Remembering Long Beach's Iraq War Casualties

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began 10 years ago this week — on March 19, 2003 — and although officially "over," fighting continues with discouraging persistence.

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

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

Among them are 10 servicemen from Long Beach, according to the Los Angeles Times website: 

• Pvt. 1st Class Stephen A. Castellano, 21, died Jan. 28, 2005 in Mosul, Iraq. 
• Sgt. 1st Class Randy D. Collins, 36, died May 24, 2005 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Attended Milikan Senior High.
• Sgt. Anthony J. Davis, Jr., 22, died April 23, 2005 in Mosul, Iraq. Attended Jordan High.
• Pvt. Ernesto R. Guerra, 20, died July 29, 2005 in the central part of Baghdad, Iraq. Attended Cabrillo High.
• Major Steven Hutchison, 60, died May 10, 2009 in Basra, Iraq. Attended Wilson High.
• Pvt. 1st Class Lyndon A Marcus, Jr., 21, died May 3, 2004 near Khalis, Iraq. Attended Jordan High.
• Spec. Robert L. Martinez Salazar, 21, died Feb. 4, 2006, in Mosul, Iraq. 
• Spec. Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda, 20, died May 2, 2007 in southern part of Baghdad, Iraq. Attended Wilson High.
• Pvt. 1st Class David T. Toomalatai, 19, died Jan. 27, 2007, in Taji, Iraq. 
• Pvt. 1st Class George D. Torres, 23, died April 11, 2004 in Anbar Province, Iraq. Attended Milikan Senior High.

More information is also available on the CNN war casualties website. 

A visual history aspect is opening this Saturday at The Annenberg Space for Photography's War/Photography: Images of Conflict and Its Aftermath. As Pulitzer Prize photographer David Hume Kennerly said at the press preview Thursday, "photographers are the eyes of the world".

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