Olsen, 28, of Manchester, New Hampshire
	Toby R. Olsen, 28, of Manchester, New Hampshire
		Media articles have already appeared on Fennerty and McNeill. The Miami Herald, however, has some recent clarifying information on Sergeant McNeill. Although he spent his early years in Louisville, Kentucky, he attended middle and high school in Coral Springs in Broward County, Florida, according to his father (the DoD lists his hometown as Sunrise, Florida). McNeill was a medic who had just been promoted to sergeant. Although Spc. Toby Olsen is listed by the DoD as being from Manchester, NH, several media articles are now out stating that he was raised and went to high school in the Hawaiian islands, specifically at Mililani Town on Oahu. Hawaii station KGMB has a good article describing his high school years, following which he obtained a BA at a college in Georgia. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin says that his father, Col. James Olsen, is an opthalmologist at the U.S. Army Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.
	(3) The DoD has confirmed the identities of the four soldiers based at Fort Richardson, AK, who died in the attack on the government center in Karbala south of Baghdad on Saturday, January 20th:
		1st Lieutenant Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Nebraska
		Specialist Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Gonzales, Louisiana
		Private 1st Class Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Cortland, New York
		Private Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Alabama.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 6:10 AM -
	(1) CENTCOM is reporting the deaths of two Marines in separate incidents of enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 23rd. One Marine was assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group ... the other to Regimental Combat Team 5.
	(2) The Associated Press has identified one more victim from the Blackhawk helicopter crash near Ba'qubah last Saturday, January 20th: Colonel Brian D. Allgood. He is described as the top medical officer for U.S. troops in Iraq. According to this piece in the West Point bulletin Pointer View, Col. Allgood was commander of the army medical department at Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point from July 2002 to July 2004. Following that, he assumed command at the 18th Medical Command in Yongsan, Korea. By August of 2006, he had been posted to Iraq as indicated by his mention in this USA Today article.
Brian D. Allgood, 46, of Colorado Springs, Colorado
	(3) The Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier is reporting the death of Sergeant Major Marilyn Gabbard, 47, in the Blackhawk helicopter crash of Saturday, January 20th. Gabbard was a member of the Iowa Army National Guard stationed at Camp Dodge in Johnston. Her husband is a retired Command Sergeant Major with the Iowa ANG. According to Gabbard's daughter, Gabbard had just called her husband before boarding the helicopter, telling him that she was going to inspect troops. When her husband did not get his daily call from her the following day, he grew worried and began to call around among his old army contacts. He learned thus through unofficial channels that his wife was dead. Her job had been to serve as a liaison between the National Guard and regular army troops.
Marilyn Gabbard, 47, Polk City, Iowa
	(4) The Associated Press has identified yet another victim of the Blackhawk helicopter crash near Ba'qubah on January 20th: 1st Sergeant Tom Warren from North Little Rock, Arkansas. The article contains no other information ... although we suspect from the mention of pilot Capt. Michael Taylor and crew chief Gary Brown in the same article, that Warren may also have been a crew member.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:33 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in the center of Baghdad when insurgents opened up on his patrol with small arms fire on Wednesday, January 24th. Two other soldiers were wounded in the incident.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:45 PM - The DoD has now issued the identities of the twelve soldiers who died aboard the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed near Ba'qubah in Diyala Province on Saturday, January 20th:
	Crew
	Major Michael V. Taylor, 40, of North Little Rock, Arkansas - Arkansas Army National Guard
	Captain Sean E. Lyerly, 31, of Pflugerville, Texas - Texas Army National Guard
	1st Sergeant William Thomas Warren, 48, of North Little Rock, Arkansas - Arkansas Army National Guard
	Sergeant 1st Class John Gary Brown, 43, of Little Rock, Arkansas - Arkansas Army National Guard
	Passengers
	Colonel Brian D. Allgood, 46, of Colorado Springs, Colorado - European Regional Medical Command
	Colonel Paul M. Kelly, 45, of Stafford, Virginia - Virginia Army National Guard
	Staff Sergeant Darryl D. Booker, 37, of Midlothian, Virginia - Virginia Army National Guard
	Lieutenant Colonel David C. Canegata, 50, of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands - Virgin Islands Army National Guard
	Staff Sergeant Floyd E. Lake, 43, of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands - Virgin Islands Army National Guard
	Command Sergeant Major Marilyn L. Gabbard, 46, of Polk City, Iowa - Iowa Army National Guard
	Command Sergeant Major Roger W. Haller, 49, of Davidsonville, Maryland - Maryland Army National Guard
	Corporal Victor M. Langarica, 29, of Decatur, Georgia - 86th Signal Battalion, Fort Huachuca, AZ

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 4:22 PM - The DoD has confirmed the death of Corporal Darrel J. Morris, 21, of Spokane, Washington, from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Sunday, January 21st. His unit, the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, does have a battery, Battery E, deployed to Iraq at this time. They are based in Fallujah under the command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. This would make Corporal Morris and not Lance Corporal Matus the "south of Baghdad" death described in this CENTCOM release.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 5:58 PM -
	(1) The DoD has confirmed the death of Lance Corporal Emilian D. Sanchez, 20, from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Sunday, January 21st. He was from Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico.
	(2) The DoD has also confirmed the death of Lance Corporal Andrew G. Matus, 19, of Chetek, Wisconsin, from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Sunday, January 21st.
	(3) The DoD has identified one of the two Marines who were killed in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 23rd: Sergeant Gary S. Johnston, 21, of Windthorst, Texas. His unit, the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, was assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5. The Wichita Falls (Texas) Times-Record describes Johnston as a standout football player in high school. His parents have declined to comment yet on their son's death.
Gary S. Johnston, 21, of Windthorst, Texas
	(4) The DoD has announced a new death, not previously reported by CENTCOM. Staff Sergeant Michael J. Wiggins, 26, of Cleveland, Ohio, died of a non-hostile unspecified injury at Balad on Tuesday, January 23rd.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 7:04 PM - The DoD is announcing the death of Sergeant Jonathan P.C. Kingman, 21, of Nankin, Ohio, in a roadside bomb explosion near Bayji on Saturday, January 20th. He was assigned to the 41st Engineer Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, which has been working up north of Baghdad (Sergeant Gregroy Wright who was killed in Muqdadiyah on January 13th of this year was also from that battalion). Kingman is likely the 105th Engineer Group death described in this CENTCOM release. Akron/Canton (Ohio) station WKYC reports that Kingman grew up in Shelby in north-central Ohio, enlisting in the army at the age of 17. Shortly thereafter he married; he and his wife eventually had three children, two of whom were twins, according to another article in the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum.

Thursday, January 25, 2007 10:17 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in an improvised explosive device attack northwest of Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th. Three other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Thursday, January 25, 2007 2:59 PM - The DoD has identified the Marine assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group who was killed in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 23rd: Sergeant Michael M. Kashkoush, 24, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Thursday, January 25, 2007 7:53 PM -
	(1) The DoD has identified the soldier who died in a roadside bomb blast in Ninawa Province on Monday, January 22nd: Specialist Nicholas P. Brown, 24, of Huber Heights, Ohio. He was killed in the vicinity of Mosul.
	(2) The DoD has also identified the soldier who died from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Monday, January 22nd: Staff Sergeant Jamie D. Wilson, 34, of San Diego, California. He died in Fallujah at a medical facility after having been wounded neaby at Karmah. Wilson is the ninth soldier from Fort Richardson, AK, to die in the past week.
	(3) The DoD has released the identity of the soldier who died north of Baghdad from an improvised explosive device attack on Monday, January 22nd: Specialist Brandon L. Stout, 23, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was a Michigan Army National Guardsman based out of Kingsford.
	(4) The DoD has also released the identity of the soldier who died in central Baghdad from small arms fire on Wednesday, January 24th: Staff Sergeant Hector Lee Leija, 27, of Houston, Texas. Weslaco (Texas) station KRGV has a brief article up at this time on Leija. According to that source, he was from the town of Raymondville in the far south of Texas near Harlingen.
Hector Lee Leija, 27, of Houston, Texas

Thursday, January 25, 2007 8:26 PM - The DoD has announced a new death, one that does not appear to have been previously reported by CENTCOM: Army Sergeant 1st Class Keith A. Callahan, 31, of McClure, Pennsylvania. Callahan's unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne, has only just arrived in Iraq for a scheduled deployment. He was killed in a roadside bomb blast south of Baghdad on Wednesday, January 24th.

Friday, January 26, 2007 4:43 AM - MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Regimental Combat Team 6 Marine from enemy action in Al Anbar Province "today" in a news release dated Friday, January 26th. RCT-6 is newly arrived in Iraq to replace RCT-5 out of Fallujah in the eastern portion of the Province.

Friday, January 26, 2007 1:48 PM - The DoD has announced the death of a Marine Reservist from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Thursday, January 25th: Corporal Mark D. Kidd, 26, of Milford, Michigan. We believe this is the same death as the one described in this CENTCOM release where "today" was meant to be the 25th and not the date on the report (the 26th).

Saturday, January 27, 2007 2:16 AM - The DoD is belatedly announcing the death of a sailor who was supporting operations in Iraq. Seaman Sandra S. Grant, 23, of Linwood, North Carolina, was found dead aboard the USS Eisenhower, apparently after suffering a heart attack. An article in the Navy Times describes her as a "Navy brat", having been born in Subic Bay, the Philippines, where her father, a retired second class boatswain's mate, was serving at the time. Seaman Grant herself joined the Navy in 2004 and had become a damage control fireman. The Lexington (North Carolina) Dispatch also published a piece on the sailor. They report that she was married and had given birth to a baby boy 8 months ago. (This entry has been added at the end of our December 2006 archive page, and increases December's Coalition death toll from 114 to 115, including 112 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen. The year ended with 3251 dead, 3001 from the U.S.)

Sandra S. Grant, 23, of Linwood, North Carolina

Saturday, January 27, 2007 2:46 AM - The DoD has identified the soldier who died in a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th: Private 1st Class Darrell W. Shipp, 25, of San Antonio, Texas. The San Antonio (Texas) Express News describes Shipp as a drag race enthusiast who "had high octane in his blood and was the proud parent of one baby --- his car." He rarely lost a race ... except one with the Harlingen police who caught him drag racing on city streets shortly before he deployed to Iraq ... resulting in a night in jail. The article reports that 'His mother, Regina, who works at a Kmart, said from the family's home here that she blamed President Bush for his death and "for everybody that has been killed." "He needs to show up at our son's funeral service and everyone else's so he would know how he is hurting families," said his father, Doyle, a mechanic.' Darrell was his parents' only son.

Darrell W. Shipp, 25, of
San Antonio, Texas

Saturday, January 27, 2007 9:08 AM - The InsideBayArea.com website is reporting the death of a Hayward, California, soldier in a roadside bomb blast east of Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th: 23-year-old Army Private 1st Class Michael Balsley. According to his father, he had been in Iraq since early October, serving with the Fort Carson-based 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. Balsley leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old stepson.

Saturday, January 27, 2007 11:37 AM - Media reports have confirmed that Marine Reservist Corporal Mark D. Kidd, 26, of Milford, Michigan was killed on January 25th and not the date given in this CENTCOM report (the 26th). A report in HomeTownLife.com says that Kidd was "shot in the neck while on duty at a checkpoint between Fallujah and Baghdad, according to family spokesperson Paige George. He was transported to a hospital after being wounded and died about an hour later."

Mark D. Kidd, 26, of
Milford, Michigan

Saturday, January 27, 2007 12:51 PM - The International Herald Tribune is reporting the deaths of two U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Friday, January 26th. One soldier was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division ... he died in a roadside bomb blast in Diyala Province north of Baghdad. The second soldier was assigned to Multi-National Division - North ... and also died in a roadside bomb blast north of Baghdad. This news was based on MNF-Iraq press releases not yet posted to the MNF-Iraq website, but available to the press.

Saturday, January 27, 2007 1:30 PM - The Associated Press is now reporting the deaths of five more U.S. soldiers in Iraq, citing U.S. military sources. Two of those deaths were from an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th ... one of which we already have on the books (Private 1st Class Michael Balsley). The other three were Multi-National Division-Baghdad roadside bomb deaths north of Baghdad on Saturday, January 27th.

Saturday, January 27, 2007 8:02 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division soldier who died in a roadside bomb blast in Diyala Province on Friday, January 26th: Private 1st Class Nathan P. Fairlie, 21, of Candor, New York. Fairlie was killed in Ba'qubah, north of Baghdad.

Sunday, January 28, 2007 6:44 AM - Reuters is reporting the death of a U.S. Marine from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 27th.

Sunday, January 28, 2007 7:35 AM -
	(1) Reuters is reporting the death of an 89th Military Police Brigade soldier in an improvised explosive device attack in northern Baghdad on Saturday, January 27th.
	(2) Reuters is also reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in a roadside bomb blast north of Baghdad on Saturday, January 27th.

Sunday, January 28, 2007 3:11 PM - A news article from Reuters and also one from the Associated Press are confirming the deaths of two U.S. helicopter pilots when their helicopter was shot down earlier today, Sunday, January 28th, in the vicinity of Najaf south of Baghdad. A Reuters reporter who happened to be in the area said he'd heard a burst of heavy machine gun fire ... then saw the chopper heading down leaving a trail of smoke behind it. Military sources are confirming that the crash site was secured and the bodies recovered. The helicopter was apparently flying in support of Iraqi army troops fighting insurgents in the area.

Monday, January 29, 2007 7:02 AM - The Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Times is carrying an article, as is the Boston Globe, on the death of a soldier born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Army Sergeant Alexander Henry Fuller, 21, was killed near Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th, when a roadside bomb detonated. Fuller was with the 61st Cavalry regiment, which would make him one of the two deaths in eastern Baghdad (along with Pfc. Michael Balsley) described in this CENTCOM release.

Alexander Henry Fuller,
21, New Bedford,
Massachussetts

Monday, January 29, 2007 12:11 PM -
	(1) The Associated Press is reporting the death of a Washington Army National Guardsman in Iraq. Major Alan Johnson, 44, of Yakima, Washington, was killed in a roadside bomb blast on Friday, January 26th. He is likely the Multi-National Division - North death described in this CENTCOM release. Johnson grew up in Montpelier, North Dakota. He had been a member of the Army National Guard for some 26 years.
	(2) The DoD has confirmed the deaths of two soldiers in an IED blast in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, January 25th:
		Sergeant Alexander H. Fuller, 21, of Centerville, Massachusetts
		Private 1st Class Michael C. Balsley, 23, of Hayward, California

Monday, January 29, 2007 5:27 PM -
	(1) The DoD has confirmed the death of Washington Army National Guarsdman Major Alan R. Johnson, 44, of Yakima, Washington. He was apparently hit by a roadside bomb in Muqdadiyah, Diyala Province, on Friday, January 26th, and died in a Balad medical facility later the same day. The major was assigned to the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion.
	(2) The DoD has identified the 15th MEU marine who died in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Saturday, January 27th: Lance Corporal Anthony C. Melia, 20, of Thousand Oaks, California.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:07 AM -
	(1) Lengthier articles have now begun to appear on Sergeant 1st Class Keith A. Callahan who died when an IED detonated south of Baghdad on January 24th. The Sunbury (Pennsylvania) Daily Item mentions that he grew up in Woburn, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of eight children. Callahan graduated from high school there ... and two years after that enlisted in the army. But he and his wife, who was from Bannerville, in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, called Snyder County home, even though they have been living near Fort Bragg in North Carolina since his latest re-enlistment. Snyder County was where relatives were and where they visited at least yearly. A piece published in the the Juniata (Pennsylvania) Sentinel describes him as devoted to his wife and four children ... and also to the soldiers he served with.
Keith A. Callahan, 31, McClure/Bannerville, Pennsylvania
	(2) Apparently, some incorrect information has been printed in the media about Major Alan Johnson who died in a roadside bomb blast north of Baghdad on Friday, January 26th. Although a long-time member of the Army National Guard ... serving from 1980 to 2003 ... he had since transferred to the Army Reserve and was currently assigned to the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion as an emergency management specialist, a position he'd held since 2005 ... this according to an article published recently in the Yakima (Washington) Herald. He and his wife and daughter lived in Yakima.
Alan Johnson, 44, of Yakima, Washington

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:34 AM -
	(1) The DoD has announced a new death at the same time that CENTCOM issued its report on the same incident. Specialist Carla J. Stewart, 37, of Sun Valley, California died when her vehicle rolled over near the Tallil Air Base in the far south of Iraq near Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar Province. She was an Army Reservist based in El Monte, CA. Although CENTCOM places her date of date on Monday, January 29th, the DoD clearly states January 28th. We will use the 28th in our database unless further information turns up to prove it wrong.
	(2) CENTCOM is also reporting the death of a Marine from hostile action in Al Anbar Province on Monday, January 29th.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 11:06 AM -
	The DoD has identified the two pilots killed in the helicopter crash near Najaf south of Baghdad on Sunday, January 28th:
		Captain Mark T. Resh, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
	Mark T. Resh, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
		Chief Warrant Officer Cornell C. Chao, 36, of California
		According to an article that appeared in the San Antonio (Texas) Express-News on March 21, 2004, Chao saw deadly combat from his perch in a Longbow helicopter flying with the 1st Cavalry Division in the initial invasion of Iraq in March of 2003.

	Tuesday, January 30, 2007 12:44 PM - The DoD has released the identity of the military policeman who died in an IED attack near Taji, northwest of Baghdad, on Saturday, January 27th: Sergeant Mickel D. Garrigus, 24, of Elma, Washington. Additional information on Garrigus's service career has been posted in a news release at the Fort Drum website.
Sergeant Mickel D. Garrigus, 24, of Elma, Washington

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 5:17 AM - An article from the Associated Press and also one from Reuters AlertNet are reporting the deaths of two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. Marine from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 30th.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 10:52 AM - The Associated Press is reporting the death of a Task Force Lightning soldier from enemy action in Salah ad Din Province north of Baghdad on Wednesday, January 31st. One other soldier was reported wounded in the incident.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 1:49 PM - The Saipan Tribune is reporting the death of a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands native in Iraq: 20-year-old Adam Quitugua of Tanapag on Saipan. Although the article describes him as a member of the "U.S. Army", the picture privided with the article clearly shows a man in Marine uniform. The circumstances of his death are not given, but the date of death was Monday, January 29th. This would indicate he was the Marine death described in this CENTCOM release.

Adam Quitugua, 20, of Tanapag on Saipan

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 4:22 PM -
	The DoD has released the identities of the three soldiers who died in an IED blast north of Baghdad on Saturday, January 27th:
		Corporal Timothy A. Swanson, 21, of San Antonio, Texas
		Private 1st Class Jon B. St. John II, 25, of Neenah, Wisconsin
	Jon B. St. John II, 25, of Neenah, Wisconsin
		Private 1st Class David T. Toomalatai, 19, of Long Beach, California
	The Associated Press is carrying a write-up on Jon Bailey St. John II that describes him as being 6 credits short of graduation from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse when he suddenly made the decision to join the army. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes a bright student who excelled in math, and who played guitar and piano. He also lettered in football and tennis in high school. St. John is survived by his parents and a sister. The Associated Press has also published a brief piece on Pfc. David Toomalatai. The 19-year-old was an army medic who joined the army hoping to earn money toward a college education and a career as a physician's assistant. Toomalatai was the father of a 10-month-old son.

Thursday, February 01, 2007 2:01 PM - The DoD has released the identity of a Marine who died in enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Monday, January 29th: Lance Corporal Adam Q. Emul, 19, of Vancouver, Washington. This is actually the same Marine who was identified yesterday by the Saipan Tribune as Adam Quitugua of Tanapag on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Guam Pacific Daily News has published a statement by Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo offering condolences to the young man's family. In it she identifies his mother as Angelina Quitugua and his father as Wen Emul. The Saipan Tribune article indicated that Quitugua left the Marianas to live with his mother in Washington in 2003 before joining the military in September 2006 and being deployed immediately to Iraq.

Friday, February 02, 2007 9:37 AM - The DoD has identified the Marine who died from enemy action in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 30th: Sergeant Alejandro Carrillo, 22, of Los Angeles, California.

Friday, February 02, 2007 4:30 PM -
	(1) The DoD has identified the Task Force Lightning soldier who died in Salah ad Din Province from enemy action on Wednesday, January 31st: Sergeant William M. Sigua, 21, of Los Altos Hills, California. Sigua died when his unit was attacked with small arms fire in the vicinity of Bayji.
William M. Sigua, 21, of Los Altos Hills, California
	(2) The DoD has also identified a soldier who died in a medical facility in Balad on Wednesday, January 31st, after having been wounded in a rocket attack in the vicinity of Ramadi on the 30th: Corporal Stephen Daniel Shannon, 21, of Guttenberg, Iowa. We strongly suspect that this death was the one alluded to in this CENTCOM release ... only that "today" in the release should have read January 31st when the report was actually written, not February 1st when it was released for publication. We had originally put this death on February 1st, but are now switching it to the 31st. Several media articles have appeared in print now on Shannon, one of the better ones being a piece in the Des Moines (Iowa) Register. A native of a small town in northeastern Iowa, he graduated from high school and went on to attend the University of Northern Iowa, joining the ROTC program there and majoring in law enforcement. A member of the Army Reserves, Shannon was deployed to Iraq last fall.
Stephen Daniel Shannon, 21, of Guttenberg, Iowa

Monday, February 05, 2007 2:40 PM -
	The DoD has identified the two Multi-National Force - West soldiers who died in Al Anbar Province on Tuesday, January 30th:
		Sergeant Corey J. Aultz, 31, of Port Orchard, Washington
		Sergeant Milton A. Gist Jr., 27, of St. Louis, Missouri
	They died in the vicinity of Ramadi when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Gist was the father of a 4-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy.

Friday, February 09, 2007 6:08 AM - In late January, CENTCOM had issued two press releases for roadside bomb deaths north of Baghdad on January 27th: one for an 89th Military Police Brigade soldier and one for a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier. However, after 13 days, the DoD has only identified one death that would fit either slot: 10th Infantry Division military policeman Sergeant Mickel Garrigus (see above). At this point, we feel that the two CENTCOM releases may have inadvertently covered the same death, Garrigus's. So we are deleting the one for which we still have no name, thus reducing our total death count by one.

The current time in Iraq is..

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