THEY CAN'T MOVE ON AS IRAQ WAR HITS NEW MILESTONE, FAMILIES GRIEVE.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer Christi Larsen misses hearing her son's voice waft through their Canyon Country home. Bob Slocum misses his son's smile, the window that let his soft heart shine through his tough-guy demeanor. Melanie House misses sitting next to her husband on the couch On the Couch is an Australian television program formally broadcast on the Fox Footy Channel and it focuses on the current issues in the AFL. This is now broadcast on Fox Sports after the closure of Fox Footy Channel. The show airs on Monday night and is hosted by Gerard Healy. , falling asleep next to him each night and raising their 10-month-old son together. On Tuesday, the U.S. lost its 2,000th service member in the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. . To their loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl , the fallen are much more than names on a list. They're husbands and sons, wives and daughters Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. When Mrs Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, it was not quite complete, and the last section was written by Frederick Greenwood. , They are voices that used to call from the next room and lips that used to kiss good night. ``We haven't moved on, and I don't think we ever will,'' said Christi Larsen, whose 19-year-old son, Pfc. Cole Larsen, died in a vehicle accident in Baghdad on Nov. 13, 2004. ``You raise your children to be strong and to be independent thinkers, and when they decide they want to join the military, you just want to wrap them up and put them in a corner and keep them safe. ``My son believed in what he did. He was only 19, but he knew the risks. I support it even more now than before.'' After learning of the 2,000th American death on the radio, Christi Larsen said she planned to spend her Tuesday night the same way she's spent just about every Tuesday night for more than 10 months - in an Internet chat room, talking with the relatives of other fallen American soldiers. ``Usually there are about 10 or 15 of us,'' Larsen said. ``There have been some newcomers lately.'' Members of the Slocum family held a candlelight vigil A candelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest at the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. on Monday for 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Ricky Slocum, who died in a vehicle crash near Abu Ghuraib exactly one year earlier. On Tuesday, Bob Slocum thought about the thousands of families that must endure a year like he's had. ``It just breaks my heart that there's more than one,'' Slocum said. ``My heart's just broken for those 2,000 families. ``I'm a proud dad that my son was doing what he was doing. We'll be forever grateful that he was out there protecting my freedom.'' With thousands of soldiers still in Iraq, many parents still live in fear of that fateful knock on Noun 1. knock on - (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul) rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball the door. Jerry Pennington of Van Nuys said he still remembers flipping back and forth between the Super Bowl and CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. a few years ago, when he saw that a soldier had been killed in Belat, Iraq, the town where his son, Wes, was stationed. ``I went into shock,'' Pennington said. ``I didn't hear from Wes for three days. Finally, he called me and told me there was a mortar attack at 3 a.m.'' Army Cpl. Wes Pennington, now 27, survived the mortar attack with minor wounds and returned home from a year-long tour of duty, but he has orders to return to Iraq next month for another one-year tour. ``I'm scared to death,'' Jerry Pennington said. ``You try not to watch TV, because you don't want to see what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. . You don't want to answer the phone. You're constantly looking out your window for two soldiers to walk up to your front door. < ``It's an ongoing fear. It never goes away.'' Melanie House remembers when the soldiers came to her door last Jan. 26. She was holding her 4-week-old son when she opened her front door to find five uniformed soldiers. ``There's no need to explain why they're there,'' said House, who lost her 28-year-old husband, Petty Officer 3rd Class John D. House. ``When these people come to your door, you know why they're there. It's every military wife's nightmare.'' In the nine months since her husband's death, House has become an avid anti-war activist. She held a candlelight vigil in support of Cindy Sheehan Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan (born July 10, 1957) is an American anti-war activist, whose son, Casey Sheehan, was killed during his service in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004, aged 24. in August, and she's planning another vigil tonight in honor of the 2,000 fallen soldiers. ``Two thousand isn't just a number,'' House said. ``My family, my son, myself, we'll never be the same because we lost John. It's important to ask the question, how many more? Are we going to reach 3,000? 4,000? Who knows?'' Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 713-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com FALLEN LOS ANGELES-ARES TROOPS With the number of casualties now at 2,000, the Daily News salutes all military personnel from the Los Angeles-area killed during Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM Pvt. Elijah M. Ortega, 19, of Oxnard, died Sept. 26 of a nonhostile gunshot wound at Camp Baharia, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a period of 60 days. , Camp Lejeune Camp LeJeune (ləzh  n`), U.S. marine corps base, 82,969 acres (33,576 hectares), SE N.C., SE of Jacksonville; est. 1941. , N.C. Sgt. Milton M. Monzon Jr., 21, of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , died July 24 when a bomb detonated in Baghdad. He was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment An armored cavalry regiment (ACR) is a regiment of the United States Army or United States National Guard organized for the specific purposes of reconnaissance, surveillance, and security. , Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army installation and a Census Designated Place located immediately south of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and just north of Pueblo, Colorado in Pueblo County Colorado. , Colo. Cpl. Carlos Pineda, 23, Los Angeles, died June 24 in combat in Fallujah. He was assigned to 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Pfc. Veashna Muy, 20, of Los Angeles, died June 23 in an attack by a suicide bomber in Fallujah. He was assigned to 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Lance Cpl. Dion M. Whitley, 21, of Los Angeles, died June 15 when a bomb detonated near Ar Ramadi. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. , Camp Pendleton. Staff Sgt. Juan De Dios Garcia-Arana, 27, of Los Angeles, died April 30, in an attack in Khaladiyah. He was assigned to 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Weapons and equipment for actively combating air targets from the ground. Also called ADA. Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Hovey, Korea. Lance Cpl. Juan C. Venegas, 21, of Simi Valley, died April 7 in a vehicle accident in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms. Pfc. Kevin M. Luna, 26, of Oxnard, died Jan. 27 of noncombat-related injuries in Muqdadiyah. Luna was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany. Petty Officer 3rd Class John D. House, 28, of Ventura, died Jan. 26, in a helicopter crash near Ar Rutbah, Iraq. He was assigned to Naval Medical Clinic Hawaii, Marine Corps Units Detachment, Pearl Harbor. Cpl. Ian W. Stewart, 21, of Lake Hughes, died Dec. 12, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Sgt. Trinidad R. Martinezluis, 22, of Los Angeles, died Nov. 28, 2004, in combat in Baqubah. He was assigned to 201st Forward Support Battalion A Forward Support Battalion was an Army of Excellence unit designed to support a Brigade. It was composed of:
Lance Cpl. Luis A. Figueroa, 21, of Los Angeles, died Nov. 18, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Pfc. Jose Ricardo Flores-Mejia, 21, of Santa Clarita, died Nov. 16, 2004, when a bomb detonated in Mosul. He was assigned to 25th Transportation Company, Schofield Barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. , Hawaii. Lance Cpl. George J. Payton, 20, of Culver City, died Nov. 14, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Pfc. Cole W. Larsen, 19, of Canyon Country, died Nov. 13, 2004, in vehicle accident in Baghdad. Larson was assigned to 272nd Military Police Company, 21st Theater Support Command, Mannheim, Germany. Lance Cpl. Victor R. Lu, 22, of Los Angeles, died Nov. 13, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. Lu was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, of Saugus, died Oct. 24, 2004, in a noncombat-related vehicle accident near Abu Gharib. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force The III Marine Expeditionary Force, is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps that is forward-deployed and able to deploy rapidly and conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to amphibious assault and high , Marine Corps Base, Hawaii. Sgt. Edgar E. Lopez, 27, of Los Angeles, died Aug. 28, 2004, in combat in Babil Province. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit A Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) that is constructed around an infantry battalion reinforced, a helicopter squadron reinforced, and a task-organized combat service support element. It normally fulfills Marine Corps forward sea-based deployment requirements. , II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Spc. Omead H. Razani, 19, of Los Angeles, died Aug. 27, 2004, of noncombat-related injuries in Habbaniyah, He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Greaves greaves cracklings, an edible raw fat from the meat trade. The skimmings from the preparation of this fat are also called greaves. They represent a low grade of meat meal. , Korea. Pfc. Geoffrey Perez, 24, of Los Angeles, died Aug. 15, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Cpl. Roberto Abad, 22, of Los Angeles, died on Aug. 6, 2004, in combat in An Najaf Province. He was assigned to Battalion Landing Team In an amphibious operation, an infantry battalion normally reinforced by necessary combat and service elements; the basic unit for planning an assault landing. Also called BLT. 1/4, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Spc. Armando Hernandez, 22, of Hesperia, died Aug. 1, 2004, when a bomb detonated in Samarra. He was assigned to the Army's 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. Lance Cpl. Benjamin R. Gonzalez, 23, of Los Angeles, died May 29, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Sgt. Marvin R. Sprayberry III, 24, of Tehachapi, died May 3, 2004, in a military-vehicle accident in Balad. He was assigned to the 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany. Staff Sgt. Abraham D. Penamedina, 32, of Los Angeles, died April 27, 2004, in a sniper attack in Baghdad. He was assigned to Company B, 20th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Cpl. Christopher A. Gibson, 23, of Simi Valley, died April 22, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, at Twentynine Palms. Sgt. Brian M. Wood, 21, of Torrance, died April 16, 2004, when a bomb detonated near Tikrit. He was assigned to the Army's 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branched maneuver brigade, and its attached support and fire units. , 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. Pfc. Eric A. Ayon, 26, of Arleta, died April 9, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Staff Sgt. Allan K. Walker, 28, of Lancaster, died April 6, 2004, in combat in Al Anbar Province. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton. Lance Cpl. Donald Cline, 21, a native of La Crescenta, died March 23, 2004, in combat near Al Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine regiment of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade A Marine air-ground task force that is constructed around a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite Marine aircraft group, and a brigade service support group. The Marine expeditionary brigade (MEB), commanded by a general officer, is task-organized to meet the requirements of a based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Spc. Christopher K. Hill, 26, of Ventura, died March 11, 2004, when a bomb detonated in Fallujah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kan. Spc. Michael A. Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, was killed Jan. 8, 2004, in a helicopter crash near Fallujah. He was assigned to the 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance air ambulance Emergency medicine A helicopter or, less commonly, a fixed wing aircraft, used to evacuate a person who requires immediate medical attention that cannot be provided at his/her current location ), based in Fort Carson, Colo. Cpl. Evan Asa Ashcraft, 24, West Hills, died July 24, 2003, when his convoy was attacked. He was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. Sgt. 1st Class John W. Marshall John W. Marshall is currently Secretary of Public Safety in the Cabinet of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, and was reappointed to the post in January, 2006, after serving in the Cabinet of Governor Mark Warner since January, 2002. , 50, Los Angeles, was killed in combat sometime between April 12 and April 17, 2003. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Chief Warrant Officer Eric A. Smith, 41, of California died April 6, 2003, when his UH-60 Black Hawk For other uses of Blackhawk/Black Hawk, see Black Hawk. The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a medium-lift utility or assault helicopter derived from the twin-turboshaft engine, single rotor Sikorsky S-70. helicopter crashed in central Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield Hunter Army Airfield (IATA: SVN, ICAO: KSVN), along with Fort Stewart, is a military complex located near Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is the home of the 3rd Infantry Division of the United States Army. , Ga. Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the , 21, of Los Angeles, was killed in combat on March 27, 2003, near the Euphrates River. He was assigned to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, of Ventura, died March 23, 2003, in combat near An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibious Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles, died March 23 near An Nasiriyah. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles, died March 21, 2003, in combat in Southern Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton. OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFGHANISTAN) Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sean M. Corlew, 37, of Thousand Oaks, died June 12, 2002, in a plane crash in Paktika Province. He was assigned to the Air Force's 16th Special Operations Wing An Air Force special operations wing. Also called SOW. , Hurlburt Field, Florida. Air Force Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham was a United States Air Force pararescueman who was killed in action on March 4, 2002 while taking part in Operation Anaconda during the US war in Afghanistan. , 26, of Camarillo, died March 4, 2002, in combat in eastern Afghanistan. Army Staff Sgt. Brian C. Prosser, 28, of Frazier Park, died Dec. 5, 2001, in combat in Afghanistan. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Defense and State of California CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: Christi and Ballard Larsen sit in the living room of their Canyon Country home with a portrait of their son, Army Pfc. Cole Larsen, who died in Iraq a year ago. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Box: (1 -- page 1) 2,000 - As we reach a milestone in the Iraq war, we honor the members of the U.S. military who gave their for freedom. (2 -- page 9) FALLEN LOS ANGELES-ARES TROOPS (see text) |
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