Iraq War Marks 10 Years of Casualties: Carrollwood Remembers

As America marks the 10^th anniversary of the start of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq this week, Westchase Patch would like to take time out to honor those who have served and those who paid the ultimate price on behalf of our county.

The official start of the invasion was March 19, 2003, a full decade ago, and although the war is officially “over,” fighting continues with persistence.

By one count, the war is directly responsible for 189,000 deaths, not including those who died from hardship caused by the fighting.

CNN has a stunning map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, including 196 Floridians.

Among them, 15 people from Hillsborough County. From the CNN war casualties website:

• Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles, 18, of Tampa. Killed when an Iraqi artillery round struck his amphibious assault vehicle near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7, 2003.
• Pfc. Roberto Carlos Baez, 19, of Tampa. One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Haqlaniya, Iraq, on October 3, 2005.
• Spc. Joshua David Brown, 26, of Tampa. Died June 3, 2007 of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2007.
• Staff Sgt. John Leroy Hartman Jr., 39, of Tampa. Died of injuries suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 30, 2006.
• Sgt. 1^st Class David Allen Heringes, 36, of Tampa. Died near Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit during combat operations in Bayji, Iraq on August 24, 2007.
• Sgt. Bryan Christian Luckey, 25, of Tampa. Shot and killed by enemy forces while on mounted patrol in Mosul, Iraq, on June 29, 2006.
• Staff Sgt. Michael Brian Quinn, 37, of Tampa. Killed on guard duty at a checkpoint by unknown assailants who fired on him from a vehicle on May 27, 2003, in Falluja, Iraq.
• Cpl. John Travis Rivero, 23, of Tampa. Died of injuries he received when his Humvee rolled over at the H1 airfield in western Iraq on April 17, 2003.
• Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, 33, of Tampa. Smith, a combat engineer, was shot and killed while manning a .50 caliber machine gun to fend off an attack by Iraqi soldiers near the Baghdad airport on April 4, 2003. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on April 4, 2005, becoming only the third U.S. soldier to receive the nation's highest honor for valor since the Vietnam War. More information is available here.
• Sgt. Antwan Lavelle Walker, 22, of Tampa. Killed when his camp was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on May 18, 2005.
• Lance Cpl. Nicholas David Wilt, 23, of Tampa. One of two Marines killed due to hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq, on September 3, 2004.
• Lance Cpl. Kevin Gachau Waruinge, 22, of Temple Terrace. One of 14 Marines killed when their Amphibious Assault Vehicle struck a roadside bomb during combat operations near Barwana, Iraq, on August 3, 2005.
• Pfc. Marc Andrew Delgado, 21, of Lithia. Killed along with another soldier when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee, causing it to flip into a canal in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 24, 2005.
• Spc. Alexis Roman-Cruz, 33, of Brandon. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq, on November 15, 2006. 
• Capt. Kevin Joseph Smith, 28, of Brandon. Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 8, 2005.

Do you have a loved one who has fought in the Iraq War? Tell us about them by commenting below. Better yet, share of photo by uploading a picture to the gallery on this story.