U.S. toll in Iraq reaches 4,000: Remembering the fallen

Mike Rosen visits the grave of his friend, Sgt. Michael Carlson, at Arlington National Cemetery. Carlson was killed while fighting in Iraq.

(Win McNamee / Getty Images)

With the death Sunday of the 4,000th U.S. service member in Iraq, Times staffers who have covered the war remember some of the men and women who have lost their lives there.

A Marine photographed reading a letter from home.

A staff sergeant who signed his e-mails "Combat Journalist."

A 20-year-old from Culver City who joked that Tupac Shakur was alive and lying low in Fallouja.

A major who believed in leading from the front, sharing the risks.

For five years, Los Angeles Times correspondents and photographers have traveled with the Americans serving in Iraq. They may not have known these troops well, but they will never forget them.

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March 24, 2008

Air Force Staff Sergeant CHRISTOPHER S. FROST

A proud 'Combat Journalist'

Whenever I'm thundering over Iraq in a helicopter, I think of a colleague who died in a copter crash in Afghanistan years ago, and I pray that my aircraft makes it safely to the landing pad. From now on, I'll also think of Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Frost, who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on March 3, six months after arriving here.

March 24, 2008

Marine Major RAY J. MENDOZA

A natural, he led from the front

Marine Maj. Ray J. Mendoza was a natural leader -- imposing, muscled and confident, yet humble.

March 24, 2008

Marine Lance Corporal GEORGE J. PAYTON

An easygoing youngster

In the first days of the Marine offensive on Fallouja in November 2004, Lance Cpl. George J. Payton of the 3-5 Marines wondered why his unit wasn't getting any action. The next day the unit was in a firefight and he told me he suddenly realized that in war, you could go from boredom to action in a flash.

March 24, 2008

Army Private First Class JACOB T. TRACY

Guarding an odd outpost

On June 16, 2007, Pfc. Jacob T. Tracy was standing guard at one of the oddest outposts in Iraq: an abandoned potato chip factory.

March 24, 2008

Marine Captain PATRICK M. RAPICAULT

Born French, died American

Capt. Patrick M. Rapicault, French by birth, fell in love with America and joined the U.S. military. He spoke in an accent that was a hybrid of French and Southern. His men gave him the affectionate nickname Frenchie.

March 24, 2008

Sgt. 1st Class JOHN W. MARSHALL

A 'lifer' who died a hero

Sgt. 1st Class John W. Marshall was a lifer from family of soldiers -- his father fought in World War II and his mother served in the Women's Army Corps. Marshall made the Army his career, even after taking a four-year leave to overcome Hodgkin's lymphoma.

March 24, 2008

Army Specialist VINCENT J. POMANTE III

Warm, talkative and ready for adventure

When you report on the U.S. military in Iraq, sometimes it seems like half your life is spent waiting for an empty seat on a helicopter or a Humvee that can take you to a story. It's during these long waits that you appreciate good company.

March 24, 2008

Marine Corporal NICHOLAS P. RAPAVI

Setting an example on the battlefield

Marine Cpl. Nicholas P. Rapavi was a short-timer. He was about to finish his second tour of Iraq and was going to leave the Marine Corps. He wanted to go to college and maybe become a doctor.

March 24, 2008

U.S. toll in Iraq reaches 4,000

Four U.S. soldiers were killed when a bomb hit their vehicle in south Baghdad late Sunday, bringing the number of U.S. service members killed in the Iraq war to 4,000.