I Got the News Today: 04/26/2007 edition

Crossposted at diatribune

Today, the Department of Defense announced the names of two Soldiers and One Marine killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count the number of names released by the DoD is now 3324 and there are 10 more names of the deceased awaiting notification of the next of kin before being publicly released.  

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Dale G. Peterson, 20, of Redmond, Ore., 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.

The Ashland Oregon Daily Tidings spoke with the Dale Peterson's sister.  

“Our world revolves around each other,” she said. “We talk to each other every day.”

She said Dale had been in Iraq for less than a month.

 

Another friend remembers:
“It’s just a tragedy,” said Gunnery Sgt. Brent Sowders of the Marine Corps Recruiting Office in Bend.
“He was a great friend, great brother in arms,” said Sowders, who talked to Peterson’s widow, “Reggie,” Tuesday morning.
“In my eyes, I just lost a brother,” Sowders said.

Sadly, there is another Oregonian casualty to report on:

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

Mike Vaughan, 20, of Otis and the other soldiers were members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bragg, N.C. It was the deadliest attack on the 82nd Airborne since 1969. Twenty other soldiers were injured in Monday’s attack in the small town of Sadah, U.S. officials said.

The soldier’s father, George Vaughan, told The Oregonian that his son had been home on leave in March.

“He had seen enough,” Vaughan said Tuesday. “He wanted to come home and go to school. But he was proud to be serving, and even though he was afraid to go back, he went because of his comrades and to finish off his commitment.”
...“I am a disabled vet from the first Gulf War, and I think he wanted to be involved,” George Vaughan said. The young soldier’s grandfather, Bill Vaughan, is a Korean War veteran.

While home last month, he spent time with his school friend, Jesse Branum-O’Dell.

“He was outgoing, a fun person to be around,” Branum-O’Dell said. “He did tell me some things that were going on with the war, and he definitely saw some things that other people would have never believed.

“I got the feeling something was bothering him, like he didn’t want to go back out, but he never came out and said that.”

Deepest condolences to the families and friends of Mike Vaugh and Dale Peterson.

After reading the Daily Tidings of Oregon, there was a section for comments and condolences to the family.  In the thread, was a poster who believed her son was one of the nine killed and they were awaiting notification from the military.  Here it is:

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

A 19-year-old soldier from northeast Georgia was among nine members of the 82nd Airborne Division to die when suicide bombers attacked an outpost in Iraq.
Private First Class Ryen King was the second member of the 2005 class of Franklin County High School to be killed in Iraq in six months.

King was a two-sport athlete and member of the school's Young Democrats.
King's father, Jerry King of Bowersville, said his son told him he felt a "need to serve."

How very sad, our deepest sympathy to the King family

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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 maintained by i dunno with Monkeybiz, silvercedes and myself helping out for awhile.  I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind.  Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.