troop deaths

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Afghan Bombing Victim: 'Superman' NYPD Detective

Joseph Lemm 'epitomized the selflessness we can only strive for'

(Newser) - An NYPD detective nicknamed "Superman" was among the victims of the largest attack on foreign troops in Afghanistan since August. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Joseph Lemm, a 15-year NYPD veteran who was on his third tour overseas, was one of six people killed when a suicide bomber on...

6 US Troops Killed in Afghan Suicide Attack

Taliban claims responsibility

(Newser) - Six American troops were killed Monday in a suicide attack near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post , with three Afghan troops reportedly wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was the largest attack on foreign troops in Afghanistan since August. A US Army spokesman said it...

Hidden Crisis: Suicide Among Troops' Grieving Families

New federal study aims to learn more

(Newser) - While military suicides are closely tracked, there's no hard data on suicides by troops' grieving relatives. But conversations with military families point to an "outbreak" of suicides and attempts during the past 11 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We've all had the idea of suicide...

'Enduring Freedom' Claims 2000th US Fatality

Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minnesota, has the grim distinction

(Newser) - "Operation Enduring Freedom" has officially claimed its 2,000th American life, with the death of Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minnesota, yesterday, CNN reports. Baune died in combat, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune , but no other details are available. He had just gotten married in March.

US to North Korea: Help Us Find Fallen Soldiers

Remains of 5,500 servicemen are believed to be located there

(Newser) - The US recovered the remains of some 220 US troops killed in the Korean War when recovery teams were allowed access to North Korea from 1996 to 2005, but the Bush administration then ended the program over fears for the teams’ safety. Now, for the first time in six years,...

Marines: Let Us Wear Memorial KIA Bracelets

Troops frustrated at inconsistent ban

(Newser) - Lance Cpl. Glenn Payne used to wear a bracelet carrying the name of a close friend who was killed in action in Afghanistan—until he was ordered to take it off. Marine Corps policy sees such KIA bracelets as unauthorized jewelry, but the ban on them is enforced inconsistently—and...

A First: No US Deaths in Iraq in August

Iraqi crackdown, US strikes helped

(Newser) - As the US approaches its end-of-year deadline for withdrawing all troops from Iraq, August saw a milestone: It was the first month since the US-led invasion began in March 2003 that saw no American military deaths. The previous record was one soldier death in December 2010, and a military spokesperson...

NATO: Taliban Rocket Likely Downed Helicopter

Officials working to recover every single piece

(Newser) - The helicopter that crashed over the weekend in Afghanistan, killing 30 US troops and eight others, was likely shot down by a Taliban rocket, NATO forces said today. Though the Taliban was quick to claim responsibility, Western officials had been tight-lipped until today's announcement, Reuters notes. The Navy SEALs...

30 US Troops Die in Afghan Chopper Crash

Deadliest incident in decade-old war; Karzai sends condolences

(Newser) - A helicopter crash in Afghanistan's eastern Wardak province has killed 30 US special operation troops and seven Afghan soldiers, Hamid Karzai said today. (The US figure was revised from 31.) It was the highest number of casualties recorded in a single incident in the decade-long war. NATO confirmed...

US Sees Iran's Hand in Iraq Violence

June the deadliest month in two years

(Newser) - June was the deadliest month in two years for US troops in Iraq, with 15 killed in various attacks—and the US thinks Iran is to blame. Military officials think Iran is handing militia groups more sophisticated weapons, like rockets, armor-piercing grenades, and improved jam-resistant roadside bombs, the Washington Post...

2 US Troops Killed in Drone Friendly Fire

Military probing Afghanistan deaths

(Newser) - Two American servicemen were killed in Afghanistan last week in what is believed to be the first case of friendly fire deaths involving a Predator drone. The pair were killed by a Hellfire missile after Marines under fire called in a strike, military officials tell NBC. The Marines were viewing...

6 US Soldiers Killed Near Pakistan Border

Kunar province among Afghanistan's most violent

(Newser) - Six US soldiers were killed during an attack on an insurgent hideout near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The deaths that resulted from the helicopter-driven assault are the latest reminder of the US struggle in the isolated Kunar province. The US has lately shifted its attention...

US Military Awash in Deadly Prescription Drugs

Powerful drug cocktails for stress, depression can be deadly

(Newser) - When Senior Airman Anthony Mena was found dead in his apartment, he had eight prescription medications in his blood, including three antidepressants, a sleeping pill, a sedative, and two powerful painkillers—but it was the combination of those drugs that killed him, not his own hand. The US military's medical...

Troops Suicides Increase
 Military Suicides Jump 

Military Suicides Jump

As many, if not more lost to suicide than combat

(Newser) - Admiral Mike Mullen's ominous prediction of a continuing rash of military suicides looks to be spot on—though suicides in 2010 didn't surpass combat deaths as they did in 2009, they did significantly jump, from 381 to 434, Congress.org reports. But that combined tally of 434 is also a...

US Death Toll in Afghanistan Doubles Over '08
 US Death Toll 
 in Afghanistan 
 Doubles Over '08 
AND LIKELY TO GET WORSE

US Death Toll in Afghanistan Doubles Over '08

310 have died so far; experts think surge will worsen losses

(Newser) - A bomb has killed the 310th US soldier to die in Afghanistan this year, making the total number of 2009 casualties exactly twice that of the 155 lost in 2008. And though this has been the deadliest year of the war for the US, military officials tell the AFP that...

2 US Pilots Die in Iraq Chopper Crash

'Hard landing' north of Baghdad yesterday

(Newser) - A chopper's "hard landing" in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad took the lives of two US pilots yesterday, bringing the total count of Americans killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 to at least 4,361. The military released no further details about the crash, but...

Troops Despair, Question Afghan Mission: Chaplains

'I'm not exactly sure why we're' in Afghanistan, says one

(Newser) - Morale is not good at the Forward Operating Base in Wardak province. Soldiers there are starting to lose hope, base chaplains tell the Times. “They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,” said one, while another described a “sense of futility...

US Soldier Killed in Iraq Blackhawk Crash

Aircraft crashes have become less common in Iraq

(Newser) - An American solider was killed and 12 others were wounded last night when a Blackhawk helicopter crashed at a US base in Iraq, the AP reports. The cause of the crash is unknown and is now under investigation. Air crashes have become less common in Iraq, Reuters says, since the...

US Troop Deaths Pass 5K in Iraq, Afghanistan

Deadliest month so far in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The combined death toll among US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has passed 5,000, USA Today reports. The Pentagon says 4,332 have died in Iraq and 669 in Afghanistan. At least 30 American troops have died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest month in the nearly 8-year-old war,...

US Troop Deaths at New Low
 US Troop Deaths at New Low 

US Troop Deaths at New Low

Fewest troops killed since Iraq war began

(Newser) - The US military lost 467 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, the lowest annual death toll since the Iraq war began in 2003, reports USA Today. But the coming year could be more challenging. Up to 30,000 extra troops are being sent to Afghanistan and upcoming elections...

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