Pentagon announces 17 new deaths

WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has identified 17 more deaths associated with the war in Iraq.

Capt. Tristan N. Aitken, 31, of State College, Pa., was killed in action Friday in Iraq. Aitken was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fl., was killed in action April 4. Smith was assigned to the 11th Engineer Battalion, Fort. Stewart, Ga.

Capt. Edward J. Korn, 31, of Savannah, Ga., was killed while he investigated the wreckage of a T-72 tank destroyed by his unit in central Iraq. Korn was assigned to the 64th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Cpl. Erik H. Silva, 22, of Chula Vista, Calif., was killed in action in Iraq April 3. Silva was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis, 29, of Rehobeth, Mass., was killed in action April 4 when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed during combat operations near Ali Aziziyal, Iraq. He was assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Cpl. Mark A. Evnin, 21, Burlington, Vt., was killed in action April 3 during a firefight in central Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Three soldiers were killed when their vehicle fell into a ravine April 4. They were Pfc. Wilfred D. Bellard, 20, of Lake Charles, La.; Spc. Daniel Francis J. Cunningham, 33, Lewiston, Maine; and Pvt. Devon D. Jones, 19, of San Diego, Calif. All three were members of the 41st Artillery Regiment, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Staff Sgt. Wilbert Davis, 40, of Alaska, died April 3 when his vehicle ran off the road into a canal in Iraq. Davis was assigned to the 3rdBattalion, 69th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Pfc. Chad E. Bales, 20, of Coahoma, Texas, was killed on April 3 in a non-hostile vehicle accident during convoy operations east of Ash Shahin, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group. Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The Pentagon released the names of six soldiers killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Iraq April 2. The soldiers were all members of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. They are: -Capt. James F. Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, Va.; Spc. Mathew G. Boule, 22, of Dracut, Mass.; Chief Warrant Officer Erik A. Halvorsen, 40, of Bennington, Vt.; Chief Warrant Officer Scott Jamar, 32, of Granbury, Texas; Sgt. Michael F. Pedersen, 26, of Flint, Mich.; and Chief Warrant Officer Eric A. Smith, 41, of Calif.

Previously confirmed deaths include:

Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, of La Mesa, Calif., who was killed when two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters collided over international waters March 22.

Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, 22, of Roswell, Ga. He was killed in an ambush of the 507th maintenance company on March 23.

Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson, 26, of Durham, N.C., was killed April 2 in a non-hostile accident west of An Nasiriyah, Iraq. Anderson was manning a .50 caliber rifle on top of a 7-ton truck when the vehicle passed under and apparently snagged low-hanging power lines.

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine. Aubin was assigned to the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Aubin died in a CH-46E helicopter crash on March 20 in Kuwait.

Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill., who was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif. Beaupre died in a CH-46E helicopter crash on March 20 in Kuwait.

Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, Ventura, Calif. He was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibious Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was killed in action March 23 near An Nasiriyah, Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, of Wagoner, Okla. He was assigned to the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group-28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Cherry Point, N.C. His unit was engaged in operations on March 24 on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah in Iraq. His remains were recovered on March 28.

Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, Cedar Key, Fla. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Sgt. George E. Buggs, 31, of Barnwell, S.C., was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. Buggs was with the 3rd Division Support Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga. the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Sgt. Jacob L. Butler, 24, of Wellsville, Kan., was killed in action April 1, in As Samawah, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle. Butler was assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, Fort Riley, Kan.

Staff Sgt. James W. Cawley, 41, of Roy, Utah, was killed on March 29 during a firefight with enemy forces. He was hit by a U.S. humvee. He was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, Harrison County, Miss., killed in action on March 21 in a firefight in the oil field in southern Iraq. Childers was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Marine Capt. Aaron J. Contreras, 31, of Sherwood, Ore., was killed on March 30 in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-169, Marine Aircraft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Spc. Michael Edward Curtin, 23, of South Plains, N.J. He was assigned to the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Curtin was killed at a checkpoint by a car bomb on March 29.

Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez Del Solar, 20, of Escondido, Calif. He was assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif. He was killed when a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near An Najaf March 29.

Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, of Cleveland, Ohio. Dowdy was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, of El Paso, Texas. Estrella-Soto was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Master Sgt. George A. Fernandez, 36, El Paso, Texas, was killed in action April 2. He was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, Lee, Fla. He was one of nine Marines killed when a group of Iraqis pretended to surrender but then opened fire on Marines near An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, Orange, Calif. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was killed on March 23 in An Nasiriyah firefight

Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was one of nine Marines killed March 23 near An Nasiriyah when Iraqi troops faked surrender but then opened fire on the Americans.

Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner, 19, of Ohio City, Ohio, died April 2 from a non-combat weapons discharge in southern Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, Los Angeles, killed in action March 21 in southern Iraq. Gutierrez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, of Smithville, Mo., who died in a vehicle accident in Iraq. Hodson was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marine Cpl. Evan T. James, 20, of Hancock, Ill. James had been declared missing in action on March 24, near Saddam Canal; his remains were recovered on March 25.

Army Spc. William A. Jeffries, 39, died in a hospital in Spain March 26 from a sudden illness that came on when he was in Kuwait. He was assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment of the Illinois Army National Guard.

Pfc. Howard Johnson II, 21, of Mobile, Ala. He was killed March 23 when his 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company was ambushed.

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (Fleet Marine Force) Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, of Little Rock, Ark. Johnson was killed in action March 25 in Iraq. He was assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego, 3rd Marine Division Detachment, San Diego.

Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Brazoria, Texas. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was killed March 23 near An Nasiriyah. He was among the nine Marines killed in Iraq Sunday when enemy troops pretending to surrender opened fire.

Spc. James M. Kiehl, 22, of Comfort, Texas. Kiehl was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Sgt. Brad Korthaus, 28, Davenport, Iowa, drowned in canal March 24. He was assigned to Engineering Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, based in Peoria, Ill. His remains were found on March 25.

Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif. Kennedy died in a CH-46E helicopter crash on March 20 in Kuwait.

Sgt. Michael V. Lalush, 23, of Troutville, Va., was killed on March 30 in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in Southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-169, Marine Air Craft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais, 23, of Utah, died April 3 from injuries sustained in combat. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

Spc. Ryan P. Long, 21, died April 3 from injuries sustained in combat. He was assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Maglione, 22, of Lansdale, Pa., died from a "non-combat weapons discharge" April 1 in Kuwait. Maglione was assigned to Bridge Company B, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, based in Folsom, Pa.

Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, of Amarillo, Texas. Villareal Mata was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., 31, of Richmond, Va., of the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez-Flores, 21, of Los Angeles. Martinez-Florez was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Marine Sgt. Brian D. McGinnis, 23, of St. George, Del., died March 30 in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in southern Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-169, Marine Air Craft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, of San Jose, Calif. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, of Nashville, has been reclassified as killed in action from missing. Nixon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. His unit was engaged in operations on March 23 on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah in Iraq. His remains were recovered on March 30.

Spc. Donald S. Oaks Jr., 20, of Erie, Pa., was killed in action in Iraq on April 3. He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Fort Sill, Okla.

Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, of Sonoma, Calif., of the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, of Buffalo, N.Y., who was killed by an accidental discharge of a .50 caliber machine gun in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, Tuba City, Ariz.. Piestewa was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. She was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

2nd Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, Nye, Nev. He was assigned to the Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Sgt. 1st Class Randall S. Rehn, 36, Longmont, Colo., was killed in action April 3. He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Fort Sill, Okla.

Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon, 19, of Conyers, Ga. He was assigned to the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Rincon killed at a checkpoint by a car bomb on March 29.

Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, 27, died April 3 from injuries sustained in combat. He was assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. He was from Colorado.

Sgt. Todd J. Robbins, 33, Pentwater, Mich., was killed in action April 3. He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Fort Sill, Okla.

Marine Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez, 21, of Queens, N.Y., was killed in action on March 27 when the tank he was riding in fell into the Euphrates River during combat operations northwest of An Nasiriyah. His remains were recovered on March 30. He was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, San Diego, Calif. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was killed on March 23 near An Nasiriyah.

Spc. Brandon J. Rowe, 20, of Roscoe, Ill., was killed in action on March 31 in Ayyub, Iraq, by enemy artillery. He was assigned to the C Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, of Indiana. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armore, Fort Stewart, Ga. He died March 24.

Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, who was killed by a grenade when he was sleeping in a tent at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, on March 22. Seifert was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Pvt. Brandon U. Sloan, 19, of Cleveland, Ohio. Sloan was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, age unknown, Adams, Colo. Slocum was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was killed near An Nasiriyah.

Sgt. Roderic A. Solomon, 32, from Fayetteville, N.C., died March 28 when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled off a cliff in a non-hostile accident in Iraq. Solomon was assigned to the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Ga.

Air National Guard Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, of Boise, Idaho, died March 25, from wounds sustained when an American soldier allegedly threw a hand grenade into his tent. Stone was assigned to the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron.

Army Reserve Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19. His hometown was not available. Tobler died in a vehicle accident March 22 in Iraq. Tobler was assigned to the 671st Engineer Brigade, Portland, Ore.

Sgt. Donald R. Walters, 33, of Kansas City, Mo. Walters was killed on or about March 23 when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed in southern Iraq. He was with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, who was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif. Watersbey died in a CH-46E helicopter crash on March 20 in Kuwait.

Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon, 20, of Conyers, Ga. He was assigned to the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Weldon was on of four Americans killed at a checkpoint near An Najaf by a car bomb on March 29.

Sgt. Eugene Williams, 24, of Highland, N.Y. He was assigned to the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Williams was killed at a checkpoint by a car bomb on March 29.

Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, of Yuma, Ariz. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. His unit was engaged in operations on March 23 on the outskirts of An Nasiriyah in Iraq. His remains were recovered on March 28.

Previously confirmed as missing in action:

Sgt. Edward J. Anguiano, 24, of Brownsville, Texas;

Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, of Erie, N.Y.;

Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, of Waterford, Conn.;

Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline Jr., 21, of Washoe, Nev.;

Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 20, of Macon, Ill.;

Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, of Boiling Springs, S.C.;

Previously confirmed prisoners-of-war:

Chief Warrant Officer David S. Williams, 30, of Florida;

Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, of Georgia;

Spc. Edgar Adan Hernandez, 21, of Mission, Texas;

Spc. Joseph Neal Hudson, 23, of Alamogordo, N.M.;