Remembering our Fallen

IRAQ. There have been 4,693 coalition deaths thus far in this war. 4,376 of these are Americans. At least 31,616 U.S. troops have been wounded in action.

AFGHANISTAN. There have been 1,569 deaths so far. 949 of these are Americans. At least 4,748 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action.

--CNN World

This story comes out of the Civil War. The names of those men who had been lost in the war for several weeks were posted on this wall in Washington. President Lincoln stood looking at the names. And a woman came up, ran her finger down the long list and said: “Thank God, my boy’s not on the list.” And Lincoln said, “But somebody’s boy is on that list.”

Let us, once again read through these names and ages and the places they come from and remember our fallen were somebody’s sons or daughters.

Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Meinert / age 20 / Fort Atkinson, Wis. / Died while supported combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan / January 10, 2010.

Lance Cpl. Mark D. Juarez / age 22 / Bakersfield, CAL / Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan / January 9, 2010.

Spc. David A. Croft, Jr. / age 22 / Plant City, FLA / Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb and small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq / January 5, 2010.

Sgt. 1st Class Jason O.B. Hickman / age 35 / Kingsport, TN / Died at Forward Operating Salerno in Khost, province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb earlier that day at Combat Outpost Bowi Tana. / January 7, 2010.

Spc. Brian R. Bowman / age 24 / Crawfordsville, IND / One of three soldiers killed when insurgents attacked their unit with multiple roadside bombs in Ashoque, Zhari district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan / January 3, 2010.

Pvt. John P. Dion / age 19 / Shattuck, OK / One of the three killed when insurgents attacked their unit with multiple roadside bombs in Ashoque, Zhari district Kadahar province, Afghanistan / January 3, 2010/

Sgt. Joshua A. Lengstorf / age 24 / Yoncalla, OR / This is the third soldier who was killed when insurgents attacked their unit with roadside bombs in Zari district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan / January 3, 2010.

Senior Airman Bradley R. Smith / age 24 / Troy, Illinois / Died of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan / January 3, 2010.

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino / age 45 / Waterbury, CT / Died of wounds suffered when he was shot unloading supplies at a base in Bala Murghab district, Bagdhis province, Afghanistan / December 29, 2009.

Spc. Jason M. Johnston / age 24 / Albion, NY / Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, Afghanistan / December 26, 2009.

Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez / age 35 / San Francisco, CAL / Died at Kandahar airfield, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with a roadside bomb / December 25, 2009.

Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck / age 23 / Moreno Valley, CAL / Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan / December 22, 2009.