Task Force 1st Armored Division Killed in Explosive Attack

A 1ST Infantry Division Soldier Dies in Electrical Accident

TIKRIT, Iraq – A First Infantry Division Soldier was electrocuted while working on communications equipment at Forward Operating Base Comanche north of Baqubah March 19 at approximately 2 p.m.

The Soldier was evacuated to the 31ST Combat Support Hospital at Balad where he died from injuries. The incident is under investigation. The name of the Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Release #040321a

1st Infantry Division Soldier Killed in Live-Fire Accident

TIKRIT, IRAQ – This morning at approximately 10:00 a.m. one 1st Infantry Division soldier was killed during a pre-patrol test firing in preparation for a mission near Samarra. The circumstances surrounding the accident are under investigation. The name of the soldier is being withheld pending next of kin notification.

Release #040321c

Task Force 1st Armored Division Killed in Explosive Attack

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Task Force 1st Armored Division Soldier and an Iraqi interpreter were killed and three other Soldiers were wounded during an IED attack March 21.

The incident occurred in western Baghdad at about 7 p.m. The Soldiers were conducting a mounted patrol in the Abu Ghurayb district.

The names of the dead and wounded Soldiers are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

The incident is under investigation.

Release #040321e

1 posted on 03/22/2004 5:43:16 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl

To: MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; TEXOKIE; Alamo-Girl; windchime; Grampa Dave; anniegetyourgun; ...

1st Infantry Division ~ 1st Armored Division

REGIMENTAL PRAYER

Almighty, merciful, and loving Father,
you are the one who hears all our prayers and grants our petitions.

We ask you to remember, as we do,
the tremendous sacrifice made by those who went before us.
They have given their lives so that we might live and breathe freely.
We ask you to receive them into your hands.

Father, give us the strength and wisdom to learn from their example,
to uphold freedom and life at home and around the world.

Keep us vigilant as we guard the frontiers of freedom.

Give our leaders the wisdom and the strength to lead well.

Grant all of us courage and confidence.

Be, for all of us, troopers, a wise counsel in keeping peace
and a strong shield for us against our enemies.

Oh heavenly Father, give us the determination
that the peace and freedom won at such a high price be lasting!

Father, hold all of the troopers in the palm of your almighty hand
and protect them in the shadow of your wings.

Amen.

Adopted from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment,

Regimental Prayer.

~ ~

2 posted on 03/22/2004 5:44:30 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("(We)..come to rout out tyranny from its nest. Confusion to the enemy." - B. Taylor, US Marine)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

A whole task force killed in one attack?!?

(Headline needs editing)

3 posted on 03/22/2004 5:53:35 AM PST by blanknoone (Give Kerry enough nuance, and he will hang himself.)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

How heartbreaking!
Prayers for our fallen heroes and their families!

4 posted on 03/22/2004 5:54:38 AM PST by netmilsmom (Jonathansmommie's daughter was born 3-11-04, both home!)

CJTF-7 and CENTCOM could use help with headline writing.

5 posted on 03/22/2004 7:25:02 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("(We)..come to rout out tyranny from its nest. Confusion to the enemy." - B. Taylor, US Marine)

Mar 22, 8:36 AM EST

Two Finns Killed in Latest Baghdad Battle

By DANIEL COONEY
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A car bomb blew up near a U.S. Air Force base north of the capital Monday, killing two Iraqi civilians and wounding 25 others, an Iraqi security official said. The U.S. military said a bomb killed a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi interpreter in Baghdad.

In Helsinki, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said two Finnish businessmen were shot and killed in Baghdad on Monday. They were part of a Finnish technological delegation visiting the Iraqi capital, ministry spokesman Markus Lyra said.

"The men were on their way to the Ministry of Electricity to make business contacts as part of a larger group," Lyra said. He did not identify the victims.

The men were killed inside a tunnel in one of west Baghdad's main highways, according to Iraqis at the scene. The victims' Iraqi driver was unhurt. The assailants fled, and there were no reports of arrests.

The men were employed by Ensto and Air-Ix, Finnish companies participating in the nine-member delegation, Finland's STT news agency reported. Officials said the delegation, which arrived Saturday to renew prewar contacts in Iraq, will cut short its visit. Finland, which opposed the war that ousted Saddam Hussein, has no troops in Iraq.

The deadly car bomb exploded outside the U.S. base near the town of Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, said Saeed Kadhim of the U.S.-trained Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. The wounded were taken to hospitals, he said.

The U.S. military in Tikrit also said the bomber was killed and that six Iraqi security personnel were injured, two of them seriously. It was unclear whether they were among the 25 injured people cited by Iraqi authorities.

The explosion that killed an American and an Iraqi in Baghdad also wounded three U.S. soldiers, the military said. The attack on the 1st Armored Division patrol occurred Sunday in the capital's western Abu Ghraib district.

In the southern city of Basra, British soldiers fired tear gas at about 500 unemployed Iraqi civilians who were throwing rocks and petrol bombs. The Iraqis were angry after failing to get jobs with the local customs police, said an Iraqi customs officer who identified himself as Lt. Durade.

Six civilians and three British soldiers were injured, Durade said.

On Sunday in Baghdad, rebels fired three rockets toward the U.S.-led coalition headquarters. One hit inside the compound, wounding a U.S. soldier. Two landed outside the heavily guarded area, killing two Iraqi civilians and wounding five, a U.S. official said. Iraqi hospital officials said one civilian died.

In other developments:

-U.S. troops Monday raided a house in the central town of Tikrit and arrested three members of a family, including one who is suspected of being linked to a bomb attack earlier this month that killed two American soldiers, Lt. Col. Jeff Sinclair said.

-In the northern city of Kirkuk on Sunday, police arrested a person suspected of being a follower of Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group with suspected links to al-Qaida, Iraqi police Col. Khattab Omar said.

-The head of Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council, Mohammed Bahr Al-Ulloum, flew to Tokyo on Monday for talks with Japan's government about reconstruction efforts in this war-shattered country, an official said. Tokyo has pledged $5 billion in aid through 2007, while sending 1,000 naval, air and sea forces to help rebuild infrastructure.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

Mar 22, 2:50 AM EST

Car Bomb Blast Near U.S. Base Kills Two

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A car bomb blew up near a U.S. Air Force base north of Baghdad on Monday, killing two Iraqi civilians and wounding 25 others, an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps official said.

The explosion occurred outside the base near the town of Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, the official, Saeed Kadhim, said.

He said the wounded had been taken to nearby hospitals.

U.S. officials in Baghdad could not confirm the attack.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_EXPLOSION?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

6 posted on 03/22/2004 7:36:32 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("(We)..come to rout out tyranny from its nest. Confusion to the enemy." - B. Taylor, US Marine)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

7 posted on 03/22/2004 7:42:10 AM PST by Alamo-Girl

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Paryers for our fallen heros ~ Bump!

8 posted on 03/22/2004 8:01:52 AM PST by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DoD, March 22, 2004

~* Lt. Michael W. Vega *~

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

1^st Lt. Michael W. Vega, 41, of Lathrop, Calif., died March 20 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., from injuries sustained when his military vehicle rolled over in Diwaniyah, Iraq, on March 11. Vega was assigned to the 223^rd Military Intelligence Company, 223^rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Army National Guard, based in Sacramento, Calif.

~* Pfc. Jason C. Ludlam *~

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Jason C. Ludlam, 22, of Arlington, Texas, died March 19 in Ba’qubah, Iraq, when he was electrocuted while laying telephone wires. Ludlam was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion, 2^nd Infantry Regiment, 1^st Infantry Division, based in Vilseck, Germany.

~* Maj. Mark D. Taylor ~ Spc. Matthew J. Sandri *~

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died on March 20, in Fallujah, Iraq, when their living area came under a rocket attack. Killed were:

Maj. Mark D. Taylor, 41, of Stockton, Calif., was assigned to the 782^nd Main Support Battalion, 82^nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Spc. Matthew J. Sandri, 24, of Shamokin, Penn., was assigned to the 82^nd Forward Support Battalion, 82^nd Airborne Division also based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

~* Pvt. Dustin L. Kreider *~

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Dustin L. Kreider, 19, of Riverton, Kan., died March 21 near Samarra, Iraq during a unit weapon test-firing incident. Kreider was assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 26^th Infantry Regiment, 1^st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

9 posted on 03/22/2004 6:02:00 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("(We)..come to rout out tyranny from its nest. Confusion to the enemy." - B. Taylor, US Marine)

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