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Three Fort Lewis soldiers die in separate incidents

May-23-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

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By Matt Misterek; The News Tribune

MOSUL, Iraq – Three soldiers based out of Fort Lewis were killed in a pair of enemy attacks that occurred early Sunday morning, Stryker Brigade officials confirmed.

One member of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division was shot to death by insurgents while he was helping clear a house during a search. One assailant was killed at the scene; a second person was injured and detained.

Another Stryker soldier died and two others were wounded on an overnight mission when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. One of the men was gravely injured and died Sunday night.

The names of the three soldiers, and the battalions or companies to which they belong, were being withheld until next of kin could be notified. The phone lines and Internet stations around Forward Operating Marez were shut down all day Sunday and early Monday morning to keep soldiers from spreading the news before the Army could properly release it. [...]

The month of May had seen a reduced level of daily activity against U.S. forces even as insurgents stepped up their campaign of violence against civilian targets. On Sunday, four Iraqi civilians were injured in a suicide car bombing in North Mosul, according to a spokesman for Task Force Freedom, which oversees all coalition operations in Northern Iraq.

But the vulnerability of American troops was not lost on Capt. Donald Carrothers Sunday night as he led a chapel prayer for the dead soldiers and their families.

“We truly know that every day is a gift from you,” the chaplain prayed, “ and we cannot presume upon tomorrow.”

Matt Misterek: mtmisterek@hotmail.com


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