In Memoriam

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

Jason J. Beadles, 22, of La Porte, Ind.; corporal, Army. Beadles died of noncombat-related injuries Thursday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 887th Engineer Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Gregory J. Billiter, 36, of Villa Hills, Ky.; chief petty officer, Navy. Billiter was among three members of a bomb-disposal unit killed in combat April 6 near Kirkuk, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit 11 in Whidbey Island, Wash.

Kyle G. Bohrnsen, 22, of Philipsburg, Mont.; private first class, Army. Bohrnsen was killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Harrison Brown, 31, of Prichard, Ala.; staff sergeant, Army. Brown was one of two soldiers killed April 8 when their unit was attacked with an improvised explosive and small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Jerry C. Burge, 39, of Carriere, Miss.; staff sergeant, Army. Burge was one of two soldiers killed April 4 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jay S. Cajimat, 20, of Lahaina, Hawaii; private first class, Army. Cajimat was killed April 6 when a car bomb exploded near him in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Joseph H. Cantrell IV, 23, of Ashland, Ky.; corporal, Army. Cantrell was one of two soldiers killed April 4 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Forrest D. Cauthorn, 22, of Midlothian, Va.; sergeant, Army. Cauthorn was killed April 5 when his unit was attacked with grenades and small-arms fire in Hawija, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Casey D. Combs, 28, of Auburn, Wash.; staff sergeant, Army. Combs was one of two paratroopers killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Miri, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Ryan S. Dallam, 24, of Norman, Okla.; specialist, Army. Dallam was among three soldiers killed April 6 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Ebe F. Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C.; specialist, Army. Emolo was among four paratroopers killed April 7 when an improvised bomb exploded near them in Zaganiya, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Walter Freeman Jr. , 20, of Lancaster; private first class, Army. Freeman was one of two soldiers killed April 4 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Daniel A. Fuentes, 19, of Levittown, N.Y.; private first class, Army. Fuentes was killed April 6 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Derek A. Gibson, 20, Eustis, Fla.; private first class, Army. Gibson was one of two soldiers killed April 4 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.; captain, Army. Grassbaugh was among four paratroopers killed April 7 when an improvised bomb exploded near them in Zaganiya, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Curtis R. Hall, 24, of Burley, Ind.; petty officer second class, Navy. Hall was among three members of a bomb-disposal unit killed in combat April 6 near Kirkuk, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit 11 in Whidbey Island, Wash.

Edelman L. Hernandez, 23, of Hyattsville, Md.; sergeant, Army. Hernandez was killed in combat Wednesday in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, east of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Brian L. Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C.; private first class, Army. Holden was among three soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Levi K. Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich.; specialist, Army. Hoover was among four paratroopers killed April 7 when an improvised bomb exploded near them in Zaganiya, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Adam P. Kennedy, 25, of Norfolk, Mass.; sergeant, Army. Kennedy was killed April 8 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Diwaniya, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

James T. Lindsey, 20, of Florence, Ala.; specialist, Army. Lindsey was killed Thursday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Conor G. Masterson, 21, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; private first class, Army. Masterson was killed April 7 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in eastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment in Hohenfels, Germany.

Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark.; private first class, Army. McCandless was among four paratroopers killed April 7 when an improvised bomb exploded near them in Zaganiya, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Joseph A. McSween, 26, of Valdosta, Ga.; petty officer first class, Navy. McSween was among three members of a bomb-disposal unit killed in combat April 6 near Kirkuk, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit 11 in Whidbey Island, Wash.

Philip A. Murphy-Sweet, 42, of Caldwell, Idaho; commander, Navy. Murphy-Sweet was killed April 7 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was operationally assigned to the Joint Contracting Command, Multinational Force Iraq, and deployed from his permanently assigned command at the Naval Inventory Control Point in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Phillip I. Neel, 27, of Fredericksburg, Texas; first lieutenant, Army. Neel was killed April 8 in a grenade attack on his unit in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Gwilym J. Newman, 24, of Waldorf, Md.; first lieutenant, Army. Newman was killed Thursday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire while on foot patrol in Tarmiya, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Anthony Palermo, 26, of Brockton, Mass.; captain, Army. Palermo was among three soldiers killed April 6 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Damian Lopez Rodriguez, 19, of Tucson; private, Army. Rodriguez was among three soldiers killed April 6 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Raymond S. Sevaaetasi, 29, of Pago Pago, American Samoa; sergeant, Army. Sevaaetasi was killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

David N. Simmons, 20, of Kokomo, Ind.; private first class, Army. Simmons was one of two soldiers killed April 8 when their unit was attacked with an improvised explosive and small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Todd A. Singleton, 24, of Muskegon, Mich.; sergeant, Army. Singleton was killed April 8 when his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive and small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Ismael G. Solorio, 21, of San Luis, Ariz.; specialist, Army. Solorio was among three soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Clifford A. Spohn III, 21, of Albuquerque; specialist, Army. Spohn was killed Monday when his unit was attacked with indirect fire while working at an Iraqi police station in Karmah, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

David A. Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, Tenn.; sergeant, Army. Stephens was one of two paratroopers killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Miri, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Brett A. Walton, 37, of Hillsboro, Ore.; private, Army. Walton was among three soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Jesse L. Williams, 25, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; staff sergeant, Army. Williams died April 8 in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad, after being shot by a sniper in nearby Baqubah. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

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[scott]

Market bombing is deadliest so far

The Iraqi government yesterday raised its estimate of the death toll in a truck bombing in the northern town of Tal Afar on Tuesday to 152, making it the deadliest single bombing of the four-year-old war.

The explosion, in a Shia area, wounded another 347 people and destroyed 100 homes. A few hours later, Shia police and gunmen made reprisal attacks in a Sunni area of the town. Between 50 and 70 men were shot dead.

April 2007: The deadliest month of the Iraq occupation

We're more than a third of the way through April now, and I haven't seen this actually reported in the media anywhere, but unfortunately this has been the deadliest month for the U.S.-led coalition forces -- on an average daily basis -- of the four-year occupation of Iraq.

So far, according to icasualties.org, 47 American troops and six British soliders have died in the 11 days of April so far -- an average of 4.82 coalition deaths every day. And -- looking at the month to month statistics -- no month has been that high since Baghdad fell on April 9, 2003.

Not even November 2004, when the U.S. beseiged Fallujah in the days following President Bush's re-election -- the daily fatality average that month was 4.7. In April 2004, when radical Shiites loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr were up in arms, the average was 4.67 coalition deaths per day. Ironically, al-Sadr's henchmen had been sitting out the recent fighting, but just yesterday the radical cleric renewed his pressure, at least verbally, on the Americans. Does that mean things get even worse before they get better?

Surprised you haven't seen anything about this in the media? You shouldn't be. Other than John McCain's Baghdad market fiasco, very little news out of Iraq -- not even increased deaths of American fighting men and women -- can cut through the clutter, and you know what I'm talking about.

You know all about Don Imus getting the MSNBC heave-ho ("ho"-heave?) but did you know that Spec. Clifford A. Spohn III of Albuquerque was killed Monday when his unit was hit with indirect fire while working at an Iraqi police station in Karmah.

You know that those Duke lacrosse guys were exonerated, but did you see any news this week about the two Fort Benning soldiers who were killed in Baghdad on Easter Sunday -- Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown, 31, of Pritchard, Ala., and Pfc. David N. Simmons, 20, of Kokomo, Ind., who died when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.

And everyone knows that Larry Birkhead is THE FATHER, but did you know that Staff Sgt. Jesse L. Williams, 25, of Santa Rosa, Calif., also died on Easter in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Baqubah.

Meanwhile, Congress and the president are trying to figure out what to do next in Iraq, and the fact that more troops than ever are dying needs to be part of the narrative. Does it automatically mean that Bush's "surge" is a failure? Not necessarily -- you could argue that the increased military activity of Bush's escalation also means a short-term rise in casualties, but as part of a long-term plan for that greater good.

But that greater good isn't here. While a few pockets have seen a slight improvement, the overall prognosis for Iraq is worse than ever:

BAGHDAD (AP) - The international Red Cross released a report that found the situation for civilians in Iraq is ``ever-worsening,'' even though security in some places has improved as a result of stepped-up efforts by U.S.-led multinational forces....

Also Wednesday, Pierre Kraehenbuehl, director of operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, said that thousands of bodies lay unclaimed in mortuaries, with family members either unaware that they are there or too afraid to go to recover them.

Medical professionals also have been fleeing the country after cases where their colleagues were killed or abducted, the neutral agency said.