Remembering Local Casualties of the Iraq War

This week marks 10 years since the beginning of the Iraq War, a good time to honor those from the surrounding area who sacrificed their lives for our country.

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 82 from New Jersey.

Seven of the casualties hailed from Burlington County—among them, a 24-year-old from Palmyra and a doctor from Moorestown. From the CNN war casualties website:

Sgt. Jamal Maurice Rhett, 24, of Palmyra, died from wounds he suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with grenades in Baquba, Diyala province, Iraq, on Aug. 15, 2010. Rhett served with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Maj. John Paul Pryor, 42, of Moorestown, was killed when a mortar round struck near his living quarters in Mosul, Iraq, on Dec. 25, 2008. Pryor, a trauma surgeon, was a member of the Forward Surgical Team, 1st Medical Detachment, Army Reserve, assigned to the 344th Combat Support Hospital.

In 2010, Moorestown rededicated the former Salem Road Park, at Salem and Hartford roads, as John Pryor Park. 

Share your thoughts and remembrances in the comments below.