Military Deaths

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq:

Howard P. Allen, 31, of Mesa, Ariz.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Allen was killed Monday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 860th Military Police Company, Army National Guard in Phoenix.

Daniel L. Arnold, 27, of Montrose, Pa.; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. Arnold was among five guardsmen killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device struck their Bradley fighting vehicle while on a routine patrol to provide security for the construction of a railroad bridge in Ramadi, Iraq. The vehicle was then attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, setting it ablaze. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in New Milford, Pa.

Tane T. Baum, 30, of Pendleton, Ore.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Baum was among five soldiers killed Sept. 25 when their Chinook helicopter crashed in a remote, mountainous area southwest of the village of Dai Chopan in southeastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 113th Aviation Regiment, Army National Guard in Pendleton, Ore.

Jason A. Benford, 30, of Toledo, Ohio; staff sergeant, Army. Benford was killed Tuesday when a sniper shot him while he was on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Oliver J. Brown, 19, of Carbondale, Pa.; private first class, Army National Guard. Brown was among five guardsmen killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device struck their Bradley fighting vehicle while on a routine patrol to provide security for the construction of a railroad bridge in Ramadi, Iraq. The vehicle was then attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, setting it ablaze. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in New Milford, Pa.

Andrew J. Derrick, 25, of Columbia, S.C.; sergeant, Army. Derrick was killed Sept. 23 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Brian E. Dunlap, 34, of Vista, Calif.; sergeant, Marine Corps Reserve. Dunlap was killed Sept. 24 when an improvised explosive device detonated near him in Taqaddum, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Corps Reserve in Los Alamitos, Calif. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

John M. Flynn, 36, of Sparks, Nev.; chief warrant officer, Army National Guard. Flynn was among five soldiers killed Sept. 25 when their Chinook helicopter crashed in a remote, mountainous area southwest of the village of Dai Chopan in southeastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 113th Aviation Regiment, Army National Guard in Stead, Nev.

Shawn A. Graham, 34, of Red Oak, Texas; sergeant, Army National Guard. Graham died Sept. 25 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered earlier that day when the vehicle in which he was riding rolled over in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in Fort Worth.

Casey E. Howe, 32, of Smiths Creek, Mich.; sergeant first class, Army. Howe was one of two soldiers who died Monday in Baghdad of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee in Rustimayah, Iraq, near Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 314th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 78th Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Elizabeth N. Jacobson, 21, of Riviera Beach, Fla.; airman first class, Air Force. Jacobson was killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated near her convoy vehicle at Camp Bucca near the Kuwaiti border in southern Iraq. She was assigned to the 17th Security Forces Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas.

Kevin M. Jones, 21, of Washington, N.C.; specialist, Army. Jones was killed Sept. 22 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Taqaddum, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 181st Transportation Battalion, 7th Corps Support Group, 3rd Corps Support Command in Mannheim, Germany.

Robert D. Macrum, 22, of Sugarland, Texas; seaman apprentice, Navy. Macrum was lost at sea while his San Diego-based ship was deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was last seen the evening of Sept. 12 aboard the guided missile cruiser Princeton, which was conducting maritime security operations as part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. Navy officials called off a search for Macrum on Sept. 17.

Steve Morin Jr., 34, of Arlington, Texas; sergeant, Army National Guard. Morin was killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated and overturned the Humvee in which he was riding near Umm al Qasr in southern Iraq. He was assigned to the 111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Paul C. Neubauer, 40, of Oceanside, Calif.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Neubauer was one of two guardsmen killed when their armored Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device Sept. 23 in southeast Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Army National Guard in Oakdale, Calif.

Elijah M. Ortega, 19, of Oxnard; private, Marine Corps. Ortega died Monday of a nonhostile gunshot wound at Camp Baharia, Iraq, near Fallouja. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

George A. Pugliese, 39, of Carbondale, Pa.; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. Pugliese was among five guardsmen killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device struck their Bradley fighting vehicle while on a routine patrol to provide security for the construction of a railroad bridge in Ramadi, Iraq. The vehicle was then attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, setting it ablaze. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in New Milford, Pa.

Kenneth G. Ross, 24, of Peoria, Ariz.; sergeant, Army. Ross was among five soldiers killed Sept. 25 when their Chinook helicopter crashed in a remote, mountainous area southwest of the village of Dai Chopan in southeastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment in Giebelstadt, Germany.

Eric W. Slebodnik, 21, of Greenfield Township, Pa.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Slebodnik was among five guardsmen killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device struck their Bradley fighting vehicle while on a routine patrol to provide security for the construction of a railroad bridge in Ramadi, Iraq. The vehicle was then attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, setting it ablaze. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in New Milford, Pa.

Mike T. Sonoda Jr., 34, of Fallbrook, Calif.; specialist, Army National Guard. Sonoda died Sept. 22 of injuries suffered the previous day when an improvised explosive device detonated near his armored personnel carrier in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard in Fullerton.

Patrick D. Stewart, 35, of Fernley, Nev.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Stewart was among five soldiers killed Sept. 25 when their Chinook helicopter crashed in a remote, mountainous area southwest of the village of Dai Chopan in southeastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 113th Aviation Regiment, Army National Guard in Stead, Nev.

Adrian B. Stump, 22, of Pendleton, Ore.; warrant officer, Army National Guard. Stump was among five soldiers killed Sept. 25 when their Chinook helicopter crashed in a remote, mountainous area southwest of the village of Dai Chopan in southeastern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 113th Aviation Regiment, Army National Guard in Pendleton, Ore.

Tulsa T. Tuliau, 33, of Watertown, N.Y.; master sergeant, Army. Tuliau was one of two soldiers who died Monday in Baghdad of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee in Rustimayah, Iraq, near Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 314th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 78th Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Steven A. Valdez, 20, of McRea, Ark.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Valdez was killed Monday by enemy mortar fire at Camp Blessing in Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Andrew P. Wallace, 25, of Oshkosh, Wis.; sergeant, Army National Guard. Wallace was one of two guardsmen killed Monday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee and they also were attacked with small-arms fire near Shaibah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade, Army National Guard in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Michael J. Wendling, 20, of Mayville, Wis.; specialist, Army National Guard. Wendling was one of two guardsmen killed Monday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee and they also were attacked with small-arms fire near Shaibah, Iraq, west of Basra. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade, Army National Guard in Fond du Lac, Wis.

Lee A. Wiegand, 20, of Hallstead, Pa.; specialist, Army National Guard. Wiegand was among five guardsmen killed Wednesday when an improvised explosive device struck their Bradley fighting vehicle while on a routine patrol to provide security for the construction of a railroad bridge in Ramadi, Iraq. The vehicle was then attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, setting it ablaze. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army National Guard in New Milford, Pa.

Robert F. White, 34, of Cross Lanes, W.Va.; staff sergeant, Army. White was killed Monday when his mounted patrol was attacked with small-arms fire west of Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Sources: Department of Defense, Times staff reports and Associated Press