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Over at The Quaker Agitator, Quaker Dave republishes an important story from CommonDreams. If this paragraph doesn't upset you, nothing will:

In Washington, DC, on July 17, 2008, John and Linda Johnson, the parents of US Army Private First Class (PFC) Lavena Johnson met US Army criminal investigators concerning the classification of the death of their daughter who died three years ago on July 19, 2005 in Balad, Iraq. The Army labeled her death as a suicide despite evidence from materials the Army reluctantly provided to the parents that she was beaten, bitten, sexually assaulted, burned and shot. Despite numerous questions from Dr. Johnson about the Army’s investigation and determination of suicide, the Army stuck to its guns that Lavena Johnson committed suicide. After the briefing, the Johnson’s asked Congressman William Lacy Clay and Congresswoman Diane Watson to request House Oversight and Governmental Reform committee Chairman Henry Waxman to hold hearings that would require production of witnesses who will testify under oath to their knowledge of how Lavena died– an attempt to get information that the Army has so far failed to provide.

Check out the rest of the story here ....

Nine more US soldiers, and unknown numbers of Iraqi civilians are dead. Is anyone paying attention to this?

I think it's the lack of coverage these deaths receive that shocks me the most. I mean, I understand the horrible realities of war. I understand that people die. I just don't understand why we as a nation don't care. I mean, why aren't we outraged that photographers are banned from taking pictures of the military coffins?

Are we really that easily distracted? Is it really "if we don't see it, it doesn't exist?" I shudder to think so. Yet, what was the big news in the last week? Bush's farewell tour of Europe, where he did fun things like shoot hoops with kids:

Meanwhile these soldiers died this week, while the press continues to fawn over the recently departed Tim Russert:

Dwayne Kelley
Gregory T. Dalessio
Du Hai Tran

as well as six others, names not yet released.

Of Dwayne Kelley, NewsDay.com reports:

NEWARK, N.J. - A decorated New Jersey state trooper was killed in Iraq while serving on his third tour of duty as an Army reservist, state police announced Wednesday.

Detective Sgt. 1st Class Dwayne Kelley, an Army major, died in the bombing of a Baghdad district council building on Tuesday, state police Capt. Al Della Fave said. Kelley, who spoke Arabic and served in the state police counterterrorism unit, had volunteered for his latest tour, which began in November, Della Fave said.

"He touched many lives throughout the law enforcement and military communities, and he will be deeply missed by us all," said Col. Joseph R. Fuentes, state police superintendent.

h/t to Mock, Paper, Scissors for the Bush photo

House votes to provide $162 billion in war funding

It's obscene. Our elected officials in Washington continue to fund this illegal and immoral war, and make it harder for their colleagues to vote against it by tacking on completely un-related funding. From The Raw Story:

A much-delayed Iraq war funding bill sailed through the House on Thursday, along with a doubling of college aid for returning troops and help for the unemployed and Midwestern flood victims.

Republican allies of President Bush provided the winning margin in a 268-155 vote to provide $162 billion to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan well into next year.

Democrats opposed to the war, however, succeeded in using the Iraq funding bill as an engine to drive past White House resistance a sweeping revision to GI Bill college benefits and a 13-week extension of unemployment checks for those whose benefits have run out.

The bill would bring to more than $650 billion the amount provided by Congress for the war in Iraq since it started five years ago. Nearly $200 billion in additional funding has gone to operations in Afghanistan, according to congressional analysts.

It also would give Bush's successor several months to set Iraq policy after taking office in January — and spares lawmakers the need to cast more war funding votes closer to Election Day.

That's my favorite line of the entire story.

Meanwhile, the death toll among both civilians and military continues to rise. In the past month, these Americans have died while carrying out George Bush's War:

Specialist Justin R. Mixon
Specialist Christopher D. McCarthy
Specialist Quincy J. Green
Private 1st Class Joshua E. Waltenbaugh
Sergeant Shane P. Duffy
Specialist Jonathan D. A. Emard
Sergeant Cody R. Legg
Sergeant 1st Class David R. Hurst
Staff Sergeant Tyler E. Pickett
Specialist Thomas F. Duncan III
Sergeant Steve A. McCoy
Sergeant 1st Class Gerard M. Reed
Lance Corporal Javier Perales Jr.
Lance Corporal Kelly E. C. Watters
Private Eugene D. M. Kanakaole
Sergeant John D. Aragon
Private 1st Class Jason Cox

Please click on their names to read more about them. The "US Deaths in Iraq" counter at the top of the page reads 4, 101. These are real people, not just a statistic. Please, never forget that.

And that photo at the top? That's Lance Corporal Kelly Watters, who died on June 11. He was 19 years old.

US military passes 4,000 death toll in Iraq

From the Guardian:

The number of US troops killed in Iraq has reached 4,000 with the deaths of four soldiers in southern Baghdad.

The four soldiers were on patrol when their vehicle was struck yesterday at around 10pm local time (7pm GMT) by a roadside bomb.

"You regret every casualty, every loss," US vice president Dick Cheney told reporters during a visit to Jerusalem after the 4,000 death toll was passed.

"It may have a psychological effect on the public, but it's a tragedy that we live in a kind of world where that happens."

901 American troops died in Iraq last year - the deadliest year for the US army in Iraq since 2004 when 850 were killed. Most of the fatalities in 2007 were incurred in the first part of the year as the US "surge", in which 30,000 additional US troops arrived in the country, got underway.

Calculations by the Associated Press show that for every fatality in Iraq there had been 15 soldiers wounded. The news agency compared this with 2.6 wounded for every death in the Vietnam war, although the total 58,200 US troop deaths in that eleven year war is over ten times the current toll.

From the Washington Post:

Also Sunday, the commander of U.S. prisons in Iraq defended the military's incarceration policies as the detainee population has swelled to 23,000, nearly 45 percent higher than a year ago.

Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone said the military is detaining 50 to 60 Iraqis a day, compared with 20 to 30 a day in April 2007. The growing prison population "is clearly a consequence of the surge," he said, referring to the troop buildup that began last year.

Iraqi politicians from different sectarian backgrounds have complained that many detainees have languished for months or years without charges and that many are wrongfully accused. The United Nations has also been critical of the procedures.

A U.N. human rights report in April expressed concern about the U.S. military's "indefinite internment of detainees," noting that people are "held for prolonged periods effectively without charge or trial." The U.S. Embassy was harshly critical of the report.

"My answer is that it's looking pretty good," Stone said.

AP photo

Deaths continue in Iraq

The Iraq War, packaged as "Operation Iraqi Freedom," has been pushed off the front pages and the evening news lately. The American public is tired of bad news. (Please see post below.)

Meanwhile, Iraqi civilians and American and Iraqi soldiers continue to die. Families are torn apart and homes are destroyed. Many of our dead soldiers are young -- most had just begun to live as adults. We'll never know what wonderful things they could have done in their lives, because they served our country with, as the saying goes, the ultimate sacrifice.

Whether you support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and fight this war or not, don't forget that it is still raging on. Soldiers like Corey Spates are dying almost daily. Please don't forget.

Sgt. Corey E. Spates, 21, of LaGrange, Ga., died Sunday in Diyala Province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered a roadside bomb. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Spates joined the military in May 2004 as an armor crewman and was assigned to the 2nd Squadron since August 2006. He deployed November 2007.

Spates' decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, Driver Mechanic Badge and Driver Wheeled Vehicle.

From the local LaGrange Daily News:

He told his wife that every night he looked at the moon and sent a kiss and a prayer to her side of the world.

He told his father, Steve Spates, that the tight end that decided not to accept University of Georgia’s football bid would regret that decision.

Two weeks before his death, Spates sent his wife roses for her birthday.

A week later, he sent a second dozen roses to celebrate their anniversary.

Five days after his death, she received his Valentine’s Day gifts - including a box of chocolates from the place where they honeymooned.

When you hear the politicians talk about bringing home the troops, think of Corey. And then pick up the phone and call your Senators and Representatives and tell them this war must stop.

Meanwhile: war, death, and corruption rage on

I cannot help but be distressed by the possible link between these two stories:

Fort Carson soldier dies six months after being wounded

and

Manufacturer in $2 Million Accord With U.S. on Deficient Kevlar in Military Helmets

You see, the Fort Carson soldier died of head wounds.

While we talked politics, they died

20-year-old Army Specialist Zachary McBride was among six soldiers killed Wednesday in Iraq

This week, America's attention was consumed with the New Hampshire debates. I was right there with everyone else, glued to the t.v. After the results were in, we all became obsessed with parsing the numbers and arguing in sometimes heated debates among ourselves over what it all means for the upcoming presidential election.

While we were debating politics this past week, 10 American soldiers died in Iraq. Three names have not yet been released by the Department of Defense, pending notification of their next of kin. The others are listed below.

While the pundits and politicians squabble and vie for your attention, please take a moment to honor the memory of these men who died carrying out the policies of the politicians. Please click on their names to learn more about their lives and the families they leave behind.

Pionk, Matthew
Dozier, Jonathan Kilian
McBride, Zack
Hart, David J.
Merlo, Ivan E.
Pannier, Phillip J.
Hanson, Timothy R.

They died in Diyala Province, Ba'qubah, Samarra, Balad, and Salman Pak. They died far away from their families and friends, while George Bush wines and dines his way across the Mid East, his only agenda the rescuing of his failed legacy as President.

Iraq War deaths: The story behind one Christmas Day tragedy

I was watching The News Hour the other night on PBS, and at the end of the program, they ran the names and photos of soldiers recently killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the images displayed in silence, it was a profound moment. And it was exactly the kind of "in your face" reporting we need about these military conflicts.

I was a child during the Vietnam War, but I remember the images of battle on our little black and white t.v. I remember my mother worrying that maybe my brothers and I shouldn't be watching this level of violence. That was on the evening news. Who is reporting on the violence facing our our soldiers today? No one! When you turn on the evening news today, you will see soundbites of the presidential candidates, possibly with one of them strolling through a market in Baghdad -- escorted by the military, of course. Or you will see images of politicians -- U.S. and Iraqi -- sitting in big chairs talking. That's the face of war?

Please don't forget the realities of the Bush Administration's war. The family and friends of this young man never will.

Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten

From the U.S. Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten, 33, of St. Augustine, Fla., died Dec. 25 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

From the Daily Kos:

Bryan Tutten was the only child of Sylvia Smallwood of St. Johns and the late Thomas Robert Tutten of Vilano Beach, the Florida Times-Union reports. He grew up in his native St. Augustine, went to St. Augustine High School, and attended St. Johns River Community College. He married his high school sweetheart and had worked at various occupations, including restaurant chef and landscaper before joining the army when he was 27. And he was an avid sportsman who loved to fish and cook.

The Tutten family suffered another loss in 2001, when Tutten's father, a popular artist and musician in St. Augustine, drowned while trying to retrieve a raft for some children he had rescued from the surf when they were playing on the beach, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Bryan Tutten leaves behind his wife of 10 years, Constandina Peterson Tutten; his daughter, Catherine, who was born during his first tour of Iraq and will be four years old tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve; and his son, Gareth, who will be one year old in May. Tutten is also survived by his grandmother Jeannette McSwain of Conyers, Georgia, and members of the Peterson family.

The stories behind more war tragedies: Exporting domestic violence

What follows is the particularly disturbing story of three young American servicemen and women: two female sailors were killed in "non-hostile" fire in October. At the time, I was at home recovering from surgery, so maybe I wasn't following the news enough, but I don't remember this story being reported. If anyone else does, please let me know. Most of the initial coverage came from overseas news sources, and there has been very little reported since the killings occurred. There are several details about this story which make me suspicious about the lack of news coverage. From the [Bahrain] Gulf Daily News:

Anamarie Sannicolas Camacho, 20, and her colleague Genesia Mattril Gresham,19, were shot dead at the Naval Support Activity Base, Juffair, at around 5am on October 22.

Their alleged killer, fellow serviceman Clarence Jackson, 20, is still clinging to life after apparently shooting himself in the head immediately after the murders.

He is now at the National Naval Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland, US, after being transferred to the US from a specialist hospital in Germany. . . .

[Camacho's mother, Jovie] Paulino, who served in the US Air Force for six years, is also angry at the way the navy have handled the shooting.

"I had entrusted my daughter to the navy when she joined and this is what has happened, I just don't understand," she said. "I was in the military and right now I feel so angry and disappointed. She put her life on the line for our freedom and the only thing they should do (in return) is protect her."

Her comments echo that of Ms Gresham's mother Anita, who earlier blamed officials for leaving her daughter exposed to danger from a man she said turned nasty when she tried to cool their "casual" relationship.

Ms Gresham revealed Jackson had a restraining order against him and had been on suicide watch, after he allegedly attacked Miss Gresham less than four months ago.

She was also angry that Jackson was allowed to carry a gun after his alleged attack on her daughter and that officials were not telling her what happened in the run-up to the killings.

The last report I can find about Jackson states that he is in critical condition at Bethesda Naval Hospital, but is not expected to survive.

Approximately 20% of American casualties in the Iraq War effort are attributed to "non-combat" reasons. Some argue that these types of deaths should not be included in the same category as those who die in combat. I disagree. These two women enlisted in the military, and were killed while serving. By not protecting them from Jackson, the American military might as well have sent them into combat, unarmed.

Jackson previously made threats against Gresham and was ordered to stay away from her. However, as part of the security detail, Jackson was authorized to carry a gun while on duty, which he apparently was at the time of the shooting. Camacho and Gresham were also part of the security detail and each held the rank of master at arms; however, they were off duty at the time of the shooting, and therefore unarmed. According to details of the event, Jackson knocked on their door, immediately shooting both women when the door was opened. There was a great deal of tension on the base following the incident. From Stars and Stripes:

The shooting shocked those stationed on this important Navy base located on this tiny island Persian Gulf nation. But some sources say there were warning signs before the shooting occurred.

Jackson and Gresham had a volatile relationship, sources said. He had made threats against her in the past, was punished for it and ordered to stay away from her. Sources who would only speak on the condition of anonymity said Jackson had just gotten off restriction when he allegedly shot Camacho and Gresham.

Here are their stories.

Anamarie Sannicolas Camacho, 20

Ms Camacho, 20, from Panama City, Florida, joined the US Navy in June last year, because she could not afford to go to college, her heartbroken mother has revealed.

[Her mother] said her daughter knew that going to college would be too expensive, so she joined the navy after graduating from school, so she could fulfill her dream of obtaining a degree.

"She always had big smiles," she said, "She was an individual who was filled with energy."



Genesia Mattril Gresham, 19

From the Gulf Daily News:

Ms Gresham's mother Anita paid a poignant tribute to her 19-year-old daughter yesterday.

She confirmed that Ms Gresham had a casual relationship with Jackson and that he turned nasty after she tried to cool it.

The mother dismissed as untrue reports that the victims were lesbian lovers.

"My daughter, who was affectionately known to her friends and family as Snowflake, was a wonderful person."

I don't know why the mother felt compelled to refer to rumors of a lesbian relationship; I haven't come across this in any of the stories I've found online. It is true, however, that details about these two women have been very scarce, and details about the shooter, Jackson, are just about non-existent. Whether there was a lesbian relationship or not, the women were shot by Gresham's former boyfriend, and as noted by the Daily Kos in an October tribute to these two women:

Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, the euphemism for murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. That's approximately 1,400 women a year, according to the FBI. (link)

3,888 dead: The stories behind 3 tragedies

From the US Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Bayji, Iraq. They were assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 327^th Infantry Regiment, 1^st Brigade Combat Team, 101^st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Killed were:

• Sgt. Eric J. Hernandez, 26, of Waldwick, N.J., who died Dec. 4 in Bayji, Iraq.
• Pvt. Dewayne L. White, 27, of Country Club Hills, Ill., who died Dec. 4 in Bayji, Iraq.Capt.
• Adam P. Snyder, 26, of Fort Pierce, Fla., who died Dec. 5 in Balad, Iraq.

These three men won't be coming back to their families for this or any other holiday season:

Sgt. Eric J. Hernandez

Army Sgt. Eric J. Hernandez, 26, had an older brother and a younger sister. His mom and stepdad live in Waldwick, N.J., and he was raised in West Milford, in Passaic County. His father, Craig Hernandez, is a Garnerville resident.

Eric Hernandez had earned his high school equivalency diploma. He knew what he wanted, to join the military, which he did in October 2003. He also had career plans after his Army stint was up - he had already taken the civil service test to become a police officer. His family has a strong law enforcement tradition - his uncle is retired Clarkstown Police Chief William Collins.

Dewayne L. White

White grew up in Chicago's Woodlawn community and attended Curie High School. When his mother and stepfather moved to Country Club Hills during his senior year, White earned his GED and trained to be a welder through a Job Corps program.

White loved to dance, draw cartoons of hip-hop characters and play pool. He adored the family's dog, a Rottweiler named Zeus. And he did a dead-on impression of Donald Duck, his siblings said.

His family remembered how willing White - a broad-shouldered man who stood 6 feet 2 inches - had always been to help others.

When he was about 7 years old, a neighbor gave him a dollar for being a good boy. White gave the money to charity, without urging from adults, because he wanted to help the children of Ethiopia, his mother said.

He maintained that spirit of giving while in Iraq. He always carried candy to pass out to the children, his mother said.

Adam P. Snyder

Everyone knew Adam Snyder was something special, even before he graduated in the top 10 percent at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with studies in Arabic and Middle Eastern history, became an Army Ranger and set off for Iraq.

At Fort Pierce's Lincoln Park Academy, he was named "Mr. LPA." Classmates crowned him homecoming king. His lead performance in The Music Man his senior year earned rave reviews. In the yearbook section titled "Most Likely to Appear On the Cover Of," Snyder is shown on an Entertainment Weekly headlined "Adam Snyder Wins Tony for Music Man."

He loved acting. As a child, he attended three years of theater camp at the Pineapple Playhouse, the local community theater. He struck a deal with his family: After the Army, in 2009, he would go to Hollywood for a year to try his hand at acting.

At Westside Baptist, he had been heavily involved with the youth group. Every summer, he volunteered as a counselor at vacation Bible camp.

"He made coming to church cool to the kids," Ingersoll said. "He didn't have to go to West Point to learn how to lead."

Please continue to do what ever you can to end the war in Iraq. Contact your Senators and Representatives today and tell them we want the killing in the name of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to end now.

The story behind one tragedy: “I can still see him out in the yard just running around.”

The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic — Joseph Stalin

From the US Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Matthew K. Reece, 24, of Harrison, Ark., died Dec. 1, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

From The Fayetteville Observer:

Sharon Reece said her nephew grew up with her sons in Arkansas. She said she still remembers them out in the yard playing.

“He was a typical child,” she said. “I can still see him out in the yard just running around.”

Reece joined the Army in September 2005. An avid hunter and fisherman, he took to being an infantryman. His aunt said he loved the service.

Reece is survived by his wife, Chauntelle Reece, two children — daughter Alyssa and son Teagan — and his parents Preston Reece and Tammy Vanderwaal.

"The least we can do is stop our days and pay honor to the people making the ultimate sacrifice"

John Cusack stars in a new movie due for release in February 2008, Grace is Gone. In the movie, he plays a husband and father who learns that his wife is killed in Iraq. His inspiration for the movie: the Bush Administration "cowardly political act" of banning photographs of military caskets returning from Iraq. In an interview with PBS' Tavis Smiley, Cusack said:

"I thought that was one of the most cowardly political acts I'd seen in my lifetime, in some ways" the actor said. "So I thought, we have to tell the story of one of those coffins coming home, right? It seemed clear that would be a really smart thing to do."

"I just think that, if this war is going to be fought and if it is as important as he says it is, I think the least we can do is stop our days and pay honor to the people making the ultimate sacrifice for this," he added. "I mean, they were trying to say...we'll tell you when we can grieve and get our photo ops when we go to the bases and visit the families and we're going to control this along with everything else."

I couldn't agree more with Cusack. As regular readers know, I have begun posting the stories of some of the 3,886 people who have died following George W. Bush's failed Iraq policies. About a year ago, I remember some of the mainstream media newscasts closing with images of some of these soldiers, but I guess that wasn't helping the ratings much, because no one seems to do that anymore. So, no more images staring out at us from the televisions set, just some abstract number: 3,886.

No matter what you think about the Iraq war, I'm sure you agree with Cusack that we should "stop our days and pay honor to the people making the ultimate sacrifice for this."

The story behind one tragedy

The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic — Joseph Stalin

On November 29, 2007, the U.S. Department of Defense quietly announced the death of Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Bloomington, Minn. Sgt. Tobiason died in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered from hostile fire - small arms fire. He was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.

Tobiason was scheduled to come home to Minnesota in January. Instead, family and friends are grieving while remembering their loved one.

“He was a master of using the ‘x’ in Scrabble,” said his sister. He “was known for his passion for drumming, fishing, and games and puzzles.”

“He was quite a guy,” said American Legion Commander Dennis Lindquist. “He was just so darn proud to carry the flag.”

Tobiason's sister told the local newspaper that her brother was in his 14th year in the military and had planned to serve 20 years before retiring to a cabin in Minnesota. Instead, funeral services will be held later this week for Sgt. Tobiason.

As of today, there have been 3,882 confirmed deaths of American soldiers in Iraq since 2003. It is important that we remember the face behind each one of these 3,882. I'll be regularly publishing the stories of some of these brave men and women who have lost their lives because they were fulfilling their duty to enact the policies of the Bush Administration and because of the lack of fortitude of the Democratic majority to stand up to these policies.

Please continue to contact your Senators and Representatives and demand that they stop funding the Iraq War.