May 19 - 24 07

Staff Sgt. Shannon V. Weaver, 28, Urich, Mo., Sgt. Brian D. Ardron, 32, of Acworth, Ga., and Spc. Michael W. Davis, 22, of San Marcos, Texas died May 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when multiple improvised explosive devices detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Sgt. Robert J. Montgomery Jr., 29, of Scottsburg, Ind., died May 22, in Al Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Pvt. Oscar Sauceda Jr., 21, of Del Rio, Texas, died May 22, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Lance Cpl. Benjamin D. Desilets, 21, of Elmwood, Ill. & Cpl. Julian M. Woodall, 21, of Tallahassee, Fla. died May 22 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Cpl. Ryan D. Collins, 20, of Vernon, Texas, died May 19, in Hamiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire May 18. The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation. Collins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division,

Sgt. Jason A. Schumann, 23, of Hawley, Minn., died May 19 in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Schumann was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Moore, 28, of Alpaugh, Calif., Sgt. Jean P. Medlin, 27, of Pelham, Ala., Spc. David W. Behrle, 20, of Tipton, Iowa, Spc. Joseph A. Gilmore, 26, of Webster, Fla., Pfc. Travis F. Haslip, 20, of Ooltewah, Tenn. & Pfc. Alexander R. Varela, 19, of Fernley, Nev. died May 19 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Sgt. 1st Class Jesse B. Albrecht, 31, of Hager City, Wis. Spc. Coty J. Phelps, 20, of Kingman, Ariz. & Pfc. Victor M. Fontanilla, 23, of Stockton, Calif. died May 17 in Iskandariya, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Sgt. Ryan J. Baum, 27, of Aurora, Colo., died May 18, in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. Baum was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Sgt. Justin D. Wisniewski, 22, of Standish, Mich., died May 19 in Lutfiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Sgt. Anselmo Martinez III, 26, of Robstown, Texas., Spc. Casey W. Nash, 22, of Baltimore and Spc. Joshua G. Romero, 19, of Crowley, Texas died May 18 in Tahrir, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

may 14 - 18 07

Sgt. 1st Class Scott J. Brown, 33, of Windsor, Colo. and Spc. Marquis J. McCants, 23, of San Antonio died May 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Pfc. Jonathan V. Hamm, 20, of Baltimore, Md., died May 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his forward operating base received indirect enemy fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Sgt. Steven M. Packer, 23, of Clovis, Calif., died May 17 in Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his dismounted patrol encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Pfc. Aaron D. Gautier, 19, of Hampton, Va., died May 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his mounted patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Whitaker, 23, of Long Beach, Calif., died May 15 in Qalat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. Whitaker was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sgt. Allen J. Dunckley, 25, of Yardley, Pa. & Sgt. Christopher N. Gonzalez, 25, of Winslow, Ariz. died May 14 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Thomas G. Wright, 38, of Holly, Mich., died May 14 enroute to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, from a non-combat related illness while serving at Balad, Iraq. Wright was assigned to the 46th Military Police Company, 210th Military Police Battalion, Kingsford, Mich.

Lance Cpl. Jeffrey D. Walker, 21, of Macon, Ga., died May 14 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pfc. Zachary R. Gullett, 20, of Hillsboro, Ohio, died May 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, as a result of a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation.
Gullett was assigned to the 984th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Carson,

Maj. Larry J. Bauguess Jr., 36, of Moravian Falls, N.C., died May 14 in Teri Mengel, Pakistan, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge, 20, of Rome City, Ind., died May 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using grenades and an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 12 in Al Taqa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using automatic fire and explosives. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Killed were:
Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn.
Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Nashville, Mich.
Pfc. Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, Va.

The Department of Defense announced today the identities of four soldiers listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN) while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They have been unaccounted for since May 12 in Al Taqa, Iraq, when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using automatic fire and explosives. They are assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Reported as DUSTWUN are:
Sgt. Anthony J. Schober, 23, of Reno, Nev.
Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.
Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif.
Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich.
Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and the incident is under investigation.

Staff Sgt. John T. Self, 29, of Pontotoc, Miss., died May 14 as result of enemy action near Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 314th Security Forces Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

some photos from the recent Adirondack trek during which I discovered the "black fly"...this is drew contemplating salamanders in Lapland Lake..

from Nicole:

The fine folks at the Fierce Festival in Birmingham England do a great job of documenting the festival every year, and during the run of my show "Beloved" at the gorgeous Compton Verney Museum last week, I sat down with their video crew for an interview about the creative process on the project and how it turned out. They also documented one of the walks and spoke to some of the patrons afterward. If you missed it, it will give you a taste of an incredible experience, and if you were there, it will hopefully bring back some lovely memories.

To see it, go to fiercetv.co.uk and click on FIERCE TV at the top of the menu.

There, you'll see column of subjects on the right: at the top of the list you can click on

BELOVED or NICOLE BLACKMAN INTERVIEW.

Sgt. Norman L. Tollett, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, died Apr. 28, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat patrol operations. Tollett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Apr. 28 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Killed were:
Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., 24, of College Station, Texas.
Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Ione, Calif.
Pvt. Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Gays, Ill.

Pfc. Katie M. Soenksen, 19, of Davenport, Iowa, died May 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle. She was assigned to the 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
Killed were:
1st Lt. Ryan P. Jones, 23, of Massachusetts.
Spc. Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda, 20, of Long Beach, Calif.

1st Lt. Colby J. Umbrell, 26, of Doylestown, Pa., died May 3 in Musayyib, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Lance Cpl. Johnathan E. Kirk, 25, of Belhaven, N.C., died May 1 from wounds received while conducting combat operations on April 23 in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Kirk was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Spc. Andrew R. Weiss, 28, of Lafayette, Ind., died May 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Weiss was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire.
Killed were:
Sgt. Felix G. Gonzalez-Iraheta, 25, of Sun Valley, Calif.
Pfc. John D. Flores, 21, of Barrigada, Guam.
Both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 3 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of wounds sustained when their armored personnel carrier was struck by an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to Company B, 321st Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve, Hayden Lake, Idaho.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Coby G. Schwab, 25, of Puyallup, Wash.
Spc. Kelly B. Grothe, 21, of Spokane, Wash.

Pfc. Jerome J. Potter, 24, of Tacoma, Wash., died May 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Potter was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 5 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

Master Sgt. Kenneth N. Mack, 42, of Fort Worth, Texas.
Cpl. Charles O. Palmer II, 36, of Manteca, Calif.

Mack was assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquaters Group, II MEF, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Palmer was assigned to 8th Communication Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II MEF, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Kiernan, 37, of Virginia Beach, Va., died May 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat patrol operations. Kiernan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations May 4 in Baghdad, Iraq. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Hamlin, 24, of London, Ky., died May 4 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Pfc. Larry I. Guyton, 22, of Brenham, Texas, died May 5 in Balad, Iraq.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died May 6 at Pol-e-Charki, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire. Their deaths are under investigation.

Killed were:
Col. James W. Harrison Jr., 47, of Missouri. He was assigned to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr., 36, of Chicago. He was assigned to the U.S. Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Spc. Robert J. Dixon, 27, of Minneapolis, died May 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Dixon was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Sgt. Sameer A. M. Rateb, 22, of Absecon, N.J., died May 6 at Forward Operating Base Summerall in Bayji, Iraq, from injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. Rateb was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Virgil C. Martinez, 33, of West Valley, Utah, died May 6 in Kadhimiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of six Soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 6 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. They were assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Vincenzo Romeo, 23, of Lodi, N.J.
Sgt. Jason R. Harkins, 25, of Clarkesville, Ga.
Sgt. Joel W. Lewis, 28, of Sandia Park, N.M.
Cpl. Matthew L. Alexander, 21, of Gretna, Neb.
Cpl. Anthony M. Bradshaw, 21, of San Antonio, Texas.
Cpl. Michael A. Pursel, 19, of Clinton, Utah.

Spc. Dan H. Nguyen, 24, of Sugar Land, Texas, died May 8 in Tahrir, Iraq, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Sgt. Timothy P. Padgett, 28, of Defuniak Springs, Fla., died May 8 in Tarin Kwot, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by enemy forces during combat patrol operations. Padgett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Walter K. O'Haire, 20, of Lynn, Mass., died May 9 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. O'Haire was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Sgt. Maj. Bradly D. Conner, 41, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, died May 9 near Al-Hillah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improved explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Conner was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 8 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

Killed were:
Sgt. Blake C. Stephens, 25, of Pocatello, Idaho.
Spc. Kyle A. Little, 20, of West Boylston, Mass.

Both soldiers were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn, 29, of Iuka, Miss., died May 10 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Vaughn was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Pfc. Roy L. Jones III, 21, of Houston, died May 10 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire. Jones was assigned to the 984th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

Spc. Michael K. Frank, 36, of Great Falls, Mont., died of injuries suffered in Baghdad May 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Pfc. William A. Farrar Jr., 20, of Redlands, Calif., died May 11 in Al Iskandariyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Farrar was assigned to the 127th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Darmstadt, Germany.

Pvt. Anthony J. Sausto, 22, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., died May 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., died May 11 while conducting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps National Capital Region, Henderson Hall, Arlington, Va.

Spc. Rhys W. Klasno, 20, of Riverside, Calif., died May 13 in Haditha, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Klasno was assigned to the 1114th Transportation Company, Bakersfield, Calif.

Staff Sgt. John T. Self, 29, of Pontotoc, Miss., died May 14 as result of enemy action near Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 314th Security Forces Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

52 books in 52 weeks...I'm way behind on posting to this blog but here's the latest in no particular order...

1. gravity's rainbow
2. dreams of my russian summer/makine
3. flight/sherman alexie
4. reader's block/david markson
5. the apocalypse reader/various
6. this is not a novel/david markson
7. the quiet american/greene
8. the lone ranger & tonto fistfight in heaven/sherman alexie
9. the marquise of O/kleist
10. I remember/joe brainard
11. the wavering knife/brian evenson
12. the open curtain/brian evenson
13. dark property/brian evenson
14. to the lighthouse/wolff
15. meditations in green/stephen wright
16. finding a form: essays/wm h. gass
17. rescue missions: stories/frederick busch
18. collected stories of isaac babel
19. the road/cormac mccarthy
20. sleepwalker in a fog/tatyana tolstaya

that's all I can remember right now though I'm sure there's more...

from Ellen @ go ahead booking

If you haven't already made plans, please come to Webster Hall next week to see my wonderful artist, The Zincs, next Thursday, June 7, when they open for Loney, Dear and The Sea and Cake. For those of you fearful of a late night, you'll be pleased to know that doors will be at 6 PM and The Zincs will play at 7.

You can find out more here:

http://www.bowerypresents.com/calendar/

http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=10054

from Tupelo Press:

To our writing community:

It is with the deepest and most unremitting sorrow I have to tell you that Sarah Hannah, one of our own, extravagantly talented, brilliant, witty, buoyant, and beautiful, has taken her own life.

Tupelo Press will hold a memorial for Sarah at Poet’s House in September when her new book, Inflorescence, comes out. I will invite the entire writing community to come and read from her book, and to read tributes or poems in homage. Meanwhile, flowers and expressions of sympathy may be sent to her family at the following address: Nathan and Harriet Goldstein, 17 Metropolitan Avenue, Ashland, MA 01721.

Sarah received her doctorate as well as her MFA in Poetry from Columbia University, and was the author of two collections of poems, Longing Distance (Tupelo Press 2004) and Inflorescence (forthcoming from Tupelo Press in Fall 2007). She was a faculty member in the Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College, where she taught graduate and undergraduate poetry workshops and literature courses. She was a terrific teacher, adored by her students, her colleagues, and her friends. She lived her life fiercely and fervently, making many of the most memorable and poignant poems I’ve had the great fortune to read. To know Sarah was a great gift, to lose her is unspeakably sad. She had the sort of soul that made the world a better place at every step.

Jeffrey Levine
Tupelo Press

Please, Mr. Postman,

Re: that lightly padded envelope you’ve carried

Hip-side for some time, that scripted missive you’ve

Delayed and delayed relaying to the next pick-up

Box, that scripted something you can’t quite put

Your finger on (except that you put your hands

All over it)—some days you take the long route

Around the leaf-strewn street, you stop under

Some thick hemlocks, half hidden, you wrest it

From your blue canvas bag and behold it,

Scan the somewhat illegible script: Broken Tree

Road, the destination, but of course that is not

Your role, to hand deliver; you’re only to pass

It along to the next point of dispatch. Still, for

Some unaccountable reason, you are unable

To fulfill this sworn duty. You know it’s only

Paper, but what words might be written there?

You run your warm palm across my front,

You turn me over in your hands.

I seem to have taken on some human characteristic.

I seem to be crinkling some obscure utterance.

I was intended—

I was posted in good faith—

No more. Please, Mr. Postman, pry.

Tamper.

Felonize.

Please, Mr. Postman, bring me home.

—Sarah Hannah

Cpl. Christopher Degiovine, 25, of Lone Tree, Colo. died April 26 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pfc. Nicholas E. Riehl, 21, of Shiocton, Wis. died Apr. 27 in Fallujah, Iraq of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat patrol. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Peter Woodall, 25, of Sarasota, Fl. died April 27 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Spc. Daniel F. Mehringer, 20, of Morgantown, W. Va. died Apr. 27 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation. Mehringer was assigned to Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Michael D. Thomas, 34, of Seffner, Florida, died Apr. 27 in Hirat Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. Thomas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Adam E. Loggins, 27, of Athens, Alabama died April 26 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion,6th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Cpl. Willie P. Celestine Jr., 21, of Lafayette, La., died April 26 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Spc. Jeremy E. Maresh, 24, of Jim Thorpe, Pa. died Apr. 24 in Baghdad, Iraq from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of nine soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Apr. 23 in As Sadah, Iraq of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their location.

Killed were:

1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, Neb.

Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., 28, of Wakefield, Neb.

Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, 27, of Benson, N.C.

Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 22, of Fitzgerald, Ga.

Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, of Phoenix, Az.

Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, 20, of Otis, Ore.

Spc. Jerry R. King, 19, of Browersville, Ga.

Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez, 20, of Sanford, N.C.

Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll, 23, of Bad Axe, Mich.

All were assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Dale G. Peterson, 20, of Redmond, Oregon died April 23 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Peterson was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor, 36, of Dunmore, Pa. died Apr. 21 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using indirect fire during combat operations. Tudor was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Cpl. Ray M. Bevel, 22, of Andrews, Texas, died Apr. 21 in Yusifiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat patrol operations. Bevel was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Sgt. William W. Bushnell, 24, of Jasper, Ark. died Apr. 21 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade during combat operations. Bushnell was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, of Baltimore, Md.,died Apr. 21 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when he came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire during combat operations. Harper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Pfc. Christopher M. North, 21, of Sarasota, Florida died Apr. 21, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. North was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Pvt. Michael J. Slater, 19, of Scott Deport, W. Va. died Apr. 21 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle rolled over during combat operations. Slater was assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Apr. 18 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. Killed were: Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby, 27, of Grand Junction, Colo. and Cpl. Michael M. Rojas, 21 of Fresno. Calif.

Chief Warrant Officer Dwayne L. Moore, 31, of Williamsburg, Va. died Apr. 19 in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he came in contact with enemy forces using indirect fire. Moore was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Lance Cpl. Jeffery A. Bishop, 23, of Dickson, Tenn., died April 20 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Bishop was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten, 21, of Monterey, Tenn., died Apr. 20 in Sangin, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when a land mine detonated near his unit during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Pfc. Jason M. Morales, 20, of La Puente, Calif., died April 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and Fort Riley, Kan.

Pfc. Richard P. Langenbrunner, 19, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Apr. 17 in Rustamiyah, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation.
Langenbrunner was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Basham, 22, of Kenosha, Wis., died Apr. 14 at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, as a result of injuries from a non-combat incident. His death is under investigation.

Sgt. Mario K. De Leon, 26, of San Francisco, Calif., died April 16 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Pfc. Steven J. Walberg, 18, of Paradise, Calif., died April 15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Apr. 14 in Fallujah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 1451st Transportation Company, 13th Support Command, Iraq. Killed were: Sgt. Joshua A. Schmit, 26, of Willmar, Minn. and Sgt. Brandon L. Wallace, 27, of St. Louis, Mo.

Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie, 22, of Chambersburg, Pa., died April 16 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Pfc. Lucas V. Starcevich, 25, of Canton, Ill., died April 16 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Lance Cpl. Jesse D. Delatorre, 29, of Aurora, Ill., died April 16 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Delatorre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

1st Lt. Shaun M. Blue, 25, of Munster, Ind., died April 16 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry, 20, of Rocky River, Ohio, died April 16 from a non-hostile accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Scherry was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Spc. Ryan A. Bishop, 32, of Euless, Texas, died April 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Both died Apr. 12 in Baghdad, Iraq, when their patrol encountered an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. Killed were: Cpl. Cody A. Putnam, 22, of Lafayette, Ind. & Pfc. John G. Borbonus, 19, of Boise, Id.

Toxic waste litters desert Indian reservation

Rampant dumping in Thermal has gone on for years, and pupils breathe tainted air. Government can't yet stamp it out.

By David Kelly, Times Staff Writer
June 2, 2007

People who have objected to the running of an illegal dump have had their families threatened.

— Lt. Mark Barfknecht, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

THERMAL — A grim-faced George AuClair Jr. wandered his 25-acre patch of desert looking every inch the broken man.

"I'm ashamed of what happened here, but you can't lie about it," said the Torres Martinez tribal member. "You have to own up when you do wrong."

Not far away, bulldozers piled up mountains of junk from AuClair's illegal dump, a dump so toxic it has been declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. He now faces millions of dollars in fines.

AuClair's site isn't unusual. Illegal dumps are spread across the Torres Martinez reservation like ugly wounds, making it the most polluted tribal land in California, Nevada and Arizona. Vast swaths of desert have been transformed into toxic trash heaps threatening the tribe and nearby communities. There are at least 26 illegal dumps here, including the largest one in the state. Federal officials struggle to shut them down, but new ones pop up all the time.

"I would say this is in its own league," said Clancy Tenley, EPA's tribal program manager. "I don't know of any place that has this level of pollution."

Unlike the nearby Agua Caliente, Morongo and Cabazon tribes, the Torres Martinez are poor. They don't have luxury hotels, spas or, until recently, even a casino.

But they do have land: 24,000 acres of it stretching from Riverside to Imperial counties, and even under the Salton Sea. And as development in the Coachella Valley has exploded, some tribal members have cashed in by offering land to those looking to cut corners on waste disposal costs.

Golf course trimmings from clubs throughout the Coachella Valley have arrived in unmarked trucks, and drums of oil, car batteries and sewage also wind up there. Even waste from nearby cities found its way onto the reservation via unscrupulous contractors. And when the pile gets high enough, it's often just burned.

The result, federal officials say, has been widespread contamination along with toxic smoke drifting over cities, schools and farms across the Coachella Valley.

"We find new dumps on a regular basis," said Ray Paiz, battalion chief for the Riverside County Fire Department in Coachella. "What has occurred out there is not only wrong, but it's a shameful criminal act."

So far AuClair, 50, is the only owner expressing any shame.

His site had it all. Fires routinely sent poisons into the air; more than 34,000 square feet of arsenic and chromium ash littered the place. Transients also lived there; drug abuse was rife, and there was at least one killing, say police and the EPA.

AuClair's biggest mistake was burning thousands of toxic wooden grape stakes.

"How could we have known grape stakes were treated with arsenic and chromium?" he asked. "There was no sign saying, 'This is hazardous to your health.' "

And he insists his own health wasn't damaged.

"I lost my hair, but I think that was a thyroid problem," he said, "and I get headaches, but that could be anything."

Still, the site is small compared with other illegal dumps on the reservation.

A few miles away, looming up from the desert floor is a plateau 40 feet high, 300 feet wide and nearly 1,000 feet long, composed almost entirely of human excrement. It's been dubbed Mt. San Diego because of where the sewage originated.

A mile or so from that is the towering Lawson dump, the biggest in California. The 40-acre site has mountains of debris 50 feet high and a million tons of buried waste. Subterranean fires smolder endlessly, occasionally flaring up through cracks. Since a federal judge shut it down last year, there have been more than 20 fires injuring nine firefighters.

"It's the largest dump I have seen in my career, and I have been doing this since 1986," said Scott Walker of the California Integrated Waste Management Board. "Nothing else compares."

School nurses in the Coachella Valley have reported high levels of asthma, bronchitis and skin rashes among local students that they attribute to smoke from dump fires, especially the Lawson facility.

In response, Loma Linda University recently sent a team of researchers to survey the pupils and will issue a report before the school year is out.

"We think the community health has been impacted, and we want the schools to know, we want the families to know and we want the tribe to know," said Rick Alvarez, assistant superintendent of the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

Despite flagrant violations of federal law, it's only in the last year that the dumps faced serious enforcement action.

"Over the years the tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the EPA tried different things to combat this problem, but it wasn't until we all began to work together that things got done," said Tenley, the EPA manager. "There has been a radical transformation, especially in the last 12 months. Ten dumps have been closed."

Before that, layers of bureaucracy, tribal politics and intimidation allowed operators almost free rein on the reservation.

Federal officials trace the first big dump to 1989, when tribal member Geraldine Ibanez, who has since died, made a deal with now-defunct Chino Corona Farms to compost sewage on her land. But the company composted only a fraction of the sewage, which originated in San Diego, and left the rest in a giant, growing pile.

In 1994, a federal court in Los Angeles barred further shipments to the site, though illegal dumping has persisted on a smaller scale. Two years later, the two owners of Chino Corona Farms were convicted for illegal dumping in Imperial County and were sent to prison, according to state officials.

Mt. San Diego stands just a half-mile from three schools and directly beside an empty lot advertised as a future Pardee Home site. According to state environmental documents, it still "poses a significant threat not only to the … reservation but also to the neighboring communities." Cleanup efforts began last year and will continue at least through 2008.

Three years after Ibanez opened her dump, fellow Torres Martinez member Kim Lawson started a "recycling center" on tribal land.

Little if any recycling went on, investigators say. Semi-trucks dropped off loads of palm trees, treated wood, plastics, paint and oil, among other things.

"Kim Lawson used to burn twice a month, and it would last for hours or days," said EPA attorney Letitia Moore. "You could see the smoke for 50 miles."

Citing a total lack of permits, the BIA issued Lawson a cease-and-desist order in 1994. Yet he continued to operate. It took more than a decade to shut it down. Lawson could not be reached for comment.

Unlike in some other states, the BIA in California has no police officers to enforce its will.

"It would be a lot easier to have a law enforcement officer standing with you when handing out cease-and-desist letters," said Lisa Northrop, natural resources officer for the BIA's Southern California Agency. "If they ignore the letters, we hand them out again. We need to create a record before taking someone to court."

Torres Martinez tribal leaders insist they have no power over members such as Lawson because they run businesses on private land allotted to their families by the government.

The BIA and legal experts dispute that.

"The tribe does have jurisdiction over these allotments, but it's complicated for tribes to exercise coercive authority over them because of intertribal relationships," said UCLA law professor Carole Goldberg, an expert on Indian law who has written extensively about dumping on tribal lands. "It is very delicate."

James Fletcher, BIA superintendent for Southern California, said the Torres Martinez tribe, which has 400 members on the reservation, has largely cooperated in efforts to stop dumping but hasn't done all it can.

"The tribe has ordinances, but they choose not to use them," he said.

One tool the tribe could use, Fletcher said, is cutting off gaming money to lawbreakers.

Tribal Chairman Ray Torres refused to comment, citing instructions from his tribal council. Tribal Manager Maxine Resvaloso did not return repeated calls seeking comment. The tribe's environmental director, Alberto Ramirez, also declined to comment.

Aside from internal politics, violence and intimidation also remain serious problems.

"People who have objected to the running of an illegal dump have had their families threatened," said Lt. Mark Barfknecht of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, whose deputies patrol the reservation. "As recently as 18 months ago there was a school project where kids living in and around the reservation filmed the burning in the illegal dumps and were chased off by armed men."

Cesar Rafael, 17, of Thermal was one of those kids.

"They shot a gun into the air," he said. "I was trying to film when it happened."

A virtual Wild West atmosphere prevailed at the AuClair dump. Methamphetamine use was common, deputies said. At least 13 people lived in makeshift shelters. On a recent visit, a man pulled up and warned that two other men were shooting at each other around the corner.

Back in the brush, Tonetta Torro, 50, tended the four wolves she keeps tied up for protection. She has spent four years here in a tent but plans to leave soon.

"I hear gunshots all the time," she said. "Still, I feel sad to go."

The arrival of trailer parks on the reservation in the 1990s heightened a sense of urgency about the dumps.

More than 12,000 people, mostly farmworkers, live in five ramshackle parks. The biggest sits beside the Lawson dump site.

In 2003, the EPA issued an internal memo reporting dioxin levels 20 times the national average at the dump.

Last year, a federal judge in Riverside shut it down and fined Kim Lawson $47 million. He has declared bankruptcy.

As for AuClair, his dump may be closed, but his shame lingers.

"We are destroying our environment," he said, picking up a piece of Indian grinding stone lying in the sand. "I don't have the money to pay for it, but I'll be damned if I won't clean this up. Look at this place. My ancestors would roll over in their graves if they saw it."