Left of the Dial

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Iraq or from their injuries at a U.S. military hospital:

Marcus R. Alford, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn.; captain, Army National Guard. Alford was one of two guardsmen killed Feb. 21 when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed near Qayyarah Airfield West south of Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment in Louisville, Tenn.

Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Birchfield was killed Feb. 19 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Michael David P. Cardenaz, 29, of Corona; staff sergeant, Army. Cardenaz was killed Feb. 20 when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo. 

Christopher W. Eckard, 30, of Hickory, N.C.; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Eckard was killed Feb. 20 when a roadside bomb exploded near him in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marcos Gorra, 22, of North Bergen, N.J.; sergeant, Army. Gorra died Feb. 21 during a training exercise at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, near Kabul. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Billie J. Grinder, 25, of Gallatin, Tenn.; chief warrant officer, Army. Grinder was one of two guardsmen killed Feb. 21 when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed near Qayyarah Airfield West south of Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment in Louisville, Tenn.

Matthias N. Hanson, 20, of Buffalo, Ky.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Hanson was killed Feb. 21 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Daniel T. O'Leary, 23, of Youngsville, N.C.; corporal, Army. O'Leary was killed Tuesday when his vehicle overturned in Fallouja, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Adam D. Peak, 25, of Florence, Ky.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Peak was killed Feb. 21 when he stepped on a land mine in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

JRSalvacion, 27, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; private first class, Army. Salvacion was killed Feb. 21 when insurgents attacked his unit with a homemade bomb in Senjaray in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

William C. Spencer, 40, of Tacoma, Wash.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Spencer died Thursday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of noncombat-related injuries suffered Feb. 20 at Combat Outpost Marez in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment in Olympia, Wash.

Gregory S. Stultz, 22, of Brazil, Ind.; corporal, Marine Corps. Stultz was killed Feb. 19 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan.

Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Ward was killed in combat Feb. 21 in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Triple Axe(l)

I've not watched even a single second of the Olympics. But if I'd known they were like this? I'd've been glued to the TV. 

Unanswerable Health Care Questions

Actually, that's not true at all: they're all too answerable. The answers are just too unpleasant for the mainstream media to face head-on. 

Eric Cantor: Don Martin character

Is it just me, or does Eric Cantor look like a Don Martin character? 

Here's Eric Cantor:

 

Now here are some Don Martin characters:

   

Here's what he could do with some relatively famous peoples. 

 

Yeah. No, it's not just me. 

And as a bonus, it also explains some of the stuff he says. 

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Kuwait:

Sean L. Caughman, 43, of Fort Worth; petty officer first class, Navy Reserve. Caughman died of noncombat-related injuries Tuesday in Kuwait while serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 22, a Seabee unit at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station.

Kyle J. Coutu, 20, of Providence, R.I.; private first class, Marine Corps. Coutu was killed in combat Thursday in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Eric D. Currier, 21, of Londonderry, N.H.; private first class, Marine Corps. Currier was killed in combat Wednesday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Kielin T. Dunn, 19, of Chesapeake, Va.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Dunn was killed in combat Thursday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Jason H. Estopinal, 21, of Dallas, Ga.; private first class, Marine Corps. Estopinal was killed in combat Monday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton, Pa.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Johnson was killed in combat Thursday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, of Columbus, Ind.; sergeant, Marine Corps. McQueary was killed in combat Thursday in Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Bobby J. Pagan, 23, of Austin, Texas; specialist, Army. Pagan was among three soldiers killed Feb. 13 in a suicide bomb attack on their security checkpoint in the Zhari district of southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Noah M. Pier, 25, of Charlotte, N.C.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Pier was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near him while he was on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

John A. Reiners, 24, of Lakeland, Fla.; staff sergeant, Army. Reiners was among three soldiers killed Feb. 13 in a suicide bomb attack on their security checkpoint in the Zhari district of southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Jacob H. Turbett, 21, of Canton, Mich.; corporal, Marine Corps. Turbett was killed in combat Feb. 13 in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Charles A. Williams, 29, of Fair Oaks, Calif.; private first class, Army. Williams died of noncombat-related injuries Feb. 7 at Camp Nathan Smith in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 97th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Jeremiah T. Wittman, 26, of Darby, Mont.; sergeant, Army. Wittman was among three soldiers killed Feb. 13 in a suicide bomb attack on their security checkpoint in the Zhari district of southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Alejandro J. Yazzie, 23, of Rock Point, Ariz.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Yazzie was shot and killed in a firefight Tuesday in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan:

Rusty H. Christian, 24, of Greenville, Tenn.; staff sergeant, Army. Christian died Jan. 28 in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Marc P. Decoteau, 19, of Waterville Valley, N.H.; specialist, Army. Decoteau was one of two soldiers killed Jan. 29 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Dillon B. Foxx, 22, of Traverse City, Mich.; sergeant, Army. Foxx died Friday in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Michael L. Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Freeman died Monday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

David J. Hartman, 27, of Okinawa, Japan; sergeant first class, Army. Hartman was one of three soldiers killed Wednesday in Timagara, Pakistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Zachary G. Lovejoy, 20, of Albuquerque, N.M.; private first class, Army. Lovejoy was one of two soldiers killed Tuesday when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Zabul province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Matthew S. Sluss-Tiller, 35, of Callettsburg, Ky.; sergeant first class, Army. Sluss-Tiller was one of three soldiers killed Wednesday in Timagara, Pakistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

David J. Smith, 25, of Frederick, Md.; sergeant, Marine Corps. Smith died Jan. 26 from wounds received Jan. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve at Camp Pendleton.

Mark A. Stets, 39, of El Cajon, Calif.; staff sergeant, Army. Stets was one of three soldiers killed Wednesday in Timagara, Pakistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

David J. Thompson, 39, of Hooker, Okla.; captain, Army. Thompson was one of two soldiers killed Jan. 29 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Daniel Whitten, 28, of Grimes, Iowa; captain, Army. Whitten was one of two soldiers killed Tuesday when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Zabul province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.