Three Soldiers Killed, Earlier Casualties Identified

A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier died yesterday when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a roadside southeast of Baghdad.

The soldier’s name is being withheld pending the family’s notification.

In Afghanistan, two coalition soldiers were killed and another two wounded during a roadside bombing and ambush yesterday in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan said.

Coalition forces conducting a combat patrol about 38 kilometers southeast of Methar Lam were engaged with small-arms and machine-gun fire. The enemy ambushed the patrol following the bomb’s explosion, officials said.

The two wounded soldiers are in stable condition at the coalition hospital in Bagram. Names and nationalities of the coalition casualties are being withheld until the families are notified.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense announced the identities of other servicemembers killed recently while supporting the war on terrorism:

* Marine Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson, 21, of Milford, Conn., died Aug. 25 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Plainville, Conn.

* Marine Staff Sgt. Dwayne E. Williams, 28, of Baltimore, Md., and Marine Staff Sgt. Gordon G. Solomon, 35, of Fairborn, Ohio, died Aug. 24 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Williams was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. Solomon was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

* Army Sgt. Jeremy E. King, 23, of Meridian, Idaho, died Aug. 24, in Baghdad, of injuries sustained by enemy forces using small-arms fire during combat operations. King was assigned to the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Army Pfc. William E. Thorne, 26, of Hospers, Iowa, died Aug 24, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations. Thorne was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul J. Darga, 34, of Alpena, Mich., died Aug. 22 when his Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was struck by an improvised explosive device while responding to a previous strike. His unit was conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the Anbar province, Iraq. Darga was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two, serving with the 1st Marine Logistics Group.

* Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Hirlston, 21, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died Aug. 23 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

* Army Spc. Thomas J. Barbieri, 24, of Gaithersburg, Md., died Aug. 23 south of Baghdad, when his patrol encountered enemy forces small-arms fire during combat operations. Barbieri was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
* Army Sgt. Marquees A. Quick, 28, of Hoover Ala., died Aug 19, in Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries suffered while conducting security and observation operations, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using multiple grenades. Quick was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.

* Army Cpl. Jeremiah S. Cole, 26, of Hiawatha, Kan., died in Bermel, Afghanistan, Aug. 16 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Cole was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan and Defense Department news releases.)