06Feb04-CNN-Pentagon: Eight deaths weren't reported - Also, soldier reported killed in Iraq actually died in Afghanistan
From Mike Mount
CNN Washington Bureau
Friday, February 6, 2004 Posted: 10:05 PM EST (0305 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Eight U.S. troops were not counted in the overall casualty numbers for operation in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Pentagon officials, who cited an audit by the Department of Defense.
Pentagon officials said the names were discovered in the audit conducted after Defense Department officials found that casualty numbers appeared to be wrong.
There was no immediate answer by the services -- which have the authority to release names of the dead -- as to why the names were not originally reported.
All of the names released Friday by the Pentagon were listed as being killed by nonhostile injuries.
One name, separate from the eight, was changed from being killed during the Iraq operation to being killed during the Afghanistan operation.
The increase raises the total number of dead in the Afghanistan operation from 108 to 112.
The overall number of dead during the Iraq operation rises from 529 to 532.
A Marine and two sailors were added to the casualty list for Afghanistan. They are:
• Marine Corps Pfc. James R. Dillon Jr., 19, of Grove City, Pennsylvania. He died in Kuwait on March 13, 2003, of an injury not suffered in combat. He was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California.
• Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Profitt, 23, of Charlestown, Indiana. He died while in the Red Sea on March 17, 2003, of an injury not suffered in combat. He was assigned to the USS Deyo, home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Darrell Jones, 22, of Wellston, Ohio. He died in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, on October 8, 2003, of an injury not suffered in combat. He was assigned to the USS Higgins, home-ported in San Diego, California.
Two soldiers, a sailor and an airman were added to the casualty list for Iraq. They are:
• Army Spc. Tamarra J. Ramos, 24, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania. She died October 1, 2003, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, of an injury not suffered in combat. She was assigned to the 3rd Armor Medical Company, Medical Troop Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
• Army Sgt. Linda C. Jimenez, 39, of Brooklyn, New York. She died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on November 8, 2003. On October 31, 2003, Jimenez fell and was injured. She was taken to the 28th Combat Support Hospital and later evacuated to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center. Subsequently, she was moved to Walter Reed, where she later died. Jimenez was assigned to the 2nd Squadron Combat Support Aviation (Maintenance), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, Louisiana.
• Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David Sisung, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona. He died in the Persian Gulf on June 6, 2003, of an injury not suffered in combat. He was assigned to the USS Nimitz, home-ported in San Diego, California.
• Air Force Master Sgt. David A. Scott, 51, of Union, Ohio. He died of an injury not suffered in combat on July 20, 2003, in Doha, Qatar. He was assigned to the 445th Communications Flight, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Pentagon officials also said that the examination disclosed that the announcement of the death of Army Pfc. Kristian E. Parker was incorrectly characterized at the time as occurring during the Iraq operation. Parker was serving as part of the Afghanistan operation when he died.
Details of how each service member died have not been disclosed.
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