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7/24/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Joint Base Balad Town Hall filled with brothers and sisters mourning the loss of a military family member July 20. Tech. Sgt. Jackie Larsen, a paralegal working with the Law and Order Task Force of the 732nd Expeditionary Support Squadron, died from non-combat related causes July 17. Sergeant Larsen, deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., operated out of Forward Operating Base Shield and was the NCO in charge of all personnel movements for the LAOTF. The LAOTF trains Iraqi lawyers, paralegals and investigators in proper investigations and documentation of evidence...

United States Army Corporal Matthew Britten Phillips, age 27, of Cumming, GA, died Sunday, July 13, 2008 while bravely and proudly serving his country at a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Cpl. Phillips was one of nine soldiers to die that day; just days before his unit was scheduled to leave the base. "We feel angry, even bitterly so, because our young men lived better lives, had higher hopes and more perfect love, than their attackers," Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Stevan Horning said during a memorial service held in Vicenza, Italy. "Please help us to not become...

<p>A fallen soldier returned home to a hero’s welcome Wednesday.</p> <p>The body of Cpl. Matthew Phillips arrived Wednesday morning at 9:35 a.m. at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville aboard a chartered jet from Dover Air Force Base.</p> <p>It was met by an honor guard from the U.S. Army, which placed the casket into a waiting hearse for the trip to a funeral home in Cumming where his body will lie in repose until a funeral on Saturday.</p>

My brother in Gainesville, Georgia closed down his store for a bit to capture the funeral procession of Corporal Matthew Phillips, on the way to neighboring Cumming. Matthew was one of the nine killed in Afghanistan not long ago.

(CNN) -- All six airmen aboard the B-52 bomber that crashed Monday off Guam's northwest coast were killed, Air Force officials confirmed Wednesday. Aboard Raider 21 were Maj. Christopher M. Cooper, 33; Maj. Brent D. Williams, 37; Capt. Michael K. Dodson, 31; 1st Lt. Joshua D. Shepherd, 26; 1st Lt. Robert D Gerren, 32; and Col. George Martin. The plane crashed about 30 miles northwest of Guam, the Air Force said in a statement. Air Force crews switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation over the 7,000-square-mile crash site, said Air Force spokeswoman Sgt. Ashleigh Bryant.

In 2007, Matt [Vandegrift] left for Iraq as an infantry officer. In April of this year, he gave the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf when he was killed in action...In a fitting act, the Leander School district in Texas voted unanimously to name their new high school, opening in 2010, to honor him. They have chosen to honor what most parents hope to see in the children they send out into the world: loyalty, honor, bravery and determination.

Specialist Matthew Philips was killed in the attack on the base in Afghanistan on Sunday, July 13. He will be laid to rest on Saturday, July 26 at 1:00 at Coal Mountain Baptist Church in Cumming, Georgia. His body will be taken from Ingram's Funeral Home, in downtown Cumming, north on Highway 9. The church is on Highway 9, the burial will be at Coal Mountain Cemetery just down the road from the church following the service. Please join me if you can to show our support for his family and our brave military by lining the road with supporters....

On Friday, another Canadian was killed in Afghanistan. Corporal James Arnal, 25, was the 89th brave Canadian -- 88 soldiers and one diplomat -- to have died there since our mission began six years ago. He was killed by a roadside bomb while out on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan. It was only natural that, over time, the shock of Canadian combat deaths would wear off, and so news of Canadian fatalities would begin to slip from the front pages. Yet each death of a young soldier killed in the line of duty is tragic, and none more so than...

The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about an internet scam that is trying to take advantage of the identity of slain Michigan soldier Byron Fouty. It works through the online classified Craig's list. An add appearing on the website says someone claiming to be Fouty's father Mick is trying to sell his son's BMW M6 for $2,800. The car has a Kelley Blue Book value of $80,000. The add reads: "this car will be my gift, my gift in the memory of my son. money not a problem, all I want is to find the right person. person...

Canadian Soldier Killed in AfghanistanCEFCOM NR–08.027 - July 19, 2008OTTAWA – Yesterday, a Canadian soldier was killed just before midnight Kandahar time. The soldier was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device while on a foot patrol in Panjwayi District. The fallen soldier is Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba. First aid was administered to Corporal Arnal immediately following the incident. He was evacuated by helicopter to Kandahar Air Field’s Role 3 Multi-National Medical Facility, but sadly was pronounced dead upon arrival. All members of Task Force Kandahar are...

SAS signaller Sean McCarthy lived in many places in his 25 years; yesterday, to the sound of military bagpipes, he was buried in his final resting place. Nearly 1000 people attended the funeral, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Crystal Waters on the Gold Coast, of Signaller McCarthy, who was killed last week by a roadside bomb while he was on patrol in southern Afghanistan. Earlier, there had been a private family service for Signaller McCarthy, the sixth Australian soldier to be killed while on active duty in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson attended...

Two years after Israeli reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted by Hezbollah guerillas in a cross-border raid, coffins said to contain their bodies were taken to the Lebanese side of its border with Israel as part of a prisoner exchange to bring them home. The swap, overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by the cabinet, began at around 9 A.M. Wednesday at the Rosh Hanikra crossing, under the auspices of the International Red Cross Committee. A convoy carrying the bodies of the two Israelis reached the Rosh Hanikra crossing on the Lebanese side of the border at about 8:30 A.M., where...

A school district near Austin, TX wants to name a new high school there Vandegrift High School after a fallen Marine who graduated in 1999. He was killed in Iraq serving his country, and the local school board voted to name a new high school after him. This is a great gesture of appreciation. But unfortunately some lunatic leftists are protesting this decision. Please contact the Leander ISD to let them know you support their decision, despite what a vocal, anti-American minority of fringe activists think. Call the school district at 512-434-5000. Fax a letter to them at 512-434-5398. Email...

THE body of SAS signaller Sean McCarthy, killed in Afghanistan last week, was yesterday returned to his family in a solemn ceremony at the RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane. A guard and bearer party of soldiers from the Special Air Service Regiment received and carried the casket from the aircraft as Signaller McCarthy's family and friends looked on. Chief of the Army Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie said the sixth Australian to be killed in action in Afghanistan was a brave soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice. "His loss is being heavily felt throughout the army, and we join with his...

LAKE CITY - Spc. Jason Dean Hovater was much more than a soldier stationed in an outpost in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. "He was a brother and a son and a husband,'' said Hovater's sister, Jessica Davis of Norris. "Most of all, he was a man of God. He was a light to other people around him." Hovater, a Clinton resident, was one of nine soldiers killed last weekend in the deadliest assault in Afghanistan against the U.S. military in three years. Some 200 militants with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars attacked the outpost but were beaten back...

An Ida (Michigan) Township woman who handled a college scholarship fund named in memory of a local soldier killed fighting in Iraq was convicted yesterday in Monroe County Circuit Court of stealing money from the account.

A single-digit month. Looking at the coalition fatalities for the first half of July, 2008 shows something remarkable...something not yet noted by any mainstream news agencies or blogs. At first glance, the stats show that 6 good Americans gave their lives for our country so far this month in Iraq. But that number of 6 doesn't tell the tale. Looking more closely at the numbers, two of our lost soldiers were due to non-hostile work accidents (e.g. one was electrocuted). But that doesn't mean that we've lost 4 good men to combat this month...you see...two of those lost to combat...

It is with the deepest sorrow that I have to belatedly report the death in service of my late husband. My husband was a soldier of the British Army with an 18yr service record and combat experience from Northern Ireland to Afghanistan. He was a strong man and a doting father to his 2 children. He passed away in May due to injuries he sustained whilst serving abroard. My Husband had been through a hard time the past 18 months, which saw him in civilian court for protecting his family then being accused of a crime he did not commit...

There are moments that throw the nature of America's enemies into the sharpest possible relief. One such moment came this week, as the Army revealed that it had identified the remains of two US soldiers taken captive in Iraq. Pfc. Byron Fouty, 19, and Queens-born Sgt. Alex Jimenez, 25, were captured last May after heavy fighting in Iraq's then-explosive Sunni Triangle. The body of a third captured GI, Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., was found not long afterward - but Jimenez and Fouty's families held out hope for their return. Until now. It's the smallest of comforts that the country may...

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 13 — Taliban insurgents mounted a large-scale attack on an American forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Sunday, killing nine American soldiers in fierce fighting that continued through the day. Mark Laity, a spokesman for NATO, confirmed that nine soldiers had been killed and 15 more wounded, but did not give their nationality. Separately, a senior American military official confirmed that the nine soldiers killed were Americans. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, Mr. Laity said. The Taliban assault on the base was the deadliest single attack on the NATO security force...

KABUL (Reuters) - Insurgents killed nine U.S. soldiers in an assault on an Afghan army and NATO outpost in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, making it one of the worst days for foreign troops casualties in the country since 2001. Afghanistan is suffering from a rising tide of violence this year, with a sharp increase in Taliban attacks, especially in the east where NATO says militants have taken advantage of peace deals in Pakistan to cross the border and fight in Afghanistan. --snip-- The dead soldiers were all American, a NATO official said. Fifteen ISAF troops and four Afghan soldiers were...

At least eight US soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in clashes with Taleban militants. US commander Daniel Dwyer told the BBC the soldiers had been killed in clashes in the north-east of the country. The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says it is one of the biggest single losses in a day for the coalition since the start of military operations there. The attack came as international and Afghan security forces battled militants on several fronts. On Sunday, US forces said 40 insurgents had been killed in Helmand province in the past 24 hours. There are conflicting reports as...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Department of Defense confirmed Friday that the remains of two U.S. soldiers captured in an ambush south of Baghdad more than a year ago were found this week. A tip from an informant led the military Wednesday to the bodies of Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan, according to Jimenez' father, quoting officers who informed him of the discoveries. Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan "The Armed Forces Medical Examiner positively identified human remains...

AT 6.15am, Private Ray Johnson woke, pushed back his camouflage-print doona and got up. It was already hot, despite the constant, noisy work of the airconditioner above his bed. He showered and, when he got back to the room, woke the other two men sleeping in the bunks beside the door. They went quickly through their morning routine: wash, dress, webbing, weapons, helmet, out. Sharing a space this small with two other blokes, each learned to live without getting on the others' nerves. It was just another day. Another eight hours of guard duty, rotating around different positions at the...

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008 – The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has identified human remains found in Iraq as those of two 10th Mountain Division soldiers who had been missing since a May 2007 ambush. Army Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, and Pfc. Byron W. Fouty, 19, were listed as “missing/captured” during operations in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on May 12, 2007. The two men were soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Drum, N.Y. Jimenez and Fouty were part of a patrol of seven Americans and an Iraqi army interpreter...

FORT WORTH — In a few days, Francisco Martinez will land in Iraq. He is one of tens of thousands of men and women who, with various motivations, enlisted in the armed forces, knowing that they’d someday end up there. For Martinez, Iraq is a kind of perdition, a receptacle for all the dark emotions, anguish and guilt that have buffeted him for the last three years. When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his...

The body of Alex R. Jimenez, a Lawrence-based soldier who was kidnapped more than a year ago, has been found in Iraq in a tragic ending to a family's wrenching hope for his return. Jimenez's father, Ramon "Andy'' Jimenez, was notified by Army servicemen who came to his home yesterday that his son's body was found two days ago by Iraqi authorities, who contacted their American counterparts. The elder Ramirez, who had held out hope that he would one day see his son's return, seemed to come to terms with the news. "It comforts you when you accept something, and...

THE Australian commando killed by a bomb in Afghanistan overnight has been remembered for his humour, integrity and dedication as a soldier. Signaller Sean McCarthy, 25, a member of the Perth-based Special Air Service Regiment, was killed yesterday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Kunar province, on the border with Pakistan. Two other commandos were injured in the attack. Signaller McCarthy is the sixth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002, and the second this year. Kevin Rudd, who is attending the G8 summit in Japan, described the death as a “terrible loss to his family, the...

THE former high school of a Gold Coast soldier killed by a roadside bombing in Afghanistan has remembered him as a vibrant young man with a great sense of humour. Signaller Sean McCarthy, 25, was killed yesterday. Signaller McCarthy was born in New Zealand but was raised on the Gold Coast. He attended Trinity Lutheran College, Ashmore, before joining the ADF in 2001. His various postings before joining the SAS last year included a spell in Toowoomba. He is the sixth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002 and the second this year. McCarthy's old high school today paid...

Media AdvisoryOur fallen soldier returns homeLFCA MA 08-008 - July 8, 2008OTTAWA, Ont. — Our fallen soldier, Private Colin William Wilmot, 24, of 1 Field Ambulance, based out of Edmonton, Alberta is scheduled to return home to Canada tomorrow. Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. When: Wednesday, July 9, 2:00 p.m. What: Media are invited to view the arrival; however, no interviews will be given. Present to pay their respects at tomorrow's repatriation ceremony will be the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and other dignitaries. Pte...

The Department of Defense announced today the death of four Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Michael Toussiant-Hyle Washington, 20, of Tacoma, Wash. Lance Cpl. Layton Bradly Crass, 22, of Richmond, In. Pfc. Dawid Pietrek, 24, of Bensenville, Ill. Pfc. Michael Robert Patton, 19, of Fenton, Mo. All four Marines died June 14 while supporting combat operations in Farah Province, Afghanistan. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Requesting prayer for the family, friends, and loved ones of Sgt. Michael Toussiant-Hyle Washington, 20, of Tacoma, Wash. Requesting...

News ReleaseOne Canadian Soldier Dies in AfghanistanCEFCOM NR–08.026 - July 7, 2008OTTAWA – At approximately 12:50 a.m., Kandahar time, on July 5, a Canadian soldier suffered critical injuries and later died when an explosive device detonated near a dismounted security patrol in Panjwayi District. The fallen soldier is Private Colin William Wilmot, a medic serving with the Health Services Support Unit in Afghanistan attached to 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group. His home unit was 1 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, Alberta. First-aid was administered to Private Wilmot immediately following the explosion. He was evacuated by helicopter...

I am pretty sure this is the longest period of time without a fatality since the war began. God Bless our Troops, our President, and the United States of America. I'm going to go pick up the NY Times to read the front page article they surely must have written about the fantastic success of George W. Bush and his policy of establishing a stable democracy in Iraq.

A little-known tribute some Navy SEALs gave to a fallen comrade is gaining notice. Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor was killed in battle in Iraq in September 2006, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in April. During the service, as Monsoor's coffin was taken from the hearse to the gravesite, Navy SEALs lined up in two columns. As the coffin passed, video shows each SEAL, having removed the gold Trident from his own uniform, slapping it down and deeply embedding it in Monsoor's wooden coffin. The slaps were reportedly heard across the cemetery.

AMERICANS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY The Department of Defense announced the death of these Americans who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Requesting prayer for the family, friends, and loved ones of Pfc. Howard A. Jones, Jr., 35, of ChicagoPfc. Howard A. Jones, Jr., 35, of Chicago, died May 18 in Chicago from injuries sustained when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while on leave from the Iraq theater of operations. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. Requesting prayer for the...

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told his cabinet that two soldiers captured by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are dead, officials say. His comments came as ministers debated whether to go ahead with a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. Mr Olmert is reportedly backing the deal.Critics oppose swapping prisoners for the bodies of dead Israeli troops.

A British soldier was killed and two others injured when a vehicle they were travelling in rolled over while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday. "The vehicle had been part of a patrol, conducting force protection when the incident occurred. The incident was not combat-related," said the MOD in statement. The three soldiers, who were from the 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, were evacuated to NATO's International Security Assistance Force's medical facilities at Camp Bastion... ...The death in Helmand province brings to 109 the number of British troops killed since U.S.-led...

05/15/07 -- FAYETTEVILLE) (WTVD) -- 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper, Major Larry Bauguess of Moravian auguess graduateFalls, N.C. died from injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire in Pakistan Monday. The 36-year-old was the operation officer for the 4th Brigade Combat Team's Special Troops Battalion. Bauguess graduated from Appalachian State University in 1993. Public Family Statement by Mrs. Wesley Bauguess An 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper died from injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire, in Teri Mengel, Pakistan Monday. Maj. Larry J. Bauguess, Jr., 36, of Moravian Falls, N.C., was the Operations Officer for the 4th Brigade Combat Team's Special Troops...

A British soldier has been killed by an explosion while checking for mines in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday. The soldier, from the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, was thrown from his vehicle by an explosion on Tuesday in the Upper Sangin valley, a region in the south of the country that is the focus of intense fighting. "He was killed by a suspected IED explosion," the ministry said in a statement. "No one else was injured in the incident." Another British soldier was killed in the same area of the country, also on Tuesday,...

Grieving Mothers Bond To Learn How Their Sons Died In Fallujah By ANDREA SIMAKIS   Danica Zovko on April 1, 2004, the day after learning her son Jerry was dead. (Photo courtesy of the Zovko Family)     Feb. 7, 2007Donna Zovko rubbed her thumb over the tiny, white enamel dove fastened to her lapel. A nun from Akron sent her the peace pin after Jerry was killed on a dusty road in Fallujah.Jerry.He was the reason she was here, sitting under the vaulted ceilings of a congressional hearing room, not in the cramped office of her body shop...

KANDAHAR–Only days before his own death in a tragic accident, Capt. Jonathan (Jon) Sutherland Snyder saved the lives of Canadian and Afghan soldiers. That is but one reason that Afghan National Army troops marched with their Canadian colleagues – and mentors – in a ramp ceremony here late this evening as the platoon commander's flag-sheathed casket was loaded on to a Hercules aircraft for the long trip home. Snyder, 26, was killed Saturday night when he fell into a 20-metre deep well while leading a foot patrol in Zhari District, west of Kandahar. He was the 85th Canadian to die...

Afghan attack kills UK soldiers Three British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the number of UK troops killed there to 100 since 2001, the Ministry of Defence says. The men, from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, were on foot patrol near their Helmand Province base when they were killed in a suicide attack.

Media Advisory Fallen Soldier Returning Home MA 08-006 - June 5, 2008 OTTAWA, Ont. — Our fallen soldier, Captain Richard (Steve) Leary, a member of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba, is scheduled to return home to Canada tomorrow. Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. When: Friday, June 6, 2008, 2 p.m. What: Media are invited to view the arrival; however, no interviews will be given. Present to pay their respects will be the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and...

Okay, I know the rule about vanities and I'm doing my best here... but I feel I need to share this. Taylor and his tank crew were killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq on March 10th. Today, Leslie was presented with a painting that was painted by a relative of one of her co-workers. It represents the five that were killed that day. God bless these men.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The military says a Canadian soldier has died in Afghanistan after a battle with insurgents. The dead soldier has been identified as Capt. Richard Steve Leary, a platoon commander with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man. He was on foot patrol today with Afghan forces when they came under small-arms fire. Col. Jamie Cade says Leary was evacuated by air to hospital but died of his wounds, The firefight erupted in the troubled Panjwaii district outside Kandahar city when the joint Afghan-Canadian patrol came under small-arms fire. The patrol returned fire and...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2008 – Medal of Honor recipient Army Spc. Ross A. McGinnis joined a select group of military heroes during a Pentagon ceremony here today. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England hosted the event that added McGinnis’ name to the roster of other Army Medal of Honor recipients. Army Secretary Pete Geren and Gen. Richard R. Cody, the Army’s vice chief of staff, also attended the event at the library and conference center. Medal of Honor recipients “are our nation’s most-revered heroes,” England said. “And every time a name is added, that individual’s story enriches the significance of...

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to fallen Army hero Spc. Ross A. McGinnis’ parents during a White House ceremony here today. Video President George W. Bush leads the applause to honor U.S. Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis after presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously to his parents, Tom and Romayne McGinnis, of Knox, Pa., June 2, 2008, at the White House. White House photo by Chris Greenberg   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military distinction; it is given for valor beyond anything...

(IsraelNN.com) The army ID tag belonging to the late Sgt.-Maj. Ron Mashiach was among the remains of IDF soldiers returned in a unilateral move by Hizbullah on Sunday. The 33-year-old Hadera man, a helicopter technician, was one of five soldiers who were killed when the Yassur CH-53 Sikorsky helicopter aboard which he was serving was shot down by Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War. Mashiach left a wife, Sivan, who was at the time six months pregnant with the couple's son, as well as his parents and two older brothers. ID Tag Paraded as Proof of Nasrallah's Claims The ID...

NEW YORK Sgt. Jason Dene, the nephew of actress and activist Mia Farrow, died in Iraq last week and his uncle blames George W. Bush for the loss. , "To date all the family has heard from the Army is that Jason variously died 'in his sleep' ...' in other words, natural causes." Whatever the cause, Patrick Farrow feels he knows what really killed his nephew: "Because of the arrogant, corrupt lies of George W. Bush and his neo-con handlers my nephew is dead, and I am mad as hell...Jason Dene was not killed by enemy fire nor friendly fire...