‘Faces of the Fallen’ Remembers Oceanside and Camp Pendleton's Fallen Service Members

By the numbers is a stark way of remembering human life, but it is one way to report the cost of war on this Memorial Day, lest we never forget the toll that has been paid in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The state of California has paid the highest toll in the number of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, with Texas and Florida ranking second and third, according to the “Faces of the Fallen” database maintained by The Washington Post.

The searchable database reports on the 6,013 military personnel who, as of this Memorial Day posting, have lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom (4,442) and Operation Enduring Freedom (1,571).

The report’s latest home state breakdown shows that California leads the country with 624 fallen soldiers, followed by Texas (534), Florida (294), Pennsylvania (263) and New York (262).

The database is searchable by age, year of death, home state and military branch. It is updated at least twice monthly from military releases, news service reports and local newspaper stories.

The database includes, for each service member, hometown, age, date of death, unit and a brief description of the incident that led to the service member's death. Related links to coverage and tributes is included as well. (Click each service member’s name to link to the database section applicable to that person, for additional information.)

Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk
Oceanside, California, U.S.

Spec. Christopher M. Cooper
Oceanside, California, U.S.

Sgt. David L. Herrera
Oceanside, California, U.S.

Sgt. Paul C. Neubauer
Oceanside, California, U.S.

Sgt. Richard A. Soukenka
Oceanside, California, U.S.