Here's a news story from Yahoo. I just thought I'd post it up here as a reminder/ tribute to the American soldiers who are still fighting and dying for our country in the Mideast. The news focus has kind of shifted away from there recently, so I just wanted to post this story as a tribute to their heroism. All members of the military fighting this battle are very much in my thoughts and heart. Many kisses, hugs, and tons of gratitude to all of you.............

When the 100th U.S. soldier died in combat since President Bush (news - web sites) declared victory in Iraq (news - web sites) nearly six months ago, the grim statistic laid bare how deadly Iraq has become even after the war.


Latest news:
· Islamic nations pledge to fight terrorism, soft-pedal on Iraq, Mideast
AFP - 14 minutes ago
· Four U.S. Military Police Killed in Iraq Attacks
Reuters - 18 minutes ago
· Senate Turns Half of Iraq Aid Into Loans
AP - 19 minutes ago
Special Coverage
 

It also marked the biggest U.S. combat loss in a peacekeeping operation since an ill-fated intervention in the Lebanon conflict 20 years ago. That involvement ended in 1983 after an explosive-laden truck rammed into a U.S. Marines Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 servicemen.


Somalia, Kosovo, Panama, Granada, Afghanistan (news - web sites) and the first Gulf war (news - web sites), in which 147 Americans died, have not taken the overall toll on American lives that the present Iraq conflict has exacted.


As well as the 101 soldiers who have died in combat since the war was formally declared over by Bush on May 1, another 97 have died in so-called non-hostile action -- accidents, friendly fire, illness and suicides.


In the war itself, 115 U.S. troops died in combat and 23 in non-hostile actions, making a total of 336 dead for U.S. forces since they invaded on March 20.


"It's just frustrating. It's not traditional warfare, You've got no known enemy. No military target." said Specialist Joshuah Thompson, 23, with the 720th Military Police Battalionin Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s home town of Tikrit.


"I think the people are ungrateful. They still attack us. We bring them freedom and they're still trying to kill us."


WAYS OF DEATH SIMPLE AND DIRECT


The ways of death are brutally simple and direct, a far cry from the high-tech warfare favored by the United States.


A mortar bomb here, a rocket propelled grenade there, a burst of AK-47 fire -- and most deadly of all -- the dreaded IED or "Improvised Explosive Device," military jargon for a home made bomb.


Hung from a tree, buried by a roadside, detonated by a toy car remote control or a timer, the IED is the most feared of the weapons used by the collection of Saddam loyalists and al Qaeda followers blamed by the U.S. military for the death toll.


"There is not much you can do about them," said Private First Class William Jelks, 19, of Houston, who mans a 50-caliber machinegun on top of a Humvee, a favored vehicle for patrols.


"About all you can do is look for them."


U.S. troops have taken to reinforcing their Humvees with more armor plating but even this is little protection in an IED attack where plastic explosives and mortar bombs are linked in a "daisy chain."


Troops say that attackers rarely worry them with gunfire.


"I haven't seen any gunshot wounds in a long time, maybe two months. The wounds are all these RPGs and shrapnel from IEDs," said Major William Marzullo, El Paso, Texas, senior medical officer for the First Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.


"I wasn't expecting all these home-made bombs."

 


Lt. Col. James Cassella, a Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman, said U.S. troops in Iraq face "a low-intensity conflict" that will last "for some time."

Staff Sergeant Ronnie Stewart, 35, Shreveport, Louisiana, said the mounting casualty toll and particularly the figure of 100 dead was at last bringing home to some troops that the United States was in Iraq for the long haul.

"I can say that the younger soldiers had their minds geared to the end of their tours in Iraq," he said.

"I think they didn't understand that this is an ongoing process. I think for a lot of soldiers it has come as a shock. Reality has just now set in for them." (Additional reporting by Ian Simpson in Iraq, and Will Dunham in Washington)

-- With much love to our proud, brave military--- XXOO Tanya