Five U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq; DoD Identifies Recent Casualties

Three Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers died after a roadside bomb exploded near the vehicle they were riding in north of Baghdad today, military officials reported.

A soldier assigned to 2nd Battalion 28th Brigade Combat Team died yesterday from wounds suffered from enemy action April 9 in Anbar province, officials announced today.

They also announced today a soldier from the 130th Engineer Brigade was killed April 9 when his combat patrol struck a roadside bomb near Balad. Another soldier was wounded and was taken to a military medical treatment facility, officials added. They provided no report on the wounded soldier's condition.

The soldiers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department has identified three soldiers and a Marine who died recently in Iraq:

• Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory S. Rogers, 42, of Cincinnati, died in Ramadi on April 9 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during a convoy. Rogers was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
• Army Pfc. Joseph I. Love, 22, of North Pole, Alaska, died in Balad on April 9 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during a convoy. Love was assigned to the 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 8th Sustainment Command (Theater), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
• Army Pvt. Jody W. Missildine, 19, of Plant City, Fla., died in Tal Afar on April 8 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee during a convoy. Missildine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
• Marine Lance Cpl. Juana Navarro Arellano, 24, of Ceres, Calif., died April 8 from wounds received while supporting combat operations in Anbar province. Arellano was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Defense Department news releases.)