Military deaths

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

Aaron M. Arthur, 25, of Lake City, S.C.; sergeant, Army. Arthur was one of two soldiers killed Monday when their vehicle overturned north of Kut, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Lakeshia M. Bailey, 23, of Columbus, Ga.; specialist, Army. Bailey was one of two soldiers killed Monday when their vehicle overturned north of Kut, Iraq, south of Baghdad. She was assigned to the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Nicholas S. Cook, 19, of Hungry Horse, Mont.; private, Army. Cook was killed March 7 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Camp Ederle, Italy.

Alan N. Dikcis, 21, of Niagara Falls, N.Y.; specialist, Army. Dikcis was killed March 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle outside the town of Marja in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 630th Engineer Company (Clearance), 7th Engineer Battalion (Combat Effects), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat) (Airborne) at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Garrett W. Gamble, 20, of Sugarland, Texas; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Gamble was killed in combat Thursday in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Jason M. Kropat, 25, of White Lake, N.Y.; private first class, Army. Kropat was one of two soldiers killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing inside the joint U.S.-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan’s Khowst province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Jonathan J. Richardson, 24, of Bald Knob, Ark., sergeant, Army. Richardson was one of two soldiers killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing inside the joint U.S.-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan’s Khowst province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

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