It has been seven years since the invasion of Iraq. It is hard to believe that this war has gone on for this long, and it stll seems like there is no end in sight. I was having a meeting with a colleague yesterday and we spoke of the war, and how it has impacted our lives…and we came to the conclusion, that for most of us, it really hasn’t. For many of us, we are gonna go catch Alice In The Wonderland in 3D tonight, grab some dinner and hit a bar with some friends afterwards. Most likely gonna talk about Sandra Bullock or how good the Syracuse basketball team, or maybe even health care…but I can bet that most of us will not talk about the seven years we have been at war in Iraq or the eight and a half years in Afghanistan.
Well, I hope you will take 5 minutes of your day to read through the names of the young men and women who have died in the past 20 days in Iraq and Afghanistan. And not one of them is older than 30. Let us not forget them.
Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson
Hometown:Bald Knob, Arkansas, U.S.
Age:24 years old
Died:March 9, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit:Army, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Died in Khowst province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using small-arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
Pfc. Jason M. Kropat
Hometown:White Lake, New York, U.S.
Age:25 years old
Died:March 9, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit:Army, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Died in Khowst province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using small-arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
Sgt. Aaron M. Arthur
Hometown:Lake City, South Carolina, U.S.
Age:25 years old
Died:March 8, 2010 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit:Army, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Incident: Died north of Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.
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Spec. Lakeshia M. Bailey
Hometown:Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Age:23 years old
Died:March 8, 2010 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit:Army, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Incident: Died north of Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.
Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen
Hometown:Orem, Utah, U.S.
Age:21 years old
Died:March 4, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit:Marines, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incident: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Spec. Anthony A. Paci
Hometown:Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
Age:30 years old
Died:March 4, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit:Army, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Incident: Died a
