Names, Stories, and Pictures of the Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Wire Reports | 3/22/03 | Wire Reports

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Names of the four US Marines who died in yesterday's helicopter crash:

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine

Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.

Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas

Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, Md.

The Pentagon has just released the names of two more US Marines who were killed in Iraq. I'll post as soon as I find that.

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Cpl. Evan James


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7496393&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=6

SIUE student dies with Marines in Iraq

JEFF TOBIN and STEVE WHITWORTH, The Telegraph March 26, 2003

GLEN CARBON -- The cost of the war in Iraq was brought home Tuesday to this area, as a popular SIUE student was confirmed to have died in action with his unit of the Marines.

Cpl. Evan James, 20, of La Harpe, Ill., was trying to cross the Saddam Canal in southeastern Iraq Monday when he and another Marine disappeared underwater, military authorities said. Two other soldiers crossed the canal safely, and James’ body was recovered Tuesday.

The loss was shocking for James’ college roommate, Andrew Turner of Glen Carbon, who said he was speaking to James’ family by telephone Tuesday when they got the news of his death.

"It was initially just shock," Turner said. "There was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t comprehend it as fast as it was coming in."

Officials at the Marine Corps Reserve Center in Peoria, the reserve unit of which James was a member, said he and other Marines were attempting to secure a water point as part of the war effort.

James and Sgt. Brad Korthaus of Davenport, Iowa, were with the 6th Engineer Support Battalion in Peoria. Korthaus still was listed as missing Tuesday night.

James’ aunt, Diane Kornegay of La Harpe, spoke Tuesday night on behalf of his family, including his parents, Mike and Donna James.

"As family and friends, it’s a great loss for us," Kornegay said. "He was an amazing young man who should have had a long life ahead of him."

Kornegay said James had written regularly to his family, with his most recent letter arriving Thursday. He also had telephoned his girlfriend about two weeks ago.

"He had a job to do," Kornegay said. "It was something he was signed up to do, and he was committed to getting it done. He was missing home; he just wanted to come back home."

Kornegay said Marine officials had told the family it probably would be two to three weeks before James’ remains would be returned to them. She said his parents were trying to cope with their loss.

"They’re struggling," she said. "It’s a grim reality that none of us wanted to see happen. There is no way to be prepared for it. We’re very proud of Evan, not only for this but for everything he has done in life. He was a remarkable young man."

James had attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, beginning in the fall of 2001, studying physical education, Turner said.

"We got stuck together in the dorm," Turner recalled, noting they had never met before becoming roommates.

As the two got to know each other, they realized they had played on competing football teams in high school: James in La Harpe and Turner at Brown County High School.

James continued in school through the spring and fall of 2002. Last year, he and Turner got an apartment together in the 100 block of Bayberry Court in Glen Carbon.

"A lot of people, you can’t along with as good as with Evan," Turner said in explaining how they grew to be close friends. "His personality was great. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to bond with somebody else like I did with him."

Because of his call-up for duty, James did not enroll at SIUE for the current semester. Turner said he last had talked to James about two months ago, when James was in California, preparing to leave for duty in the Persian Gulf.

"He was planning on coming back," Turner said. "He wanted to go back to school."

Turner said the news about James’ death was spreading quickly Tuesday night among their circle of friends.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook," he said. "Everybody has been showing their support.

"Everybody that we were close friends with who hadn’t heard, and that I felt needed to know, were notified, as much as they could," Turner said. "I saw most of the main ones tonight. Everybody is in the same boat as I am. Everybody cared for Evan the same; everybody loved him. He was probably one of the best friends of everybody on campus. He had a hard work ethic, as much as you could ask for any kid."

Turner said James loved the Edwardsville area and working at Our Health Club and Spa, 4 Cougar Road, in Glen Carbon.

The mood was somber Tuesday night at the spa, as employees and members alike mourned the loss of a friend.

James was studying to be a physical fitness trainer at SIUE and worked at the club as a trainer. Sarah Gray, 22, is a senior at SIUE and worked with James for two years at the club.

"He was fun; all the members really loved him," Gray said. "The members voted him as employee of the month last December. He had a wonderful relationship with everybody."

James was not one to talk much about his military duties, but Gray said once a war in Iraq became less of a possibility and more of a probability, he indicated that he was ready to fight for his country.

"Right before everything started, he had said he was interested in doing some recruiting, but then he was deployed," Gray said. "He didn’t say much to me about his military work, but he was almost excited to go and also a little scared. Who can blame him?"

The last contact employees at the spa had with James was a March 6 letter in which he said he was doing the "same old thing" in the Middle East.

That was typical of a man who was known for his biting sense of humor.

"He told us he was playing around with some ammunition and not doing all that much," Gray said. "That was definitely him. He could be really funny."

Many people in the club were noticeably upset, and some were sobbing. One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she "felt the Earth stop" when she heard what had happened.

"I just can’t believe this; I can’t believe this is really happening," she said. "I’ve known Evan for about a year, maybe a little more, and he’s one of the most wonderful people around. They don’t get much nicer and helpful than him.

"I hope now people understand what is going on over there, that it is real, and it affects all of us," she said as the tears rolled down her face.

That sentiment of disbelief could be heard throughout the health club. Although most people still were running on their treadmills and doing laps in the swimming pool, some of the members remarked about how difficult it was to keep their minds on exercise.

"You don’t think with all those troops over there that something like this is going to happen to a person you know," Gray said. "Everybody here had a very special bond, and he’s going to be missed."

Telegraph Executive Editor Dan Brannan and the Associated Press contributed some information for this article.

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Cpl. Evan James

[GWfan]

God be with their families. They gave their lives so that others may live free. I am very moved by their sacrifice.

[GWfan]

The young man in this picture is from very near where I grew up.....I recognized the ABC affiliate WQAD.

May the Lord bless and keep his family. God bless our soldiers.

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Spc. Jamaal Addison


http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/news/iraq/0303/27irsoldier.html

Metro area loses one of its own

By MICHAEL PEARSON and JINGLE DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 1998 graduate of DeKalb's Lakeside High School was identified Wednesday as the first metro Atlanta serviceman killed on the battlefield in Iraq.

Spc. Jamaal Addison, 22, of Roswell was listed by the Army as one of two soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company killed Sunday.

He was the second battlefield casualty with Georgia ties. On Monday, Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, of Hobart, Ind., was killed by sniper fire as his tank unit moved toward Baghdad. He was a member of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) from Fort Stewart in Hinesville.

Addison's company, from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, was ambushed near Nasiriyah, 230 miles south of Baghdad.

Also killed was Pfc. Howard Johnson, 21, of Mobile. Eight other members of the 507th are missing and five are Iraqi prisoners, the Pentagon said.

Some prisoners of war shown Sunday in an Iraqi television video identified themselves as serving with the 507th. The video also showed four bodies that Iraqi television said were Americans from the attack on the 507th.

The Army did not make clear whether Addison was killed during the ambush or whether he might have been one of the bodies shown on Iraqi television.

Kevin Addison of Decatur, Jamaal's father, said he had been notified by military authorities of his son's death. He declined to say more.

Sharon Addison, who is not Jamaal's mother but was married to Kevin Addison for eight years and helped raise his son, said the young man was a joy.

"He had a very gentle spirit. He grew up in the church. He always looked out for his [two] sisters. Jamaal was one of the sweetest young men I've known," she said.

Sharon Addison's son, Rodney Fisher, said Jamaal Addison was one of the best people he had ever known.

"That man was like blood to me," Fisher said from his home in New York. "He was a good person. I liked his aura about him. God, I can't believe this."

Addison attended Henderson High School from eighth to 10th grade, then went to Lakeside, where he was a member of the Junior ROTC and graduated with a college prep degree, said schools spokeswoman Mary Stimmel.

Wednesday in Hinesville, one of the soldiers who helped train Gregory Sanders remembered when he arrived at the Army installation near Savannah in November 2001.

"He came to us brand-new," Staff Sgt. Stephen Feldhaus said Wednesday in an interview on the post. "I actually trained him and had him on my tank and chewed his butt when he was a young soldier.

"It hit me pretty hard," said Feldhaus, who now works in recruiting. "He was a good kid. At Christmas, I played Santa Claus and held his little girl on my lap."

Sanders' relatives, including his wife, RuthAnn, and 14-month-old daughter, Gwendolyn, were in his hometown of Hobart, Ind., when they got news of his death.

Feldhaus speculated that Sanders, an armor crewman on an M-1A1 tank, was loading ammunition when he was shot in the head during a sniper ambush. Five other soldiers were wounded.

"He could have either been driving the tank or loading, but the driver sits inside the tank with the hatch down," Feldhaus said. "The loader and tank commander are the most exposed, up out of the hatch looking around."

Feldhaus said he and other soldiers nicknamed Sanders "Turtle" because of his haircut.

"He shaved his head bald all the time to save money going to the barber," said Feldhaus.

Sanders was among about 13,300 soldiers with the 3rd Division who have been deployed from Fort Stewart.

-- Staff writers David Simpson and Mae Gentry contributed to this article.

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Spc. Jamaal Addison

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Pfc. Howard Johnson Jr.


http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030326&Category=APN&ArtNo=303261035&Ref=AR

Alabama soldier slain in Iraq on first trip outside United States

By GARRY MITCHELL
Associated Press Writer
March 26. 2003 5:54PM

Pfc. Howard Johnson Jr. went directly into the U.S. Army from high school and died in action in Iraq on his first trip outside the United States, his grief-stricken parents said Wednesday.

Johnson, 21, was a member of the 507th Maintenance Company of Ft. Bliss, Texas, which was ambushed Sunday near An Nasiriyah, 230 miles outside Baghdad.

"He was God's gift to us and the Lord has taken him away," said his father, the Rev. Howard Johnson, who pastors Truevine Missionary Baptist Church in Prichard.

Johnson, 62, said he and his wife, Gloria, have two daughters and had waited 17 years for a son.

Mrs. Johnson, her face wet with tears, said, "We had no idea war would break out and we would lose our son."

Friends and family members quietly moved in and out of the Johnson home Wednesday, sharing condolences and watching the soldier's basic training videotape on a big-screen TV. It showed him jogging through the woods with other soldiers.

"There he is!" relatives said, pointing to a smiling face on the video.

When his parents said goodbye on his last trip home in February, his father reminded him to conduct himself like a Christian.

"No matter what anybody else did - drinking, doing drugs, what have you - remember that he was not to partake of that. Keep yourself clean, so the Lord will be on his side."

He said his son was "prayed up" and prepared for the mission.

The pastor said he arrived home about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and noticed a military vehicle and police car outside his home.

"When I saw the Army officer, I knew what it was," Johnson said.

Johnson said the military officer told him his son had been killed in action, but offered no other details. He said he was told a second officer would come later with additional details.

Johnson said he had been watching the news reports about his son's unit. He watched for the names of the prisoners of war taken by the Iraqis.

"When that finally came out, I knew he was not among those. And then I knew that he had either been among those determined to be dead or missing. The only thing I could do was pray," Johnson said.

Johnson had hoped his son, who was in ROTC in high school, would attend technology college after graduation. His son went to the local mall and met an Army recruiter. After that conversation, his son chose active duty Army.

Johnson said he didn't like having his son in Iraq because he didn't agree with the war.

"I think it could have been handled differently. I know that we all are born to die, and sooner or later we will. I feel that sometime there can be better choices. For me, I think this could have been handled through a diplomatic approach with enough time. And maybe it could have been solved another way.

"I never believed two evils turn into one good."

Despite his father's views, his son accepted his Army duty.

"He told me, `Daddy, I have to do it,'" he said. "Once he enlisted, he understood the role of a soldier. He never told me he agreed with the war. He told me he had to go because his unit was going."

The Johnsons last spoke to their son last week: "He was excited about treading on new grounds that he had never experienced before. He had never been out of the country."

Called "Junior" around the house, Pfc. Johnson worked at a grocery store during high school. He brought his friends' shoes home to shine them when they couldn't afford shoe polish.

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Pfc. Howard Johnson Jr.

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Pfc. Howard Johnson Jr.

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Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 29, Davenport, Iowa

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, Little Rock, Ark.

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Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez


http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207~12026~1273853,00.html

Slain Marine attended area school
Jorge Gonzalez played soccer at El Monte High, graduated in 2000
By Will Matthews and Jason Kosareff , Staff Writers


RIALTO -- Teachers and students at El Monte High School were numb Wednesday over the death of former student Jorge Gonzalez, a Marine killed in action Sunday in southern Iraq.

"I've been in shock all day,' said soccer coach Ken Steel, who coached Gonzalez, a 2000 graduate of the school.

Gonzalez played on the team with his younger brother Mario. While he spent many games on the bench, he was very supportive of the team.

"He was just a really, really nice kid,' Steel said. "Very devoted to his brother.'

Principal Doug Halvorsen notified students of Gonzalez's death during the morning public address system announcement.

"He was a real good student,' Halvorsen said. "He was a good person.'

Gonzalez had written in his senior year that he wanted to be a Marine, Halvorsen said. School records show he had never been referred for discipline.

"He was a team player kind of kid,' he said. "He didn't bring attention to himself.'

Cpl. Gonzalez was one of seven soldiers killed on Sunday. Americans have seen 24 - according to unofficial tallies - of their own killed since the war in Iraq began.

Residents across the Inland Valley where Gonzalez's family now lives are rallying around the grieving family.

In response to media reports of Gonzalez's death, people across the region Wednesday articulated their desire to do whatever they could to provide comfort to the Gonzalez family and to communicate to them the support of their community.

"We need to give these people our support,' said Letty Andrade, 42, of Alta Loma, who said Wednesday that she planned on sending the Gonzalez family a card expressing her condolences. "For me it is giving that entire family some moral support and some encouragement. There are lots of people who are grieving for that mother today and so maybe she can draw some support from that. My heart goes out to her.'

Lisa Garza, 30, of Rialto, owner of Mabel's Flowers in Rialto, said she would send flowers to the Gonzalez family as a sign of support from the entire community.

"I was thinking just yesterday that I knew soldiers were dying but what were the chances of someone dying here in Rialto?,' Garza said. "I never thought that someone in our small city would die. When I saw it on the television yesterday I was so moved. I just started crying.'

Like Jorge Gonzalez, Garza too is an El Monte High School graduate, something she said increased the connection she felt with the first known soldier with Valley ties to die in the U.S. war with Iraq.

Members of the Gonzalez family indicated this week that Jorge Gonzalez planned on becoming a police officer after his military service, and on Wednesday local law enforcement officers began coordinating donations for the family.

"As peace officers we understand their grief and loss,' said Ray Russo, a motor officer for the Rialto Police Department who, as a member of the department's benevolence association, will be writing a letter to all Rialto police officers asking for donations for the Gonzalez family. "It would be our sincere pleasure to give back to a family that has lost so much.'

Russo said it is of paramount importance for the Gonzalez family to know that their community supports them in their time of loss.

"When someone loses somebody like that I guess they feel a sense of loneliness,' he said. "If we can share in that and take some of that off them and make their loss a little bit less then it seems to me that we should do that.'

Rosa Ray, an officer with the California Highway Patrol and a Rancho Cucamonga resident, said she, too, would be donating some money to the Gonzalez family and would seek contributions from some of her CHP colleagues.

"It killed me to read the story of Jorge's death,' she said. "To see your kid on television like that not knowing what exactly happened is inconceivable to me. I don't know what I would do if that ever happened to my kid.'

State Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, said she was overwhelmed with grief upon reading the story of Gonzalez's death.

Soto said she hopes to be able to visit the Gonzalez family while she is in the district Friday.

"I feel like maybe I should just go see her, put my arms around her and tell her how bad I feel about it,' Soto said of Gonzalez's mother, Rosa. "It is unimaginable to me to have this happen to one of my constituents. He did his duty and he paid the ultimate price. We all have to pray for the family that they find some comfort.'

Soto said there is a saying in the Catholic tradition that says those who die fighting for their country go straight to heaven.

"I like that thought, I like that belief,' Soto said. "I think it helps us to find some sort of comfort. I hope it helps the Gonzalez family. I grieve for her, I grieve for the mother. I have been in tears all day long.'

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Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas Slocum


http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_1841092,00.html

Colorado Marine killed in Iraq
By JOHN C. ENSSLIN
March 26, 2003

In the pocket next to his heart, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum kept a picture of his girlfriend, Kristi Urbanic, and her daughter, Zoe.

"I miss you and Zoe so much, I can't wait to come home and see you again, love you with all my heart & soul," Slocum wrote in a letter from Kuwait that Urbanic received in Colorado on Monday.

But by then the 22-year-old Slocum who loved comic books, sang in the choir and gave "awesome hugs" had been shot dead in Iraq.

Slocum was one of nine Marines killed on Sunday near Nasiriyah by Iraqi soldiers who had feigned surrender.

"It angers me," his stepfather, Stan Cooper, said, standing on the family's front porch. "I know we wouldn't do that to them."

His family supports the mission that drew Slocum to Iraq and is proud of his role as a Marine.

"He was the bravest and the best of the Slocum clan. That's how I feel," said his aunt, Connie L. DuRall of Denver, as she broke down into sobs. "He was definitely doing what he wanted to do."

The Colorado House of Representatives held a moment of silence Tuesday in Slocum's memory.

Slocum was on his second tour of duty with the Marines. He served with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade based at Camp LeJeune, N.C.

He joined shortly after graduating from high school in 1998.

Urbanic remembers meeting Slocum when they were in the fourth grade. They remained friends through high school, where Slocum helped her in gymnastics class.

"He taught me how to do my first back flip," she said. Even when he was not around, he had an influence on her, Urbanic said.

"When I'd do my gymnastic routines, I'd think of him. He was right here, saying, 'you can do it.' " she said. "He always gave me the upper hand. He made me feel really good about myself."

Urbanic shuffled the three letters Slocum had sent her recently.

They were all on Marine Corps stationery.

"Hi Beautiful," he began the most recent letter, on which he had drawn two hearts.

"He was a really great guy," Urbanic said, as she started to cry. "And there's not another person like him in the whole world."

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Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas Slocum

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Major Gregory Stone


http://www2.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5157&ContentID=x39520&Layout=KBCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154

Those Who Knew Boise Guardsman Say He Epitomized Honor Code

By Tami Doty

MOUNTAIN HOME -
We're told Major Gregory Stone was the kind of soldier that not only made his children and family proud... but made his country proud.

That code of honor talks about integrity and honor as a soldier... and Major Stone knew it well. Chaplain Major Thomas Westall is a Retired Chaplain with the U-S Air Force. He says, "It goes like this... 'I am an American fighting man', and so those that are officers professional soldiers, professional sailors, marines... We understand the commitment and the dangers that it could happen."

And this American fighting man became Idaho's first casualty in the war. He was hit by a grenade, thrown by an American soldier. That makes his death even more unbelievable.

"There's not a person in a military uniform that would have a hard time following him in combat." Major Westall says Major Stone had a great love not only for his country, but also it's people.

"He was a leader, not because of an order, he was a leader that people wanted to follow. That was type of officer he was. His troops loved him, you can ask any of them... they loved him."

Major stone will be missed, not only by people who knew him... but by a community that feels like they too have lost a brother.

For a man, who's made it his job to console in times like this... he turns to his faith. "From scripture, from the book of Joshua... be strong and be courageous. We need to be strong and courageous, as a nation... as a people of faith."

Major Stone has two young boys, ages seven and eleven. A fund has been set up at any local Wells Fargo or Pioneer Federal Credit Union, if you would like to offer them your support.

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Major Gregory Stone

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Marine Sgt. Bradley Korthaus


http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-27-korthaus_x.htm

'He was Mr. Marine,' reservist's dad says
By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY

Bradley Korthaus was a star in the Class of 1992 at Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa. He played football, soccer and tennis. He wrestled. He played three band instruments.

But what classmates remember is the nickname that he picked up his sophomore year and kept until he died as a Marine sergeant in Iraq on Monday. The nickname was "Cruiser." "All because of a stupid old '65 Dodge Dart," said his father, Steve Korthaus.

The vintage coupe with the slant six engine was Brad's first car. "These kids would come to school in their mom's and dad's Jags and Beemers," the retired electrician recalled. "But they just wanted to go cruising with Brad in that Dart."

Three Marines came to the home of Steve and Marilyn Korthaus late Wednesday and informed them that the body of their son, who had been listed as missing, had been found. He and Marine Cpl. Evan James drowned while crossing a canal in Iraq. They were trying to set up weapons on the opposite bank to protect a water-purification team.

Family and friends of the husky, 28-year-old Marine were mystified Thursday about how he could have drowned.

"The kid could swim the ocean," said Tim Hintze, co-owner of Ryan & Associates, where Korthaus worked as a plumber and pipe fitter. "I don't know if we ever will really know what happened."

Following the path of his father, who was a Marine in the Vietnam War, Korthaus served a four-year stint in the Corps right out of high school. Two weeks after he left active duty and started as an apprentice plumber, he joined the reserves. "He was Mr. Marine," his father said. "His gear in the basement looked like a picture in the handbook. Every strap was perfect."

Korthaus and his fiancée, Barbi Schneckloth, a travel agent, were planning to marry as soon as he got home from the war.

On a Saturday last January, Korthaus was scheduled to take the exam for certification as a journeyman plumber and pipe fitter. But that was the day his unit shipped out.

Officials of the plumbers union told his dad Thursday that his son "is now a journeyman." At Local 25, a memorial plaque soon will go on the wall.

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Marine Sgt. Bradley Korthaus

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Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr.


http://www.kark.com/karktv/news/story_tmp.asp?cmd=view&Storyid=6223

Little Rock Medic Killed In Iraq

Story by Alice Stewart

Michael Johnson Junior was a Navy Medic. He was in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Corps. The U.S. Navy says he died as a result of friendly fire Tuesday in Iraq. Johnson was born and raised in Little Rock.

His family was gracious enough to speak with News 4 Arkansas on Thursday afternoon. They all say they're very proud of their hero. Knowing he died serving his country, and doing what he loved to do.

A letter addressed to “my lovely mother” has been a saving grace for Jana Norfleet. She recently received it from her son, Navy Medic Michael Johnson. "He basically said he was going to be ok. He said God had twisted a guardian angel around him…he said he hopes to return, but if he didn't, he said, ‘don't cry for me, because if I don't return, I'll be in heaven with my grandmother.’”

Navy Medic Johnson will not return. The U.S. Navy says he was killed in action on Tuesday, while tending to wounded soldiers. He died as a result of friendly fire.

His family remembers him with great pride. "The loss will never be greater, but I'm not going to let one day of tragedy remove 25 years of good memory," says Michael Johnson, Sr.

Janisa Hooks, Michael Johnson Junior’s sister, tells News 4 Arkansas, "I feel the sorrow in my heart of losing him, but it was for a good cause..."

Carri Johnson, another of Michael Johnson's sisters, explains, "it's a sign of sadness and joy, because he was fighting for our country..."

"Even though, in my heart, I am sad, I'm being strong, but I can tell you I'm happy for Mike, because he's a hero, he did what he wanted to do for our country..."

Johnson has a big family. He has five sisters and two brothers, and his wife lives in San Diego, where he was stationed. Those News 4 Arkansas spoke with say that despite his death, they still support the mission in Iraq.

Military experts will tell you, friendly fire is an unfortunate fact of war. Taking a look at the numbers from the first Gulf War, 35 of the 146 U.S. military personnel killed in action during the 1991 conflict died from friendly fire. Numbers released since the beginning of this war show as many as four British soldiers killed by friendly fire. Johnson's death would bring that to five.

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Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr.

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Colour Sergeant John Cecil RM

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence has to confirm the death of Colour Sergeant John Cecil RM.

His family and friends issued the following statement:

"It is with great sadness that the family and friends of Colour Sergeant John Cecil, Royal Marines, announce his untimely death in the tragic helicopter crash last Friday.

"John leaves behind a great many friends and relatives and our thoughts and prayers go out to Wendy Cecil, his children Nicholas and Jodie, his beloved daughter Paige and his brother David Cecil, all who reside in the Plymouth area.

"John was proud to be a Royal Marine, proud to be British and proud to represent his country, a country dedicated into making the world a safer place to live in."