Iraq war

August 04, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole, 34, of American Canyon, California, died Aug. 2 in Bayji, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident.

She was assigned to the 426th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

August 04, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Andre D. Mitchell, 25, of Elmont, New York, died July 31 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

August 04, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, of Steelville, Missouri, died Aug. 2 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident.

He was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Group Support Battalion, Group Service Support Company, Fort Carson, Colo.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

July 31, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. James A. McHale, 31, of Fairfield, Montana, died July 30 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered July 22 in Diyala Province, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

He was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.

Source: DOD

July 30, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Faoa L. Apineru, 31, of Yorba Linda, California, died July 2, 2007, from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters Company, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve.

Staff Sgt. Apineru was wounded on May 15, 2005. After his death on July 2, 2007, the initial medical examiner concluded that Apineru did not die from injuries sustained during his deployment, but a subsequent opinion by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology indicated that his death was a result of his injuries sustained in Iraq.

Source: DOD

July 21, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre, 28, of Lockport, Louisiana, died July 15 from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Source: DOD

July 18, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Aviation Boatswain Mate Third Class Petty officer Daniel R. Verbeke, 25, of Exton, Pennsylvania, died July 14 in Paoli, Penn. of complications from injuries he suffered in a flight deck accident in December 2005 while serving aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, CVN-71.

Source: DOD

July 18, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Washington, died of natural causes July 17 at Balad Air Base, Iraq.

She was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

Source: DOD

July 17, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson, 20, of Newton, New Jersey, died July 13 from a non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Source: DOD

July 17, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. David W. Textor, 27, of Roanoke, Virginia, died Jul 15 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a vehicle incident.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Wash.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

July 16, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, 28, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died Jul 15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated while his unit was conducting combat operations in Kn'an, Iraq.

He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.

Source: DOD

Current military health insurance denies access to proven therapies

August 5, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill this week asked the Department of Defense to expand health care coverage for the nearly 20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who may be suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). McCaskill and nine of her Senate colleagues are urging Secretary Robert Gates to expand TRICARE, the military’s health insurance program, to include cognitive rehabilitation therapy, a proven treatment for TBI which is currently excluded from the insurance policy.    » read more »

August 5, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and senior Committee Member John Warner, R-Va., today announced the release of a report [PDF] by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailing annual Iraqi oil revenues and Iraqi government contributions to security and reconstruction efforts in the country. This report was requested by the Senators in a March 6th letter to the Comptroller General.    » read more »

05 August 2008 -- Iraqi lawmakers failed again Tuesday to resolve a dispute about power-sharing proposals for the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Khalid al-Attiya told reporters they postponed a vote on the draft local elections law, scheduled for today, to Wednesday.

He said lawmakers are considering a United Nations proposal that calls for holding local elections across the country, but leaves Kirkuk's elections for a later date.

Iraq's parliament has been debating a draft local elections law that would allocate seats in Kirkuk's provincial council equally among its ethnic groups - Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen. Iraqi Kurds and their allies want to keep their majority in the assembly.    » read more »

August 1, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Bob Casey (D-PA), George Voinovich (R-OH) and Jim Webb (D-VA) today introduced legislation which prohibits the Bush Administration from entering into a binding security agreement without the approval of Congress.    » read more »