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blog-heap o' links
Marine Sgt. Michael
P. Hodshire, 25, of North Adams, Mich., died Oct. 30 of wounds sustained
from an improvised explosive device during combat operations near Nasser Wa
Salaam, Iraq on Oct. 29. defenselink.mil/ ... 19:33:26Army Pfc. Dillon M.
Jutras, 20, of Fairfax Station, Va., died in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on
Oct. 28, from injuries sustained while conducting combat operations. Army 1st Lt. Debra A.
Banaszak, 35, of Bloomington, Ill., died at Camp Victory, Kuwait, on Oct.
28, from noncombat related injuries. Banaszak was assigned to the Army National
Guard. defenselink.mil/ ... 20:55:09Army Staff Sgt.
Lewis J. Gentry, 48, of Detroit, Mich., died in Mosul,
Iraq, on Oct. 26, from a noncombat related cause. Army Capt. Michael J.
Mackinnon, 30, of Helena, Mont., died on Oct. 27, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an
improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during convoy operations.
defenselink.mil/ ... 00:32:21Army Master Sgt.
Thomas A. Wallsmith, 38, of Carthage, Mo.Army Sgt. 1st Class Ramon A.
Acevedoaponte, 51, of Watertown, N.Y. Army Sgt. Evan S.
Parker, 25, of Arkansas, Kan., died at Landstuhl Army Medical Center in
Landstuhl, Germany, on Oct. 26, of injuries sustained in Balad, Iraq, on Oct.
23, when his dismounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces who threw an
explosive device from their moving vehicle. Parker was assigned to the Army
Reserve. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:31:09Army Spc. Christopher
T. Monroe, 19, of Kendallville, Ind., died on Oct. 25, in Basra, Iraq, when
his 5-ton truck was involved in an automobile accident with a civilian vehicle.
Monroe was assigned to the Army Reserve. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:30:48Marine Lance Cpl.
Robert F. Eckfield Jr., 23, of Cleveland, OhioMarine Lance Cpl. Jared J. Kremm,
24, of Hauppage, N.Y.Army Sgt. James
Witkowski, 32, of Surprise, Ariz., died on Oct. 26, near Ashraf, Iraq, of
injuries sustained there earlier that day when an improvised explosive device
detonated near his HMMWV during convoy operations. Witkowski was assigned to
the Army Reserve. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:29:54Army Staff Sgt.
Daniel R. Lightner, Jr., 28, of Hollidaysburg, Pa., died in Ar Ramadi,
Iraq, on Oct. 27, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV
during combat operations. Lightner was assigned to the Army National Guard.
defenselink.mil/ ... 00:28:29Army Sgt.
Michael T. Robertson, 28, of Houston, Texas, died at
Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 25, of injuries
sustained in Samarra, Iraq, on Oct. 17, when an improvised explosive device
detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The incident fatally injured
another soldier and was reported on Oct. 25. Army Cpl. Benjamin D.
Hoeffner, 21, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., died in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, on Oct.
25, of a non-combat related cause. 
247-acre Skokholm Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire
in southwest Wales... teeming with sea birds that inspired the classic animal
fantasy tale "Watership Down" is up for sale for the first time in 300 years...
regarded as one of the most important breeding areas for sea birds in Europe
and has been designated one of the region's Sites of Special Scientific
Interest. Owners of the Dale Castle Estate hope it will fetch $1.3 million.
They have given the right of first refusal to the Wildlife Trust, a
conservation group that has managed the island for the past 50 years... home to
45,000 pairs of Manx shearwaters as well as puffins, storm petrels, razorbills,
guillemots, oystercatchers and three species of gulls... 
followup-- About 130 pilot
whales died after three pods became stranded on a remote beach in southern
Australia... Nearly 60 whales died and about 10 had been rescued with the help
of scores of volunteers and wildlife officials by nightfall Tuesday.
But a third pod began beaching at dusk... Rescuers
found about 70 of the latest arrivals dead on the beach Wednesday morning and
14 still alive... return[ed] eight survivors to the sea by late morning.
Another eight died... Marine Cpl. Benny G.
Cockerham III, 21, of Conover, N.C.Marine Capt. Tyler B. Swisher, 35, of Cincinnati,
OhioNavy Petty Officer 3rd
Class Christopher W. Thompson, 25, of N. Wilkesboro, N.C., was killed in
action on Oct. 21, from an IED explosion while conducting combat operations
against enemy forces in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. defenselink.mil/ ... 21:21:30Marine Lance Cpl.
Jonathan R. Spears, 21, of Molino, Fla., died Oct. 23 from enemy
small-arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar
Ramadi, Iraq. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:20:07Army Staff Sgt.
Vincent E. Summers, 38, of South Haven, Mich.Army Spc. Thomas H. Byrd, 21, of
Cochise, Ariz.Army Spc. Jeffrey W. Corban, 30, of Elkhart, Ind.Army Spc. Richard A.
Hardy, 24, of Newcomerstown, Ohio.Army Spc. Timothy D. Watkins, 24, of San
Bernardino, Calif. Army Staff Sgt.
George T. Alexander, Jr., 34, of Clanton, Ala., died at Brooke Army
Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 22, of injuries sustained in
Samarra, Iraq, on Oct. 17, when an improvised explosive device detonated near
his Bradley Fighting Vehicle. defenselink.mil/ ... 00:18:11Army Sgt. Jacob D.
Dones, 21, of Dimmitt, Texas, died in Hit, Iraq, on Oct. 20, when his
forward operating base was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire.
waiting jaws of
an alligator.