Yesterday, the Department of Defense announce the names of 1 Marine and 2 Soldiers killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count the number of names released by the DoD is now 3138 and there are 10 more names of the deceased awaiting notification of the next of kin before being publicly released.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Matthew S. Apuan, 27, of Las Cruces, N.M., died Feb. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire while on combat patrol. Apuan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The father of Matthew Apuan spoke to the Las Cruces Sun, he told the news his son was on his second tour of duty and added :"He was finishing seven years of active duty," said Apuan of his son. "He was going to get out (of the Army) after this tour. He had seven months left before his enlistment was up and he was going to go back to New Mexico State University and finish his degree."
He also added how he believed his son was killed, " Charles Apuan believes his son was one of two soldiers killed when Sunni insurgents staged what The Associated Press described as a "bold" daylight assault against a U.S. combat post north of Baghdad.
"I read about it on the Internet," Charles Apuan said. "Insurgents blew up a car bomb at the front gate of the camp where he was staying and that was followed by rifle fire. We're waiting on more information, but when I read that I thought he had to have been one of those soldiers killed."
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Daniel T. Morris, 19, of Crimora, Va., died Feb. 14 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Morris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris body arrived back home today, you may view his photo here. Such a young, handsome Marine. Rest in Peace, Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Justin T. Paton, 24, of Alanson, Mich., died Feb. 17 in Taramia, Iraq, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. Paton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Pfc. Justin Paton came from a small town in Northern Michigan. Alanson has just 785 people living in it. The Detroit News spoke with family and friends in the small community of Alanson:
Dickinson said her brother, a 2000 graduate of Inland Lakes High School, was a member of the 1st Cavalry Division. He was deployed to Iraq on Oct. 31.
He had worked at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey before joining the Army.
Frank Holes, a former principal at Inland Lakes High School, said he remembered Paton as a quiet but friendly student.
"He was a good student, he was always friendly, seemed to have lots of friends but he wasn't the kind of kid that did anything outlandish or drew attention to himself," Holes said.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here.
I Got the News Today is a diary series maintained by i-dunno with Monkey Biz, Silvercedes and myself helping out with it. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click on the IGTNT tag for previous diaries in this series.
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