Articles 3.4.2005

The Chicago Tribune (reg req'd) has an article on Staff Sgt. Alexander Crackel, of the 1-9th, who was killed on 2.24.2005 in Iraq. His father said he died "when a bomb exploded near the Kuwait and Iraq border where he was serving." Although his family lives in Aurora, IL, SSG Crackel spent several years in England, including graduating from High School. He is survived by a wife and 7-year-old daughter, who live in England. He joined the Army at the age of 24, following his father and brother into the military. He was 31 years old.
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The Colorado Springs Gazette has an article on the memorial service at Ft. Carson for 6 fallen soldiers of the 2-17th Field Artillery. Fellow soldiers eulogized Pfc. Stephen P. Downing, Pvt. Jeungjin N. Kim, Spc. Bradley S. Beard, Cpt. Eric Allton, Spc. Christopher Merville, and Sgt. Maurice Keith Fortune. The sister of Spc. Beard sang a song she wrote for her brother at the ceremony.
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The Havasu City, AZ, News-Herald carries an article on a wounded 2nd BCT soldier. Pfc. Nicholas Herrman, who's unit wasn't given beyond the 2nd ID but is likely the 1-503rd, received a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds and a broken femur from an IED explosion in Ramadi on 1.17.2005. It was the same explosion in which Staff Sgt. Thomas Vitagliano and Pfc. George Geer were killed. The blast also injured Pfc. Derrick Hardin. Two Iraqis exited a car near their patrol, started to walk away, and then ran when the car exploded. ""It took out the whole courtyard and buried me under the rubble," said Pfc. Herrman. "I remember lying there, feeling kind of paralyzed." Fellow soldiers stabalized him, including controlling bleeding from an artery, and he was carried to a transport vehicle and evacuated to a field surgical hospital. Pfc. Herrman will return to Ft. Carson to continue rehabilitation, and expects a full recovery after 9 months of therapy. Friends of his family are organizing a benefit dinner at a local Moose Lodge to help raise funds to cover the expenses the family incurred to be at his side at Walter Reed Hospital. In a related note, Pfc. Herrman is from the same hometown as Cpl. Robert A. Bell, who suffered bullet wounds in Ramadi in Nov 2004 and is presently recovering at Ft. Carson.
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A Multi-National Force Iraq news release indicates that Marines and Soldiers "detained 26 insurgents and seized several weapons caches during operations throughout Al Anbar province during the last 24 hours."
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Al Jazeera reports on clashes in Ramadi: "In a separate incident in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, a US armoured vehicle was targeted by an explosive device after clashes erupted between anti-US fighters and American soldiers. According to reports, extensive damage was done to property but no one was killed."
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The Phillipine Daily Inquirer and Phillipine Star have articles on the 60th anniversary of liberation of Corregidor Island in the Phillipines by U.S. forces including the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team.
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A Mother Jones correspondant describes the difficulty of finding travel to the Anbar Province to cover Operation River Blitz. Apparently he was trying to travel with Iraqi civilians and not the military. He reported that "No one wants to take me, they just keep talking about it being too dangerous for westerners and how those cities are going to look like Falluja pretty soon."
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Other articles from the region:
- Knight Ridder News: Syria under pressure to improve security on border with Iraq
- Knight Ridder News: U.S. troops are making progress training Iraqi forces
- LA Times (reg req'd): Army Recruiting Goal Falls Short
- NY Times (reg req'd): Army Officials Voice Concern Over Shortfall in Recruitment
- NY Times (reg req'd): American Jails in Iraq Are Bursting With Detainees
- Washington Post (reg req'd): Insurgents Continue to Target Security Forces
- USA Today: Key Iraq wound: Brain trauma
- USA Today: Brain injuries range from loss of coordination to loss of self