Operation Phantom Fury--Day 204 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 99

Thank you DC. Now take some time out and get some good rest if at all possible. Take care and God bless.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi lays flower during a memorial service at Chidorigafuchi National Tomb for Dead Soldiers in Tokyo May 30, 2005. Koizumi, whose visits to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead have sparked a bitter feud with China, on Monday attended the solemn ceremony at the national tombs for unknown soldiers. (Kimimasa Mayama/Reuters)

Japan's PM Koizumi visits tomb for unkown soldiers

By George Nishiyama

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose visits to a Shinto shrine for war dead have sparked a bitter row with China, joined in a tribute at Japan's tomb of the unknown soldier on Monday.

As heavy rain fell, Koizumi stood in silence with Japanese politicians and foreign diplomats as the ashes of 300 soldiers were added to those symbolising some 350,000 Japanese soldiers who died in World War II.

Chidorigafuchi, an austere, non-denominational memorial near the Imperial Palace, honor's Japan's unidentified war dead whose remains are symbolically placed in a gold-plated urn inside a wooden coffin housed in a hexagonal pavilion.

It stands in sharp contrast to the nearby Yasukuni Shinto shrine, once a symbol of wartime nationalism and now a site where war criminals convicted by a 1948 Allied tribunal are honored with Japan's 2.5 million war dead.

Koizumi has visited Yasukuni each year since taking office in 2001 and last went there in January 2004.

Some Japanese have suggested prime ministers could honor war dead without angering China and other Asian neighbors that suffered under Japan's wartime occupation by paying their respects at Chidorigafuchi rather than at Yasukuni.

"On the occasion of this ceremony, I think deeply of the war dead who became the foundation for peace and prosperity of our country of today, and express my condolences," Health Minister Hidehisa Otsuji said in an address at Monday's ceremony.

"In the meantime, I pledge to make efforts to pass on to the next generation many lessons learned from the war in order to ensure eternal peace."

Koizumi, a member of the royal family and foreign diplomats each placed a chrysanthemum on a table set before the memorial's coffin to music from a band of Imperial Palace guards.

The latest remains came mainly from Southeast Asia and Pacific islands including Iwo Jima, where U.S. forces defeated the Japanese in 1945 in a fierce battle that helped turn the tide of World War II.

Ceremonies are performed at Chidorigafuchi each May and the prime minister sometimes attends with other cabinet ministers -- without prompting complaints from other Asian countries.

PAYING RESPECTS

Yasukuni has long been the focus of controversy, in part because Shinto priests in 1978 added 14 "Class A" war criminals -- leaders including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo -- to the lists of those worshipped as deities at the shrine.

No remains are interred at the shrine.

Sixty years after Japan's defeat in World War II, ordinary Japanese as well as politicians remain divided about official visits to Yasukuni as well as how to view the nation's past.

"The ... prime minister should be able to pay his respects to the war dead (at Yasukuni)," said Toshiko Yasuda, a 54-year-old housewife whose uncle is believed to have died on Iwo Jima.

"The prime minister has apologized for the past mistakes. That is necessary. Japan has done bad things in the past, but what we have to do is think about what to do in the future," added Yasuda, who attended Monday's ceremony.

An official of a veterans group, said he was strongly opposed to Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni.

"I want the government to build a national cemetery. I want a facility where people of various religions and beliefs can pay their respects freely," said the 68-year-old man, who declined to give his name.

Nearly three out of every five Japanese who responded to a poll published by Kyodo news agency on Saturday said they believed Koizumi should not visit Yasukuni this year.

Koizumi has repeatedly said he goes there to pay his respects to the dead and to vow that Japan would never again wage war. He has not yet said when he will visit the shrine again.

Update, a little more info.

Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, leaves a meeting in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, May 23, 2005. U.S. troops detained Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of Iraq's largest Sunni Muslim political party, along with his three sons and four guards, during a dawn house raid Monday, May 30, 2005 in western Baghdad, according to a top party official and police. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)

Blast near NATO vehicle wounds 5 Afghans in Kabul

30 May 2005 06:59:26 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL, May 30 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb exploded in Kabul on Monday, wounding five Afghans travelling in a taxi behind a vehicle carrying soldiers belonging to the NATO-led peacekeeping force, police said.

The remote-controlled bomb, attached to a parked bicycle, exploded after the NATO vehicle passed on the main road leading to the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital, district police chief Mohammad Kabar told Reuters.

"The five people hurt were in a taxi that was travelling behind the NATO car," he said. No one had claimed responsibility and no arrests had been made, he said.

But Kabar said the blast was the work of "Afghanistan's enemies", a term often used by authorities to describe guerrillas from the former Taliban regime and their Islamic allies.

The blast happened near a bazaar on the main road, along which several bases of NATO peacekeepers are located. The road is also used by troops from a separate U.S.-led force fighting Islamic militants.

The bombing came after an overnight explosion shook the headquarters of the NATO-led peacekeepers in the heart of the city near the American embassy, residents said.

A spokesman from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said that blast was from a rocket which caused some damage but no casualties.

Kabul has witnessed periodic rocket attacks, bomb blasts and suicide attacks since U.S.-led forces overthrew the fundamentalist Taliban government in 2001.

The deadliest attack was in September 2002, when at least 26 people were killed and scores wounded when a bomb exploded on busy Kabul street.

A recent flare-up of violence has been attributed to Taliban militants in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan after a lull during the harsh Afghan winter. Scores of militants as well as some Afghan and foreign troops have been killed.

On Sunday, videotape of Clementina Cantoni, an Italian aid worker abducted in Kabul on May 16, was broadcast by an Afghan television station. It showed her flanked by two men pointing assault rifles at her.

Cantoni's abduction has raised fresh fears among Kabul's 2,000-strong foreign community of Iraq-style kidnappings by anti-government insurgents or criminals.

Officials have said they believe her kidnappers are criminals, not Islamic militants, but they have declined to reveal their demands or say who they are.

'Operation Lightning' In Iraq (CBS Video)

Mid East Edition

Basrah, Iraq

Kabul, Afghanistan

Read all the posts...many thanks for the news and pictures I will never see on the nightly news. Thanks again. God Bless the troops.

http://www.rhumc.net/In_Memoriam.html
Music..Mansions of the Lord

Thank you to all who serve and have served.

Some gave all..

as usual wonderful material folks.. thank you and especially on this day when for many more families MEMORIAL DAY will have a bittersweet resonance in their souls & lives.

God Bless our troops and God bless the families mourning loved ones who have lost their vets or active duty service men and women.

Bombers Attack Iraq Police; Up to 30 Dead

By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two suicide bombers blew themselves up Monday in a crowd of police officers south of Baghdad, killing up to 30 people and wounding dozens, while U.S. forces briefly detained a Sunni political leader on the second day of an Iraqi-led security sweep in the capital.

Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, head of Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political party and short-time president of the now-dissolved U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council, was taken from his home in western Baghdad at about 6 a.m. by military forces, party officials said.

The U.S. military later confirmed it had mistakenly arrested Abdul-Hamid, questioned him and released him shortly after.

"Following the interview it was determined that he was detained by mistake and should be released," the military said in a statement. "Coalition forces regret any inconvenience and acknowledge (Abdul-Hamid's) cooperation in resolving this matter."

The arrest came a day after Iraqi forces launched "Operation Lightning," an anti-insurgent offensive in Baghdad that Abdul-Hamid's party opposes, believing security forces will trample on innocent people's rights.

The two bombers struck shortly after 9 a.m. in Hillah, 60 miles south of the capital, wading into a crowd of about 500 policemen who were demonstrating outside the mayor's office to protest a government decision to disband their special forces unit, police Capt. Muthana Khalid Ali said.

The bombers staggered the detonations to maximize casualties, said Col. Adnan Abdul Rahman, who was contacted by telephone in Baghdad. Policeman Jiwad Kadhim Hamid said the explosions took place about 100 yards away from each other and about a minute apart.

"I just saw a ball of fire and flying pieces of flesh. After that, confused policemen started firing into the air," he said.

The Polish military, which controls the area, said at least 30 Iraqis were killed, while doctors in Hillah said the dead numbered from 20 to 25 people. It is often difficult to get an accurate count immediately after a suicide attack because many of the victims are often dismembered. Officials said about 100 others were wounded.

The blasts blew out windows of the mayor's office, a court house and school, covering the road with shards of glass and rubble. Iraqi police and soldiers cordoned off the area. Shoes and pieces of clothes worn by the victims were flung across the road.

In an apparent claim of responsibility, al-Qaida in Iraq said in an Internet statement that one of its members carried out an attack "against a group of special Iraqi forces, allied with the Jews and the crusaders, as they were protesting outside a police station." The statement's authenticity could not be verified.

Hillah was the site of the deadliest single attack since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a Feb. 28 suicide car bombing against police recruits that killed 125 people.

Abdul-Hamid was taken by U.S. troops from his home in the western Baghdad suburb of Khadra along with his three sons and four guards, Islamic Party Secretary-General Ayad al-Samarei said.

Al-Samarei accused American soldiers of raiding Abdul-Hamid's home and confiscating items, including a computer.

"This is a provocative and foolish act and this is part of the pressure exerted on the party," al-Samarei said.

"At the time when the Americans say they are keen on real Sunni participation, they are now arresting the head of the only Sunni party that calls for a peaceful solution and have participated in the political process," he added.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is Kurdish, expressed "surprise and discontent" about the arrest, saying the presidential council was not informed that it would occur. "This way of dealing with such a distinguished political figure is unacceptable," the president said in a statement.

Abdul-Hamid's Iraqi Islamic Party had in recent weeks taken steps to become more involved in the political process after boycotting the country's Jan. 30 parliamentary elections, which were dominated by parties drawn from Iraq's majority Shiite population.

Abdul-Hamid's wife, Awatif Ibrahim, told Associated Press Television News that U.S. troops raided our house and my son's house, using bullets and stun bombs. And they arrested him (her son) and they also detained my husband, Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, head of the Iraqi Islamic Party."

The party also released a statement alleging the arrest and demanding Abdul-Hamid's immediate release, saying he "represents a large sector of the Iraqi people."

Sunni Arabs, who comprise 15 percent to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, enjoyed dominance under Saddam Hussein but have lost their influence since the dictator's ouster two years ago and the country's predominant Shiite community gained political power.

The country's raging insurgency is believed to be driven mainly from disaffected Iraqi Sunnis and extremist Islamists from neighboring, predominantly Sunni Arab states.

Sectarian tensions have been high in recent weeks during increasing violence. Sunni and Shiite religious leaders have been trading accusations against each other's communities amid the killings of hundreds of people, including Shiite and Sunni clerics.

Abdul-Hamid, in his late 60s, is regarded as a moderate Islamic leader. He has been involved with the party since the 1970s and headed it since 2003.

On Sunday, Iraqi police fought pitched battles with insurgents as thousands of security forces backed by American troops began sweeping through Baghdad's streets in the search for militants responsible for killing more than 740 people since Iraq's new government was announced in late April.

In their biggest coup of the operation, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers arrested a former general in Saddam Hussein's intelligence service who was also a member of his Fedayeen secret police during a raid in western Baghdad, the scene of some of Sunday's heaviest fighting.

Insurgents struck back, killing at least 30 people, including a British soldier, in attacks in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for nearly all the attacks in Internet statements that could not be independently verified.

Gunmen also killed a senior Kurdish official, Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Barazanchi, the director of internal affairs of Kirkuk province and a former police chief. He died in hospital early Monday after being shot late Sunday, said Ismail al-Hadithi, Kirkuk's deputy governor.

A roadside bomb blast killed one civilian and injured two others in Adhaim, 30 miles north of Baqouba, said Baqouba council official Faris Ekab.

Iraqi soldiers killed four insurgents and captured four others after U.S. forces were attacked during a Sunday raid in a village in northern Anbar province, the military said Monday.

___

Assciated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad and Ali al-Fatlawi in Hillah contributed to this report.

A pile of shoes are gathered on the street following a suicide attack against police in the southern Iraq town of Hilla, 100km (60 miles) south of Baghdad May 30, 2005. Two suicide bombers strapped with explosives blew themselves up in a crowd of protesting former policemen in Hilla, killing 21 in one of the deadliest attacks in a month of escalating violence. The blasts in the mostly Shi'ite town of Hilla put fresh strain on Iraq's sectarian divisions. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish

An Iraqi man collects human remains following a double suicide attack which killed at least 25 people in Hilla. A double suicide attack killed at least 25 people south of Baghdad as insurgents struck back against a massive operation by Iraq to try to restore security in the capital.(AFP/Qassem Zein)

Ahmed Khoudor, 9, stands by the van of his father, a potato farmer, who was killed Sunday whilst driving his potatoes to market during a gunbattle in the Amariyah neighbourhood, in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, May 30, 2005. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi)

Men pick up personal belongings following a suicide attack against police in the southern Iraqi town of Hilla, 100km (60 miles) south of Baghdad May 30, 2005. Two suicide bombers strapped with explosives blew themselves up in a crowd of protesting former policemen in Hilla, killing 21 in one of the deadliest attacks in a month of escalating violence. The blasts in the mostly Shi'ite town of Hilla put fresh strain on Iraq's sectarian divisions. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish

A Man examines the damaged door at the home of Mohsen Abdul-Hamid , an influential Sunni statesman May 30, 2005. U.S. troops arrested the leader of one of Iraq's main Sunni Arab political parties at his house in Baghdad on Monday, party officials said. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Chief of the Sunni Endowments Adnan al-Dulaimi at a press conference held after the Iraqi Islamic Party said U.S. troops had detained Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of the party, along with his three sons and four guards, during a dawn house raid Monday, May 30, 2005 in western Baghdad, according to a top party official and police. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi)

The grandson of Mohsen Abdel Hamid clears the debris after his home was damaged by soldiers who came to arrest the Sunni political leader in the Al-Khadra district of Baghdad. US troops arrested Hamid -- the leader of Iraq's main Sunni party -- sparking protests from the group that is key to peace in the country.(AFP/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

The wife of Mohsen Abdul Hamid, who did not give her name, stands in the bedroom of their house in Baghdad's western Khadra district in Iraq Monday, May 30, 2005. U.S. troops detained Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of Iraq's largest Sunni Muslim political party - the Iraqi Islamic Party, along with his three sons and four guards, during a dawn house raid according to a top party official and police. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

An Iraqi soldier gives water to a group of men arrested during a raid outside Baquba. A double suicide attack killed at least 25 people south of Baghdad as insurgents struck back against a massive operation by Iraq to try to restore security in the capital.(AFP/Ali Yussef)

Al Qaeda suspect in Yemen claims was tortured

(AFP)

30 May 2005

SANAA - The suspected ringleader of an Al Qaeda cell on trial in Yemen for allegedly plotting attacks on Western targets in Gulf states on Monday retracted past confessions which he said were obtained by torture.

His claims came as the trial reconvened of the eight suspected Al Qaeda militants, accused of being members of an organisation named Katab al-Tawhid and also charged with seeking to assassinate senior Yemeni officials.

“I was forced under pressure and torture by political security (intelligence) to confess statements that were presented in previous hearings,” 22-year-old Iraqi defendant Anwar al-Jilani told the court.

But his request to be interrogated again was rejected by the court.

State prosecutors presented evidence against the defendants that included explosives, as well as grenades, an automatic rifle, a personal computer and a camera.

But Jilani, and the other suspects, including two Syrians, rejected the evidence.

“I have nothing to do with all documents extracted from my personal computer as evidence,” Jilani said.

The representative of the state prosecution had claimed in the previous hearing that the allegations were based on documents found in the personal computer of Jilani.

The other suspects are Mohammad Abdelwahhab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22, as well as five Yemenis: Khaled al-Batati, 23, Salah Othman, 33, Omran al-Faqih, 31, Abderrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21.

The trial, which opened March 28, was adjourned until June 6.

Interior Minister Prince Nayef

Syria extradites Saudis trying to enter Iraq

(DPA)

30 May 2005

DUBAI - Syria has extradited more than 30 Saudi Arabians, who had tried to enter Iraq, to Saudi Arabia, the Arab News quoted on Monday Interior Minister Prince Nayef as saying.

Syria has reportedly arrested more than 300 Saudis in the past weeks on suspicion of travelling to Iraq to fight alongside anti- American insurgents and Syria has come under under intense U.S. pressure.

Nayef said on national television Sunday that he did not know how many Saudi fighters were in Iraq.

Reports suggest they could number thousands, and analysts say that the majority of foreign fighters killed in attacks and suicide bombings in Iraq are Saudis.

Troops: Serving nation an honor

Posted on Mon, May. 30, 2005

By Nick Oza and Mark Washburn

Washington Bureau

CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq | Ask troops about military hardship, and they'll let you have it. Separation from families. Hard work. Dopey regulations. Deadly danger. The heat. The cold. The unknown.

But ask them how they feel, personally, to be American troops abroad today, and you hear about pride in their mission, confidence in their colleagues and devotion to duty in perilous work.

Those were the overwhelming responses of dozens of service members interviewed during a 10-day tour of U.S. military posts abroad - from tidy, green American bases in Germany to dusty, broiling outposts across Iraq.

Including privates fresh out of boot camp and West Point- educated officers nearing retirement, the gripes came in all stripes. But reflecting on the coming Memorial Day holiday and their view of what they do, so did the pride.

Here are the words of some of them:

Carlene Bloss, 40, of Jacksonville, N.C., was a Marine for six years and is now a staff sergeant in the N.C. Army National Guard, based at Camp Anaconda, a sprawling U.S. base in central Iraq. Her son, Anthony, was 13 when she learned she was up for deployment to Iraq.

"The Marine in me always wants to come over here. But I have a son, so I never volunteered. When I told him there's a 90 percent chance I was going to Iraq for a year, and this could change his life, I said, 'I didn't want to hurt you.'

"He said, 'Mama, I'll be the same kid a year from now that I am today. Go serve your country.'

"I cried and cried."

Maj. Eddie Blackburn of Elkin, N.C., is a probation officer in civilian life. He's spent 28 years in the military, currently with the 30th Engineering Brigade of the N.C. Army National Guard. Now based at Camp Victory, he has a son who is a junior at West Point.

"The more you deal with the civilians over here, the more you can tell they want change. They want to control their own destinies and not have it controlled for them. Of all the things I have done in my life, being a soldier is the greatest accomplishment."

Maj. Marybel Johnson, of Cary, N.C., a West Point graduate and a former helicopter pilot, supervises an Army operation at Baghdad International Airport that gets mail to soldiers. When her 5-year-old daughter lost a tooth recently, Johnson's mother-in-law helped the girl write a note asking for an exemption from standard procedure: "Dear Tooth Fairy: Please don't take this tooth. I want to send it to my mom in Iraq." The note - and the tooth - arrived in Johnson's mail.

"I miss my kids tremendously. When I call them and they cry, I cry. ... My daughter says, 'You love the Army more than you love us.' How do you explain it to a 5-year-old? I can't explain it to an adult. It's just what you do."

Sgt. Alex Rabre, 31, of Fort Bragg, N.C., a native of Guatemala, became a U.S. citizen and serves in the 30th Engineering Brigade at Camp Victory.

"To me, it's an honor to be an American soldier. What the [United States] stands for is great for all people - that means freedom. I'm here today so my children and my children's children can have freedom."

Spc. Sydney Stuart, 19, of Charlotte, N.C., is a military police officer with the 105th MP Battalion and serves as a guard at Camp Bucca.

"Sometimes it is hard to see a big picture because I am such a small piece. But in years to come, I will look back and know in some way I did make a difference."

Spc. Stacy Strayhorn, 29, of Asheville, N.C., is an intelligence specialist at Camp Anaconda. "It's hard being over here on holidays. You're away from family and friends.

But it's an honorable time. We're serving our country on Memorial Day - and that's special because it's a holiday for soldiers."

Capt. Alex Mendaloff, 51, of Statesville, N.C., a lawyer in civilian life and a military lawyer in the N.C. Army National Guard at Camp Anaconda, sees his service as part of tradition.

"It's a big deal for me to be here because my dad is still alive; he was a Pearl Harbor survivor. We're in a small clan: father and son who served in a war zone. He's proud of me."

Air Force Sgt. Wes Smith, 36, of Dillon, is postmaster of the biggest Air Force post office in the world, at Ramstein, Germany. He's served four tours of duty in the Mideast, and he said U.S. military personnel were regarded well abroad.

"Our intentions are good, to help people. We always get treated with respect where we go."

Sgt. Floyd Swofford, 46, of Polkville, N.C., a long-haul trucker in civilian life, serves in the 30th Engineering Brigade of the N.C. Army National Guard at Camp Anaconda. He signed up because "I wanted to be like my dad."

"My dad served in the Korean War. I admired him for that." Of the military: "It's been a life-changing series of events for me. I want to thank him for that - [for] putting me on the right path."

Sgt. Fred Bishop, 35, of Pageland, stands guard in 12-hour shifts in 100-degree heat at Camp Bucca. He has no doubts about why he's there.

"After Sept. 11, I had a strong sense of duty. It means you're fulfilling your nation's call. It means we're providing a service to the Iraqi people for freedom we feel they deserve."

Soldiers with the 256th Brigade Combat Team remembered Sgt. First Class Peter Hahn on Saturday at a military chapel on Camp Tigerland. Hahn, 31, of Kenner, was the ninth member of his company, a group of Louisiana National Guardsmen, to die since they arrived in Iraq in October. Teri Weaver / S&S

Soldiers in Baghdad honor brethren

Camp Tigerland all too familiar with memorial services

By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Monday, May 30, 2005

Two soldiers pay respects Saturday to Sgt. 1st Class Peter Hahn, who died earlier in the week after a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. Teri Weaver / S&S

CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq — Sgt. 1st Class Peter J. Hahn’s memorial in Baghdad was two days before today’s mix back home of parades, barbecues and summertime celebrations.

Hahn, a 31-year-old with the Louisiana National Guard, died May 24 during a drive-by shooting on a street in Iraq.

He was standing in the turret of a Bradley armored vehicle, according to a spokeswoman from the 256th Brigade Combat Team’s public affairs office. Spc. Jack Venable, Hahn’s gunner, was next to him. The bullet went through a notch in Hahn’s protective vest in the chest, Venable said Saturday after delivering a eulogy for his friend.

“I think he saw them first,” Venable said, “’cause he fired the first shot. I was sitting. He was standing.”

The chapel at Tigerland, part of the U.S. military’s massive Camp Victory base near Baghdad Airport, has had 30 memorials since the brigade arrived in Iraq in late October, said Lt. Col. Robert Baker, the head chaplain.

“This is the third one we’ve done in a week,” he said after Saturday’s service.

Hahn’s company, Company C, falls under an infantry battalion made up of guard members from both Louisiana and New York, Hahn’s home state. That company of about 100 people has been hit hardest. Nine have died in seven months, according to Baker.

One memorial in January was for seven men, he said. A Bradley was hit by a massive roadside bomb and six men from Louisiana and one from New York were killed. Four were from Houma, La.

On May 23, the memorial was for two men from another infantry battalion, the 1st Battalion, 156th Armor Regiment. Spc. Bernard L. Sembly, 25, of Bossier City, La., and Sgt. Robin V. Fell, 22, of Shreveport, La., were shot while on foot patrol in Baghdad.

The crowd at the service, like Hahn’s on Saturday, was standing-room only, said Staff Sgt. Josh Robert, 25, of Breaux Bridge, La.

“We’ve only got about 100 people in the company, so you know everyone,” Robert said. Another soldier from their company, Cpl. Eric Broussard had become good friends with Sembly.

“We got pretty tight,” Broussard, 23, said while on patrol Friday afternoon in Baghdad. “It touched me pretty deeply. It had happened to other companies. But you don’t really feel the effects of it.”

Both Robert and Broussard didn’t tell anyone at home about it. They expected their mothers would have heard on the local news, but these soldiers were from Shreveport, more than 200 miles away from Robert and Broussard’s Breaux Bridge home.

“Nobody really heard of it,” Broussard said. “My mom, she’s already worried enough.”

Venable also said he didn’t tell anyone at home about Hahn’s death. “I don’t call home ’cause they’ll think I’m in danger,” he said.

Spc. Rebecca Courville called her mother on May 23. Earlier in the day, she had been with Staff Sgt. Russell J. Verdugo, 34, of Phoenix, who was called to a street in Baghdad to help disarm a homemade bomb. A second, still-hidden bomb exploded instead, killing Verdugo and injuring three members of Courville’s platoon with the 1088th Engineers Battalion.

“I called and talked to my mom to let her know it was OK, before word got out,” the 21-year-old Louisiana National Guard member said.

Courville said her family really never celebrated Memorial Day back home.

Another soldier, Sgt. Robert Castille, 23, of Opelousas, La., said his family treated the holiday about the same as any other.

Today, in Iraq, Castille said, he didn’t expect to spend much time reflecting.

“Every day looks the same,” he said.

In memoriam

Posted on Mon, May. 30, 2005

TROOPS ACROSS TEXAS KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Marine Capt. Paul C. Alaniz, 32, Corpus Christi. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Nickalous N. Aldrich, 21, Austin. Died Aug. 27, 2004, in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Daniel R. Amaya, 22, Odessa. Killed April 11, 2005, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Cpl. William M. Amundson Jr., 21, The Woodlands. Killed Oct. 18, 2004, during ground assault force infiltration in eastern Afghanistan when his vehicle rolled over.

Army Pfc. Danny L. Anderson, 29, Corpus Christi. Died Feb. 27, 2005, of injuries from small-arms fire in Baghdad.

Army Sgt. Edward J. Anguiano, 24, Brownsville. Killed March 23, 2003, when his six-vehicle convoy was ambushed near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Marine Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Todd Arnold, 30, Spring. One of three Marines killed near Kut, Iraq, on April 22, 2003, when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher malfunctioned.

Army Spc. Richard Arriaga, 20, Ganado. One of three soldiers killed Sept. 18, 2003, in a small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade ambush on their Humvee near Tikrit, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Trevor D. Aston, 32, Austin, reservist. Died Feb. 22, 2005, in a vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron C. Austin, 21, Sunray. Killed by hostile fire April 26, 2004, in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Travis A. Babbitt, 24, Uvalde. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, in Baghdad when his patrol was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire.

Marine Pfc. Chad E. Bales, 20, Coahoma. Died April 3, 2003, in a non-hostile vehicle accident during combat operations near Ash Shahin, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Michael Paul Barrera, 26, Von Ormy. Killed Oct. 28, 2003, when his tank was hit by explosives in Baqouba, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Battles Sr., 38, San Antonio. Killed Oct. 28, 2004, in Baghdad when a car bomb exploded near his checkpoint.

Army Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco, 28, San Antonio. Killed Dec. 28, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle during a support mission in Qaryat Ash Shababi, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Todd J. Bolding, 23, Manvel. Died June 3, 2004, of wounds suffered in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Capt. Orlando A. Bonilla, 27, Killeen. Died Jan. 28, 2005, in a helicopter accident in Baghdad.

Marine Lance Cpl. Dominic C. Brown, 19, Austin. Died Sept. 13, 2004, in a non-combat-related incident in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Taylor J. Burk, 21, Amarillo. Killed Jan. 26, 2005, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Baghdad.

Marine Sgt. Juan Calderon Jr., 26, Weslaco. Killed Aug. 2, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Wesley J. Canning, 21, Friendswood. Killed Nov. 10, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Adolf C. Carballo, 20, Houston. Killed April 10, 2004, when struck by shrapnel in Baghdad.

Marine Lance Cpl. James Casper, 20, Coolidge. Died March 25, 2004, in a non-combat-related incident in Asad, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Samuel T. Castle, 26, Naples. Died May 11, 2005, of injuries from an explosive device in Asad, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Roland L. Castro, 26, San Antonio. Died Jan. 16, 2004, of a non-hostile gunshot wound at Camp Cedar II, Iraq.

Marine Sgt. Aaron N. Cepeda Sr., 22, San Antonio, reservist. Killed May 7, 2005, in an explosion while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, 36, Waco. Killed March 4, 2002, trying to rescue a Navy SEAL in southern Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman, 31, San Antonio. Killed Jan. 4, 2002, during an ambush near Khost, Afghanistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. Julio C. Cisneros-Alvarez, 22, Pharr. Killed Jan. 6, 2005, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Gary L. Collins, 32, Hardin. Killed Nov. 8, 2003, riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when it hit an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq.

Army Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga, 20, Bellville. Died of acute leukemia Aug. 6, 2003, at Homburg University Hospital, Homburg, Germany.

Marine Lance Cpl. Pedro Contreras, 27, Harris. Killed June 21, 2004, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Brian T. Craig, 27, Houston. Killed April 15, 2002, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when rockets he was trying to destroy accidentally detonated.

Army Pvt. Rey D. Cuervo, 24, Laguna Vista. Killed Dec. 28, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Baghdad.

Air Force Capt. Eric B. Das, 30, Amarillo. Killed April 7, 2003, when F-15E he was piloting went down during a combat mission in Iraq.

Army Spc. Lauro G. DeLeon Jr., 20, Floresville, reservist. Killed Sept. 8, 2004, when an explosive detonated near his convoy in Balad, Iraq.

Army Spc. Isaac E. Diaz, 26, Rio Hondo. Died Dec. 1, 2004, in Sharona, Afghanistan, when his vehicle rolled over during patrol.

Army Staff Sgt. Joe L. Dunigan Jr., 37, Belton. Killed March 11, 2004, when his vehicle was hit by an explosive in Fallujah, Iraq.

Army Sgt. William C. Eckhart, 25, Rocksprings. Killed April 10, 2004, by an explosion in Baqouba, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Analaura Esparza-Gutierrez, 21, Houston. Killed Oct. 1, 2003, when her convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq.

Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso. Killed March 23, 2003, in attack after convoy made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Army Master Sgt. George A. Fernandez, 36, El Paso. Killed April 2, 2003, by gunfire in northern Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Joseph E. Fite, 23, Round Rock, reservist. Killed Jan. 9, 2005, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Sgt. Timothy Folmar, 21, Sonora. Killed Sept. 24, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Wesley C. Fortenberry, 38, Woodville. Killed April 11, 2004, when his helicopter was shot down in Baghdad.

Army Pvt. Robert L. Frantz, 19, San Antonio. Killed June 17, 2003, in grenade attack while on guard duty in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Tomas Garces, 19, Weslaco. Killed Sept. 6, 2004, when his convoy was attacked with explosives in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Israel Garza, 25, Lubbock. Killed April 4, 2004, when his unit was hit by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in Baghdad.

Army 1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza, 43, Robstown. Killed April 28, 2003, in traffic accident in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Clinton R. Gertson, 26, Eagle Lake. Died Feb. 19, 2005, of injuries from small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Todd C. Gibbs, 37, Lufkin. Killed Dec. 7, 2004, by an explosive while on patrol in Khalidiyah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Shane L. Goldman, 20, Orange. Died April 5, 2004, of injuries from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Rodrigo Gonzalez-Garza, 26, San Antonio. Killed Feb. 25, 2003, when his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a nighttime training mission near Camp New Jersey, Kuwait.

Marine Lance Cpl. Lance T. Graham, 26, San Antonio, reservist. Killed in an explosion while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Jose Guereca Jr., 24, Missouri City. Killed Nov. 30, 2004, when an explosive went off near his vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Adam J. Harris, 21, Abilene. Killed by a sniper while on patrol Sept. 22, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Clayton W. Henson, 20, Stanton. Killed April 17, 2004, when his convoy was ambushed in Diwaniyah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Tony L. Hernandez, 22, Canyon Lake. One of 31 killed in the crash of a CH-53E helicopter Jan. 26, 2005, near Rutbah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew W. Holloway, 21, Fulton. Reservist died of injuries from hostile action Jan. 13, 2005, in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Paul C. Holter, III, 21, Corpus Christi. Died Jan. 14, 2005, in a non-combat-related accident at Camp Ramadi, Iraq.

Army Capt. Andrew R. Houghton, 25, Houston. Died Aug. 9, 2004, following injury in action July 10, 2004, in Dhuha, Iraq.

Army Pvt. Aaron M. Hudson, 20, Highland Village. Died April 16, 2005, of injuries suffered April 15, 2005, in an explosion at Camp Taji, Iraq.

Army 1st Lt. Doyle M. Hufstedler, 25, Abilene. One of five soldiers killed March 31, 2004, when an improvised explosive device hit their armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Seth Huston, 19, Perryton. Killed Aug. 21, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson, 20, League City. Killed Dec. 7, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.

Army Pfc. John P. Johnson, 24, Houston. Died Oct. 22, 2003, of non-combat-related injuries in Baghdad.

Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Brazoria. Killed March 23, 2003, in action near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Army Spc. Michael G. Karr Jr., 23, San Antonio. One of five soldiers killed March 31, 2004, when an improvised explosive device hit their armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston. Killed March 21, 2003, in a CH-46E helicopter crash in Kuwait.

Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort. Killed March 23, 2003, in a pre-dawn ambush near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Marine Staff Sgt. Dexter S. Kimble, 30, Houston. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Zachary A. Kolda, 23, Corpus Christi, reservist. Killed Dec. 1, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Scott Q. Larson Jr., 22, Houston. Killed April 5, 2004, after his convoy was ambushed in Baghdad.

Army Staff Sgt. Rene Ledesma, 34, Abilene. Killed May 15, 2004, when an explosive went off near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Baghdad.

Army Pfc. Jesus A. Leon-Perez, 20, Houston. One of five soldiers killed Jan. 24, 2005, when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Hilario F. Lopez, 22, Ingleside. Killed Dec. 12, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Raymond Losano, 24, Del Rio. Died from wounds in a firefight April 25, 2003, in eastern Afghanistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. Fred L. Maciel, 20, Spring. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in crash of their CH-53E helicopter near Rutbah, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Javier Marin Jr., 29, Mission. One of five soldiers killed Jan. 24, 2005, when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso. Killed by Iraqi soldiers March 23, 2003, after convoy made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Matthew E. Matula, 20, Spicewood. Killed April 9, 2004, by hostile fire in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin, 22, Belton. One of three killed July 26, 2003, by a grenade thrown from a civilian hospital they were guarding in Baghdad.

Army Sgt. Barry K. Meza, 23, League City. Killed Dec. 19, 2004, after hit by a vehicle in Shuaybah, Kuwait.

Army Pfc. Anthony S. Miller, 19, San Antonio. Killed in combat April 7, 2003, in Iraq.

Rhonald D. Rairdan, 20, San Antonio. Was among 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Christopher Ramirez, 34, McAllen. Killed April 14, 2004, during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Staff Sgt. Gene Ramirez, 28, San Antonio. Killed Nov. 10, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel, 29, San Antonio. Died Feb. 13, 2005, while performing a canal rescue mission in Balad, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Ariel Rico, 25, El Paso. Killed Nov. 28, 2003, in a mortar attack in Mosul, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Wesley R. Riggs, 19, Baytown. Died May 17, 2005, of injuries suffered in an explosion in Tikrit, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Juan R. Rodriguez, 23, El Cenizo. Reservist died Jan. 13, 2005, of injuries suffered in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army 2nd Lt. Jonathan D. Rozier, 25, Katy. Killed July 19, 2003, when fired on while providing security at a municipal building in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Isela Rubalcava, 25, El Paso. Killed May 8, 2004, when mortar round hit near her in Mosul, Iraq.

Army Sgt. John W. Russell, 26, Portland. Killed Nov. 15, 2003, in a crash of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Mosul, Iraq.

Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr., 21, Houston. Killed March 26, 2004, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Pfc. Dustin M. Sekula, 18, Edinburg. Killed April 1, 2004, of injuries suffered from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Capt. Sean P. Sims, 32, El Paso. Killed Nov. 13, 2004, by small-arms fire while clearing a building in Fallujah, Iraq.

Marine Staff Sgt. Russell L. Slay, 28, Humble. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Armando Soriano, 20, Houston. Killed in a vehicle roll-over Feb. 1, 2004, in Haditha, Iraq.

Army Cpl. Tomas Sotelo Jr., 22, Houston. Killed June 27, 2003, when his convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Joseph D. Suell, 24, Lufkin. Died June 16, 2003, of a non-combat-related cause in Todjie, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger, 24, San Antonio. Killed Dec. 16, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class John E. Taylor, 31, Wichita Falls. Died May 17, 2003, from a heart attack after completing physical training in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Juan M. Torres, 25, Houston, reservist. Died of non-combat-related injuries July 12, 2004, in Bagram, Afghanistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael S. Torres, 21, El Paso. Killed July 5, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Elias Torrez III, 21, Veribest. Killed April 9, 2004, in hostile action in Iraq.

Army Sgt. John B. Trotter, 25, Marble Falls. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, when his patrol was attacked with small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Ruben Valdez Jr., 21, San Diego. Killed April 17, 2004, in hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Melissa Valles, 26, Eagle Pass. Died of a non-combat cause July 9, 2003, in Balad, Iraq.

Army Spc. Jose A. Velez, 23, Lubbock. Killed Nov. 13, 2004, when his unit came under fire while clearing a strongpoint in Fallujah, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael B. Wafford, 20, Spring. Died April 8, 2004, of injuries from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.

Army Spc. Gary W. Walters Jr., 31, Victoria. Killed April 24, 2005, when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.

Army Pfc. Stephen E. Wyatt, 19, Kilgore. Killed Oct. 13, 2003, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire in Balad, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Henry Ybarra III, 32, Austin. Killed Sept. 11, 2003, in Balad, Iraq, when the tire he was changing exploded.

Army Spc. Viktar V. Yolkin, 24, Spring Branch. One of five soldiers killed when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned Jan. 24, 2005, in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.

Army Spc. Mark Anthony Zapata, 27, Edinburg. Killed in hostile action Aug. 15, 2004, in Najaf, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Zapp, 20, Houston. Killed Nov. 8, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.

EARLY MORNING RAIDS CONDUCTED IN BAGHDAD

BAGHDAD, Iraq –- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured 15 terror suspects in three early-morning raids conducted throughout the capital The biggest operation netted 10 suspected terrorists in the Yusafiyah district of south Baghdad.

In east Baghdad, a tip from an Iraqi citizen prevented an attack. During a routine patrol, members of Task Force Baghdad’s 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were approached by a farmer with information on the location of roadside bomb. The farmer told the Soldiers he had seen terrorists emplace the bomb. The Soldiers expressed their appreciation to the farmer and secured the roadside bomb.

"This event shows that the population continues to turn away from the terrorists. I am grateful that the people care enough to provide us the tips that are helping us to defeat the terrorists. There is no question in my mind that the farmer who provided the tip today saved the lives of our Soldiers,” said Maj. Paul Reese, executive officer 3-7 Cavalry.

Operation Phantom Fury, Memorial Day ~ Bump!

Freedom Isn't Free!

Let Freedom Reign!

Lest We Forget!