2 Marines die after indirect fire attack (#1608 and #1609)

[UpInArms]

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/media-information/May/050510c.htm

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died May 9 of injuries from an indirect fire attack.

The incident took place during combat operations in Al Karmah, Iraq.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT II MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT: [email protected]

Period	US	UK	Other*	Total	Avg	Days	
4 	171	2	7	180	1.8	100	
3 	579	26	27	632	2.93	216	
2 	718	27	58	803	1.89	424	
1 	140	33	0	173	4.02	43	
Total	1608	88	92	1788	2.28	783

RIP Marine :(

edited to add:



http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Casualty_Report.asp?CasualtyReport=20050513.txt

SECOND MARINE DIES AFTER INDIRECT FIRE ATTACK

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died May 9 from injuries received from an indirect fire explosion.

The incident took place during combat operations in Al Karmah, Iraq.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

For additional information regarding this release, contact the 2nd MEF public affairs office via email at: [email protected]

Period	US	UK	Other*	Total	Avg	Days	
4 	172	2	7	181	1.81	100	
3 	579	26	27	632	2.93	216	
2 	718	27	58	803	1.89	424	
1 	140	33	0	173	4.02	43	
Total	1609	88	92	1789	2.28	783

RIP 2nd unnamed marine :(

I fear that these numbers do not accurately reflect the losses that are going. :scared:

[whistle]

1. I don't believe the official numbers any longer, I think that many...

...more U.S. troops have been killed than the military or the Bush administration are letting on.

[saigon68]

22. 'BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

As prepared to eat his strained squash, in his high chair.

[bemildred]

2. 6:17 am: Three U.S. Marines killed in central Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three U.S. Marines were killed in central Iraq, the military said Tuesday.

A Marine died Monday of wounds inflicted in a bombing during combat operations in Nasser Wa Salaam, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Baghdad, the military said in a statement.

Two U.S. Marines were killed Monday by indirect fire during combat operations in Karmah, 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Baghdad, the military said. It was unclear if the two Marines were killed in the same attack.

The three Marines were assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Their names were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/13598.html

[ausiedownunderground]

3. Killed by "Indirect fire"? Is Fraticide already happening?

[oneighty]

5. Indirect fire

A strange term. A wayward bullet?

180

[Frederik]

20. It means

mortar fire, which goes up and then goes down... so that it can hit people who hide behind walls and so on. Thus "indirect", though it really isn't (stupid military term).

[oneighty]

24. Interesting

In other words people are not hurt on purpose. So it does not count. Got it!

180

[Bob3]

6. could be mortar fire as opposed to rifle fire.

However "Indirect fire" is a new one on me.

[bemildred]

7. Probably mortars, unless the "insurgents" have artillery.

"indirect fire" means mortars, artillery, rockets.
"direct fire" means you can see what you're shooting at.

[bunkerbuster1]

18. Should add, this is not a new-to-Iraq military term

It's been around for a long time.

[bemildred]

4. 3 Marines die in operation near border

“It’s truly horrific, there are snipers everywhere, rockets, no food, no electricity,” said Abu Omar al-Ani, a father of three reached by telephone in Qaim. “Today five rockets fell in front of my house ... we are mentally exhausted.”

---

At least four car bombs — including two suicide attacks — exploded in Baghdad, killing at least five people and wounding 15, police said.

---

The group claimed its fighters ambushed a convoy of five foreign contract workers protected by a dozen Iraqi security men near Hit, 90 miles west of Baghdad. It claimed all were killed in the fight except for Saito, who it said was “severely injured.”

http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=31767&Section=News

[cliss]

8. Well if you don't trust these numbers, that makes

two of us. I simply have NO faith in the published figues of US deaths.

To prove it, I'm putting together my own list of fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a simple Excel file, with last name listed first.

To qualify for my list, the troop does not need to die in Iraq. If they died in Germany after being injured or some other military hospital, they qualify.

Believe me, my list will be longer. I'll post it as a separate thread.

[UpInArms]

9. let me know where to find it

when you get it finished.

Thanks, Cliss!

[cliss]

15. Thanks. I'm working on it slowly

but steadily. I don't expect it will make the news anywhere, but it will be something we can look at here in the DU.

Also to catmandu in the post below, I agree. The reason why I started to smell a rat was when I started comparing figures from VietNam. Just a quick look tells you there's something wrong.

We were in VietNam for 10 years and lost over 58,000 US troops. That's 5,800 per year.

We've been in Iraq for about 2 years, and have only lost 1,600 US troops. That's only 800 per year. See the problem?

Now granted this is a crude comparison. When we first went in (VietNam), we had smaller losses. Year after year, the fatalities started going up. But we should be able to expect fatalities to go up as the "enemy" becomes more sophisticated and is able to find US "Achilles heel".

So we should definitely anticipate this, and also a US unwillingness to continue, like in VietNam. That's what the Pentagon knows. They know US patience is directly linked to deaths, and that's why they're hiding them.

[catmandu57]

12. I've been wearing my tinfoil a long time on this one

It just doesn't seem right, I think there's bodies salted away in a freezer somewhere, after witnessing the creative accounting by enron and anderson and part of team monkey* being closely allied with them it just doesn't feel right.

[coalition_unwilling]

14. Connection to 5 o'clock follies (a la Vietnam)

Anyone who remembers (or has read up on) how the U.S. military creatively accounted for its own and enemy casualties during Vietnam should be highly wary of trusting anything from the command echelons of the U.S. military regarding casualties.

Take the flip side of this -- "100 insurgents killed" since the operation began. Hmm, wonder how many of those 100 were terrorists disguised as children?

[leftchick]

17. Thank you for doing this cliss

I agree the deaths will turn out to be much higher than they are admitting to. Hell they lie about everything else of course they will lie about the ONE thing that could change ameriKans minds about this quagmire.

[cliss]

23. (to one of my favorite writers on the DU)

Thank you for all your work here at the DU. Believe me, it's appreciated. We have over 60,000+ members here at the DU. Lots of people read the threads & don't post on them, so we shouldn't assume that they go unread. Also, this site has plenty of unregistered visitors who read this stuff. Think of the exposure a site like this has.

Recall how the 'Jeff Gannon' affair (I mean that literally) was brought down by the Internet, not investigative news or other sources. Also recall how Dean shot to fame and was able to raise millions for his pres. campaign thru THE INTERNET.

THIS is the venue of the future.

And this is what it's going to take to bring down this corrupt administration.

Thanks, left:smoke:

[leftchick]

25. back atcha cliss

You are one of my favs as well.

Peace baby, :smoke:

[Zorra]

10. kick to top

[Massachusetts]

11. We are well on the way

to surpassing last months (52) Troops KIA. WTF will wake up our fellow citizens?

May these Troops RIP.

[RamboLiberal]

19. Yes only 10th day of the month and already 22 Dead

Plus 1 UK and 2 Other(?). 2.5 average which is the worst since 4.7 November when the Fallujah Battle was taking place.

Tell me again about the elections!

[Blue Diadem]

13. Here is an Army Reserve Sergeant that died on Mother's day

Sylvania sergeant killed in Iraq blast

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050510/NEWS28/505100387

Just two months after meeting his newborn son, Army Reserve Sgt. Andy Eckert of Sylvania was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Sergeant Eckert, 24, of the 983rd Engineering Battalion in Monclova Township, was in a convoy going to retrieve a vehicle when a roadside bomb exploded and killed him. The incident is under investigation and Department of Defense officials would not disclose where it occurred.

An Anthony Wayne High School graduate, he survived a similar attack for which he received the Purple Heart in March, 2004.

Mr. Eckert returned to Iraq shortly after meeting his son, Myles Manning Eckert, who was born in March. His daughter, Marlee Freedom Eckert, almost 2, was born while he was in Iraq in 2003.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

I don't believe the numbers released either..

May they all RIP.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

16. Someone is teaching them

how to aim their mortars.

[lebkuchen]

21. We're at 2.5 dead per day, the highest since Nov. '04

when at least 141 "coalition" had died.

Seems like yesterday when the Pentagon was bragging about how attacks on the "coalition" had greatly diminished. Turns out, it had nothing to do with the US gaining a foothold in the flowerbeds, but was rather, a partisan strategy change.

[saigon68]

26. The Partisan Iraqi Resistance is kicking their ass again.

Freedom is on the March

[Zerex71]

27. Every day, a few here, a few there...

...Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam.