Three Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Previous Casualties Identified

American Forces Press Service
May 18, 2007 – Three U.S. soldiers died and one was wounded yesterday when a roadside bomb struck their patrol south of Baghdad, military officials reported, and the Defense Department has identified 12 previous casualties.

The deceased soldiers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Meanwhile, the Defense Department released the identities of 10 Army soldiers, one airman and one Marine killed recently during U.S. operations abroad.

-- Army Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Whitaker, 23, of Long Beach, Calif., died May 15 during combat in Qalat, Afghanistan. Whitaker was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

-- Army Maj. Larry J. Bauguess Jr., 36, of Moravian Falls, N.C., died May 14 during combat in Teri Mengel, Pakistan. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

-- Army Sgt. Allen J. Dunckley, 25, of Yardley, Pa.; and Army Sgt. Christopher N. Gonzalez, 25, of Winslow, Ariz., died May 14 during combat in Salman Pak, Iraq. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

-- Air Force Staff Sgt. John T. Self, 29, of Pontotoc, Miss., died May 14 as result of enemy action near Baghdad. He was assigned to the 314th Security Forces Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

-- Army Sgt. Thomas G. Wright, 38, of Holly, Mich., died May 14 en route to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, from a non-combat related illness he developed while serving at Balad, Iraq. Wright was assigned to the 46th Military Police Company, 210th Military Police Battalion, Kingsford, Mich. -

- Army Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge, 20, of Rome City, Ind., died May 14 during combat in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

-- Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffrey D. Walker, 21, of Macon, Ga., died May 14 during combat in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

-- Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn.;
Army Cpl. Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, Va.; and
Army Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Nashville, Mich., died May 12 during combat in Taqa, Iraq. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

-- Army Pfc. Zachary R. Gullett, 20, of Hillsboro, Ohio, died May 1 in Baghdad in a non combat-related incident. His death is under investigation. Gullett was assigned to the 984th Military Police Company, 759th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Defense Department news releases.)