Joe A. Narvaez, 25,

of San Antonio; staff sergeant, Army. Narvaez was killed by a sniper Monday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Mario Nelson, 26,

of Brooklyn, N.Y.; sergeant, Army. Nelson was killed Oct. 1 when a rocket-propelled grenade detonated near his vehicle in Hit, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany.

Scott E. Nisely, 48,

of Marshalltown, Iowa; staff sergeant, Army National Guard. Nisely was one of two soldiers killed Sept. 30 when their unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Al Asad, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, Army National Guard in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Michael K. Oremus, 21,

of Highland, N.Y.; private first class, Army. Oremus was killed by a sniper Monday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 57th Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade in Seoul, South Korea.

Joseph W. Perry, 23,

of Alpine, Calif.; sergeant, Army. Perry was killed Monday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire while on vehicle patrol in Muhallah, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 21st Military Police Company, 16th Military Police Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Justin D. Peterson, 32,

of Davisburg, Mich.; captain, Marine Corps. Peterson was killed Oct. 1 in a nonhostile vehicle accident in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

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Jonathan Rojas, 27,

of Hammond, Ind.; staff sergeant, Army. Rojas was killed by a sniper Tuesday in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska.

Benjamin S. Rosales, 20,

of Houston; corporal, Marine Corps. Rosales was one of two Marines killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near them in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Aaron L. Seal, 23,

of Elkhart, Ind.; corporal, Marine Corps Reserve. Seal was killed by a sniper Oct. 1 in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Corps Reserve in South Bend, Ind.

Kampha B. Sourivong, 20,

of Iowa City, Iowa; specialist, Army National Guard. Sourivong was one of two soldiers killed Sept. 30 when their unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Al Asad, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, Army National Guard in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Angelo J. Vaccaro, 23,

of Deltona, Fla.; specialist, Army. Vaccaro was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade Tuesday while trying to rescue fellow soldiers wounded in an ambush near Korengal in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Robert F. Weber, 22,

of Cincinnati; specialist, Army. Weber was killed Sept. 30 when his Humvee hit an embankment and overturned south of Mosul, Iraq, northwest of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, 25,

Garden Grove, CA; Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor told his family in Garden Grove before he went to Iraq that he knew the dangers of war but he believed in himself and others on his SEAL team, who were like brothers to him.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, 25, was killed in combat Sept. 29 in Ramadi, Iraq, west of Baghdad. Not much is known of the circumstances surrounding his death, family members said.

Last week, family members spoke of his life and military duty, including his dedication to becoming a SEAL, a goal he achieved after initially dropping out of the training course. "Michael had a broken heel and he still had to pass more physical tests," his brother said. "He was running hard in sand and the pain mounted, but he told himself, 'Don't pass out, I can't pass out.' But he couldn't continue. "He rang the bell," his brother said, a signal that a trainee has quit the program.

Michael Monsoor stayed in the Navy and waited for another chance. He was assigned to Europe for two years, and when his mother, Sally, visited him in Italy, she said she found him focused, "working out, swimming and running," so he could reenter the SEAL program. For Monsoor, it was his chance to join one of the nation's elite forces, she said, adding that when he finally graduated, it was her son's and the family's proudest moment.

The 25-week Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in Coronado, Calif., is one of the most grueling training programs in the military, and the dropout rate exceeds 50%. As one of the U.S. military's most elite and secretive fighting units, the SEALs almost never reveal their missions to the public, even long after completion.

In August, when the Pentagon announced the death of Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Alan Lee, who was the first SEAL to die in the Iraq war, it was the first recognition that the SEALS are involved in the battle to wrest Ramadi from insurgent control.

The loss has shaken the proud Marine family -- Michael's father, George Monsoor, and older brother, Jim, 27, are both former Marines -- which has sought solace in knowing that Michael did not die in vain. In addition to his parents and brothers, Monsoor is survived by a sister, Sara Fernandez of Anaheim; and nieces and nephews.

NOTE: A few of the above casualties occurred when hit by Iraqi snipers -- a big problem for our military in Iraq.

Below is a video clip of an infamous insurgent sniper named "Juba" showing where they taped a few of his shootings of different U.S. soldiers(dated November 4, 2004). If showing these deaths bothers some of you, don't click on the video.

Below is a link to a video showing an IED attack on a Humvee in Ramadi, Iraq on September 30, 2006.

Bring the troops home from Iraq, or triple the number there so they can actually accomplish their mission. The current situation is the worst of all worlds. They are sitting ducks being murdered on a daily basis for absolutely no good reason.

" triple the number there so they can actually accomplish their mission"

Admit Shinseki was right?
Never!!

Question for BOAZ or anyone who might know:

What is the difference between a 'sniper' and someone shooting with a regular handgun? In my 4:11 a.m. post there is a video link showing one of Iraq's more infamous snipers as he shot at our soldiers. Does a sniper just stay and wait in one spot and then kill when he has the opportunity? I guess my question is -- what makes the difference between a sniper and some insurgent who has a gun and an opportunity target?

Also, I noticed that our soldiers in this video who were shot wore helmets -- one was shot just as his helmeted head was coming up out of the turret -- and I'm sure flak jackets are worn so where does this sniper aim at his victims in order to take them down with one shot? At least that's how it appears in the video.

"What is the difference between a 'sniper' and someone shooting with a regular handgun?"


Distance.

Thanks, Data, I knew you would probably know the answer.

Snipers kill from concealed positions and use high powered rifles. This particular sniper is shooting us between the helmet and our vests, essentialy in our necks. Those are the only places we are vuneralble. I am wearing a vest now, and this thing is heavy...

Chris,
To answer another part of the question snipers change hide spots often. Once you shoot someone even from a distance your position is compromised. They have to move because just as they are hunting us we are hunting them.

"I am wearing a vest now, and this thing is heavy...Posted by boaz"

Well, for chrissakes, keep wearing the damn thing.