U.S. Casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan

Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson, 21, of Sauk City, Wis., died March 13 in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The incident is under investigation.

Lance Cpl. Kristen K. Figueroa, 20, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died March 12 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Bunny Long, 22, of Modesto, Calif., died March 10 from a suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2006 – A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier and a Marine assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, are the latest U. S. casualties in Iraq, military officials reported today. The soldier was killed today by a roadside bomb eastern Baghdad, officials said. The Marine died today of wounds suffered yesterday during enemy action in Iraq's Anbar province. Their names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2006 – A U. S. Marine was killed yesterday when a car bomb detonated near the city of Fallujah, Iraq, military officials in Iraq reported. Three members of an Iraqi family and a soldier from the Iraqi army were also killed by the blast. No further details were available. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The Defense Department recently released the names of four servicemembers killed in Iraq.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Justin R. Martone, 31, of Bedford, Va. , died March 7 when an improvised explosive device detonated in the Iraq's Anbar province. Martone was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry, 28, of Lorena, Texas, died March 8 when an IED detonated in Anbar province. Fry was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N. C. Marine Cpl. Adam O. Zanutto, 26, of Caliente, Calif. , died March 6 at the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. , from wounds received Feb. 25 as a result of an IED in Anbar province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Army Pfc. Ricky Salas Jr. , 22, of Roswell, N. M. , died in Mosul, Iraq, March 7 when an IED detonated near his military vehicle. Salas was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, Friedberg, Germany.

Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Lewis, 32, of Bunkie, La., died north of Rustamiyah, Iraq, on March 13, when an improvised device detonated near his HMMWV during a convoy operations. Lewis was assigned to the 519th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, Fort Polk La.

The following U.S. soldiers were killed west of Asadabad, Afghanistan, on March 12, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. Staff Sgt. Joseph, R. Ray, 29, of Asheville, N.C. Ray was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C. Sgt. Kevin D. Akins, 29, of Burnsville, N.C. Akins was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C. Sgt. Anton J. Hiett, 25, of Mount Airy, N.C. Hiett was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Greenville, S.C. Spc. Joshua L. Hill, 24, of Fairmount, Ind. Hill was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C.

Two U. S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded March 16 in an indirect fire attack on Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Iraq, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced today. (3/18) The three soldiers were all members of Task Force Band of Brothers from the 101st Airborne Division. The names of the soldiers killed are being withheld until their families are notified, officials said. The wounded soldier is being treated in a local military medical facility.Contingency Operating Base Speicher is northwest of Tikrit.

[from 3/17] A Task Force Band of Brothers soldier from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, was shot and killed while manning an observation post in Samarra yesterday, and Defense Department officials have identified some recent war casualties. The soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of family.
The Defense Department has announced the names of eight soldiers who died recently supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Pfc. Angelo A. Zawaydeh, 19, of San Bruno, Calif. , died in Baghdad March 15 when his traffic control point came under mortar attack. Zawaydeh was assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Lewis, 32, of Bunkie, La. , died north of Rustamiyah, Iraq, March 13, when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee. Lewis was assigned to the 519th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, Fort Polk, La.
Staff Sgt. Marco A. Silva, 27, of Alva, Fla. ; and Sgt. Corey A. Dan, 22, of Norway, Maine, died near Ramadi, Iraq, March 13, when they came under small-arms fire and a roadside bomb detonated. The two soldiers were assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Four soldiers assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N. C. , died west of Asadabad, Afghanistan, March 12, when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee. Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Joseph, R. Ray, 29, of Asheville, N. C. ; Sgt. Kevin D. Akins, 29, of Burnsville, N. C. ;
Sgt. Anton J. Hiett, 25, of Mount Airy, N. C. ; and Spc. Joshua L. Hill, 24, of Fairmount, Ind.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Defense Department news releases. )