[Vision2020] The Human Toll

[Tom Hansen]

"The notion that we ought to now go to Baghdad and somehow take control of
the country strikes me as an extremely serious one in terms of what we'd
have to do once we got there. You'd probably have to put some new government
in place. It's not clear what kind of government that would be, how long
you'd have to stay. For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining
the outcome of the struggle over who's going to govern in Iraq strikes me as
a classic definition of a quagmire." 

- Dick Cheney, 1991
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Stuff/Cheney_Quagmire.mp3

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>From the December 18, 2006 edition of the Army Times -

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U.S. service members who died while supporting combat operations in Iraq,
confirmed by the Defense Department from December 1 through December 7:

Navy Hospitalman Christopher A. Anderson, 24, of Longmont, Colorado;
assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine
Force, Atlantic, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marine Lance Cpl. Brent E. Beeler, 22, of Jackson, Michigan; assigned to
Marine Forces Reserve's 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine
Division, Lansing, Mich. 

Army Sgt. Jesse J.J. Castro, 22, of Chalan Pago, American Samoa; assigned to
the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th
Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 

Army Staff Sgt. James Kristofer R. Ciraso, 26, of Bangor, Maine, assigned to
the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st
Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Army Pvt. Troy D. Cooper, 21, of Amarillo, Texas; assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
Fort Hood, Texas.  

Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas P. Echols, 20, of Shepherdsville, Kentucky;
assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. 

Army Capt. Shawn L. English, 35, of Westerville, Ohio; assigned to the 577th
Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Air Force Capt. Kermit O. Evans, 31, of Hollandale, Mississippi; assigned to
the 27th Civil Engineer Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and was
deployed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Base, Iraq. 

Army Cpl. Billy B. Farris, 20, of Bapchule, Arizona; assigned to the 5th
Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort
Lewis, Wash. 

Army Sgt. Keith E. Fiscus, 26, of Townsend, Delaware; assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division,
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.  

Army Sgt. Jay R. Gauthreaux, 26, of Thibodaux, Louisiana; assigned to the
3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. 

Army Spc. Nicholas R. Gibbs, 25, of Stokesdale, North Carolina; assigned to
the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, Giessen, Germany.

Army Spc. Micah S. Gifford, 27, of Redding, California; assigned to the 3rd
Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th
Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.   

Army Spc. Kenneth W. Haines, 25, of Fulton, New York; assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort
Hood, Texas. 

Army Spc. Jordan W. Hess, 26, of Marysville, Washington; assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry
Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. 

Army Cpl. Jason I. Huffman, 23, of Conover, North Carolina; assigned to the
2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th
Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 

Army Pfc. Travis C. Krege, 24, of Cheektowaga, New York; assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 27th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry
Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 

Marine Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Presque Isle, Maine; assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary
Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Army Staff Sgt. Henry W. Linck, 23, of Manhattan, Kansas; assigned to the
3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team,
25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.   

Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Love Jr., 28, of Meridian, Mississippi; assigned
to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, Giessen, Germany. 

Army Spc. Joshua B. Madden, 21, of Sibley, Louisiana; assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 27th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry
Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. 

Marine Maj. Joseph T. McCloud, 39, of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan; assigned
to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. 

Marine Maj. Megan M. McClung, 34, of Coupeville, Washington; assigned to I
Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I MEF, Camp Pendleton, Calif.


Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, 19, of Knox, Pennsylvania; assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry
Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Army Spc. Marco L. Miller, 36, of Longwood, Florida; assigned to the 3rd
Battalion Support Company, 20th Special Forces Group, Camp Blanding, Fla. 

Army Spc. Yari Mokri, 26, of Pflugerville, Texas; assigned to the 3rd
Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th
Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks. Hawaii.

Army Capt. Travis L. Patriquin, 32, of Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion,
3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division,
Giessen, Germany.  

Army Spc. Vincent J. Pomante III, 22, of Westerville, Ohio; assigned to the
2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st
Armored Division, Giessen, Germany.  

Army Sgt. Yevgeniy Ryndych, 24, of Brooklyn, New York; assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry
Division, Fort Carson, Colo. 

Marine Cpl. Joshua C. Sticklen, 24, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; assigned to
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Army Pfc. Nicholas D. Turcotte, 23, of Maple Grove, Minnesota; assigned to
the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry, West St. Paul, Minn. 

Marine Lance Cpl. Cody G. Watson, 21, of Oxford, Alabama; assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.   



December 1 - December 7
Killed: 32; wounded in action: 136


March 19, 2003 - December 7, 2006
Killed: 2,927; wounded in action: 22,057

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And the beat goes on . . .

"Bring 'em Home"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Bring_em_home.mp3

"If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

It will make the politicians sad, I know 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home 
They wanna tangle with their foe 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

They wanna test their grand theories
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
With the blood of you and me
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Now we'll give no more brave young lives 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home 
For the gleam in someone's eyes 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

The men will cheer and the boys will shout 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home 
Yeah and we will all turn out 
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

The church bells will ring with joy
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
To welcome our darlin' girls and boys
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

We will lift their voice and sound
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Yeah, when Johnny comes marching home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home."
   
Pro patria,

Tom Hansen
Vandalville, Idaho

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime."

-- Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.