4 July 2007

Lena Butterworth, the mother of Pfc David J. Bentz III, clutches the flag that graced her son's casket at his funeral in the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Williamstown, N.J. Bentz, 21, was killed in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive. (AP Photo/The Daily Journal, Barbara Errickson) Kimberly Geonnotti, the adoptive mother of Pfc David Bentz, left, breaks down after the funeral mass in Clayton, N.J., along with Bentz's biological mother, Lena Butterworth, 2nd from right, and his stepsister, Gabrielle Geonnotti. Pfc. Bentz was killed in Iraq on June 20, 2007. (AP Photo/The Daily Journal, Barbara Errickson)

A funeral director escorts Trista Moretti's parents, Fred Moretti and wife Judy Moretti, left, to Army Sgt. Trista Moretti's casket during her burial Tuesday, July 3, 2007, in Linden, N.J. Sgt. Moretti was killed in an insurgent mortar attack on June 25 in Nasir Lafitah, Iraq. (AP Photo/George Olivar) Nicole Cuellar, of Germany, clutches the flag from the casket of her husband, Army Sgt. Bacilio Emilio Cuellar, during an interment ceremony Friday, June 15, 2007, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio as his mother, Lori Cuellar, watches. Cuellar was killed by an improvised explosive device on May 30, 2007, in Iraq. (AP Photo/Odessa American, Joshua Scheide) ** MAGS OUT, NO SALES, NO ARCHIVE **

Randy and Cathi Endlich leave Massillon (Ohio) Washington High School, Tuesday, June 19, 2007, following a funeral service for their son Army Sgt. Cory Endlich who was killed in Iraq. (AP Photo/The Repository, Bob Rossiter) ** MANDATORY CREDIT ** Stf. Sgt. Jeff Venneman hugs Ashley Lott after the graveside funeral service for Army Sgt. Matthew Soper, Tuesday, June 19, 2007, in Jackson, Mich. Lott and Venneman served with Soper in the 1462nd during his first tour in Iraq. Soper, 26, of Jackson, died June 6 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. (AP Photo/Jackson Citizen Patriot, Erik Holladay) ** NO ARCHIVE, ONLINE OUT, MAGS OUT **

Jennifer Moretti, right, sister of U.S. Army Sgt. Trista Moretti, embraces a U.S. flag given to her at Sgt. Moretti's burial Tuesday, July 3, 2007, in Linden, N.J. At left is their mother, Judy Moretti. Sgt. Moretti was killed in an insurgent mortar attack June 25 in Nasir Lafitah, Iraq. (AP Photo/George Olivar) In this photo provided by the United States Army at Fort Richardson, Alaska, Sgt. Trista L. Moretti. is shown. Moretti, of South Plainfield, N.J., died Monday, June 26, 2007, in Nasir Lafitah, Iraq, when her unit was attacked by insurgents using indirect fire, military officials said Wednesday. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, Fort Richardson)

Family members of Inverness, Fla., resident Army Sgt. Robert Surber grieve over the casket of the 24-year-old soldier Monday, June 11, 2007 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Inverness. From left are: Sgt. Surber's aunt, Joanne Bernardo; his stepfather, Raymond Cubero; sister Melody Cubero; and mother Kerri Surber. Sgt. Surber was killed by an explosive device in iraq. (AP Photo/Citrus County Chronicle, Matthew Beck) Patricia Balmer, the mother of Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan A. Balmer, is overcome with grief at his graveside Thursday, June 14, 2007, at Southlawn Cemetery in South Bend, Ind. Balmer's widow, Danielle, comforts her mother-in-law. Tech. Sgt. Balmer was killed in Kirkuk, Iraq, on June 5, 2007, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. (AP Photo/South Bend Tribune, Jim Rider)

Trevor Oliver is comforted by his grandmother Elaine Atkins during the funeral for his father Army Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins Tuesday, June 12, 2007, in Bozeman, Mont. Atkins was killed June 1, 2007, by a suicide bomber in Iraq. (AP Photo/The Bozeman Chronicle, Erik Petersen) Brigadier General Jeffrey Horne, left, presents a flag to Carolyn Moore during funeral services for her son, Cpl. Joshua M. Moore, near Lewisburg, Ky., Monday, June 11, 2007. Cpl. Moore was killed while deployed to Iraq. (AP Photo/News Democrat & Leader, Drew Bewley)

Dinorah Sanchez, mother of U.S. Army Pfc. Junior Cedeno Sanchez, receives an American flag from U.S. army members, during her son's burial in La Romana, Dominican Republic, Sunday, June 10, 2007. Sanchez was killed by a Baghdad bomb on May 28 in Iraq. His body returned to the Caribbean city where he was born for military honors and a heartbroken farewell. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Casey Rodgers and her daughters, from left, Ashlyn, Madison and Autumn, listen during the funeral service for Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Rodgers Sunday, June 10, 2007, at Douglas High School in Minden, Nev. Rodgers died in Afghanistan on May 30, 2007 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was co-piloting was shot down. (AP Photo/The Record-Courier, Shannon Litz)

Roxanne Slate, widow of Pfc. Charles Hester says a final good-bye to her husband at the end of his funeral service, Saturday, June 9, 2007, at Tahoma National Cemetery, in Kent, Wash. Hetser died in Baghdad May 26, when his vehicle was hit by a homemade bomb. (AP Photo/Kitsap Sun, Carolyn J. Yaschur) Roxanne Slate, widow of Pc. Charles Hester hugs CPL Tim Tate, who served with Hester in the 3rd Brigade 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis, after her husband's funeral, Saturday, June 9, 2007, in Kent, Wash. (AP Photo/Kitsap Sun, Carolyn J. Yaschur)

Valorie Veitch Sanchez, second from right, puts her head on the shoulder of Anthony Sanchez as Major Gen. Vincent E. Boles presents the American flag that covered the casket of her son, Pfc. Jeremiah Veitch, during a funeral service at Dibble Cemetary in Dibble, Okla., Monday, July, 2 2007. Valorie Veitch Sanchez holds the leash to Jeremiah's dog, Brutus. At right is Jeremiah's younger brother, Jacob. Jeremiah was killed while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq on June 21, 2007. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, James Plumlee) In this undated family photo displayed at his funeral in Houston June 25, 2007, U.S. Army Sgt. Danny Richard Soto is shown. Soto was killed in action June 16, 2007, in Rashidiyah, Iraq. ((AP Photo/Family photo via The Chronicle) **MANDATORY CREDIT**

A brother of Muthana Sa'ad, an Iraqi soldier who was killed by a sniper in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood Saturday, cries over his coffin during a funeral in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, July 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani) Renee Vincent, mother of Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, clutches a folded American flag after it was removed from his casket at the end of burial rites for the soldier Monday, July 2, 2007, in Yukon, Okla. Wood, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, was remembered in funeral services Monday as a strong leader who showed no fear but also had a soft side. Vincent's husband, (not Woods' father) leans his head against hers as they grieve. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)

Army Brig. Gen Randy Manner presents Conietha Zapfe, the widow of Army Sgt. 1st Class William A. Zapfe, a flag during his funeral, Monday, July 2, 2007, in Dry Ridge, Ky. Zapfe was killed June 19 near Muhammad al Ali, Iraq, when a bomb exploded. Zapfe, 35, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, the Department of Defense said in a statement. (AP Photo/The Enquirer, Meggan Booker) Laurie Hebert right, is consoled at the gravesite after the funeral service for her son, Pfc. Tony Hebert, at St. Mary's Catholic Church Monday, July 2 , 2007 in Lake City, Minn. Hebert was killed in Iraq on June 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Army Sgt. Eric L. Snell's mother, Mittie White, accepts the flag that was draped over Snell's casket while Snell's sister Alania Snell looks on in Hamilton, N.J., Saturday, June 30, 2007. Army Sgt. Eric L. Snell, 35, of Hamilton died in Balad,, Iraq, of wounds from small-arms fire in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Tim Larsen) Patti Leemhuis sits with her daughter, Renee Whitehorn, right, during the funeral of her son, Army Pfc. Thomas Ray Leemhuis, in Binger, Okla., Saturday, June 30, 2007. Leemhuis, 23, was one of four Oklahoma soldiers killed June 21 when his Bradley fighting vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jaconna Aguirre)

The family of Canadian Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, mother Niki, second right, brother Spiros, second left, leave the funeral service at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church in Laval, Que. on Saturday June 30, 2007. Close to 1,000 mourners, including 80 members of the military, filled the church for the service of Karigiannis, who was killed in an unarmored vehicle when it was struck by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar June 20. (AP Photo/CP, Peter McCabe) Private Joel Wiebe's fiance Anna Thede, left, and his mother, Sherry Clark, grieve before his funeral service at Trinity Lutheran Church on Saturday, June 30,2007 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Private Wiebe was one of three soldiers killed on June 20 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/CP,John Ulan)

** FILE ** This photo provided by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, shows Steven D. Green in a booking mug shot at the Mecklenburg County jail in Charlotte, N.C., July 3, 2006. Federal prosecutors filed notice Tuesday, July 3, 2007 that they will seek the death penalty if former soldier Steven D. Green is convicted of killing an Iraqi family and raping a 14-year-old girl. (AP Photo/Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office) U.S. Army Maj. Gen. George Higgins, left, presents the the Meritorious Service Medal to Anna Perrott, center, during the internment of her husband, Sgt. Dustin Perrott at Oak HIll Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Va., Friday, June 29, 2007. U.S. Army Sgt. Garret Clouse, a close friend of Dustin Perrott, sits at left. Dustin parents' Susan and Jeff Calamos are at right. Perrott died Thursday, June 21, 2007, in Afghanistan, from injuries he suffered in the explosion of an IED. (AP Photo/The Free Lance-Star, Robert A. Martin)

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army Pfc. Andre Craig Jr., 24, of New Haven, Conn., is shown. Craig died Monday, June 25, 2007, of wounds sustained from the explosion of a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was an infantryman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Fort Riley, Kan. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) Michael Cook holds his mother, Joyce Craig, at a news conference in New Haven, Conn., Wednesday, June 27, 2007. Craig's son, Pfc. Andre Craig Jr., 24, of New Haven, died of wounds sustained from the explosion of a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Both Cook and Craig are wearing shirts with Craig's picture on them. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army at Fort Drum, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs Office Stf. Sgt. Travis Atkins, is shown. Atkins, 31, of Bozeman, Mont., was killed June 1, 2007, in Iraq after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive near a mosque in Al Yusufiyah. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) Jane Little, girlfriend of British soldier Neil 'Tony' Downes, holding a teddy bear, dressed in the style of a Guardsman attends her boyfriends funeral at St Mary's Church, Droylsden, Manchester, England, Thursday June 28 2007. Guardsman Downes, was killed by a landmine while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on June 9. (AP Photo/Peter Byrne/PA) ** UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE **

Melinda Wilkey, wife of the late U.S. Army Spc. David A. Wilkey Jr., accepts the U.S. flag from Maj. Gen. Jerry Cannon of the Michigan National Guard, during graveside services at the Spalding Township Cemetery in Spalding, Mich., Tuesday, June 26, 2007. Wilkey, 22, formerly of Wilson, Mich., died June 18 from wounds suffered in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. (AP Photo/The Daily Press, Jenny Lancour) ** FILE **This file photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Army Staff Sgt. Michael D. Moody Jr., of Richmond, Va., who was killed in Iraq on June 23, 2007. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

Relatives of one of the six U.N. peacekeepers soldiers killed in a car bombing in Lebanon grieve during a state funeral ceremony for the six soldiers at an armed forces center in Paracuellos del Jarama on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday June 26, 2007. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed six members of the Spanish contingent last including three Colombians, and seriously wounded two others. But the anti-Syrian coalition in parliament blamed Damascus, despite its condemnation of the bombing. Spain has 1,100 peacekeepers in Lebanon, part of the 13,000-member U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon from 30 countries, which first deployed in Lebanon in 1978 and was reinforced in the last year. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Army, Spc. Eric C. Palmer, 21, of Maize, Kan., is shown. Palmer, a paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division who was wounded last week in an insurgent attack in Iraq, died Sunday, June 24, 2007, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

This photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Army 1st Lt. Daniel Riordan, who was among four soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq, the Defense Department said Tuesday, June 26, 2007. Riordan, 24, of St. Louis, died Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Taji. They were based at Fort Hood, Texas. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch) In this undated photo released by his stepfather, Joe Aragon, U.S. Army Cpl. Joel Dahl of the 4th Brigade 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Unit is shown. Dahl, 21, died during small arms fire Saturday, June 23, 2007, south of Baghdad, Aragon, who raised Dahl in New Mexico since he was about 10, said. Dahl was set to leave Iraq on July 2, shortly after the birth of his son. (AP Photo/Joe Aragon) **NO SALES**

Frank Grass consoles his wife Patti has she kisses and hugs the casket of their son Cpl. Zachary A. Grass at the Welty Cemetary Monday, June 25, 2007, near Beach City, Ohio. Grass based in Fort Lewis, Wash., was killed in Iraq June 16 from a roadside bomb explosion. (AP Photo/The Repository, Scott Heckel) **MANDATORY CREDIT** In this undated photo released by his family, Zachary Grass is shown. Grass, 22, of Beach City, Ohio, a U.S. Army soldier, was killed Saturday, June 16, 2007, in Iraq in a roadside bombing of his vehicle, his father, Frank Grass, said Sunday. (AP Photo/The Repository) **NO SALES, NO ARCHIVE, FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007**

Sgt. Dustin Perrott, of Fredericksburg, Va., is shown in an undated photo provided by the Army 82nd Airborne Paratrooper Division. Perrott, 23, died from injuries sustained when a bomb detonated near Miri, Afghanistan Thursday, June 21, 2007. Perrott joined the Army in March 2004.He is survived by his wife, Anna Marie Perrott of Fayetteville, N.C. (AP Photo/Army 82nd Airborne Paratrooper Division) A family member of Cpl. Stephen Bouzane places a rose in the back of a hearse carrying his remains during a repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton, Ontario, Canada, Sunday June 24, 2007 for Cpl. Bouzane, Sgt. Christos Karigiannis and Pte. Joel Wiebe. The three soldiers were killed June 20, 2007 in Afghanistan when the vehicle they were traveling in struck a explosive device. (AP PHOTO/CP,Jonathan Hayward)

A Humvee from the 630th MP Company was destroyed by an IED while responding to an attack on a Bradley fighting vehicle that killed five U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter in eastern Baghdad, Thursday, June 21, 2007 in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. A sixth soldier from the 630th MP Company was killed by an IED while responding to the attack. (AP Photo/The Army Times, Rick Kozak) **MANDATORY CREDIT:RICK KOZAK/ ARMY TIMES** U.S. Brigadier-General S.G. Trombitas, Commander Special Operations Commad Korea, presents folded American flags to Elma Gagarin and Ernesto gagarin, widow and father respectively of Filipino-American U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Greg Phil Gagarin as full military honors are accorded to the soldier at his funeral Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at Candon, Ilocos Sur province in northern Philippines. Gagarin, 37, who served in Iraq with the U.S. Army's Bravo Battery, 1-37 Field Artillery, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team which is based in Fort Lewis, Washington, was killed in action with an improvised explosive device during a mounted patrol on June 3, 2007. (AP Photo)

Randy Endlich watches as Cathi Endlich receives the flag that draped their son Army Sgt. Cory Endlich's casket Tuesday, June 19, 2007, at Sunset Hills Memorial Gardens in North Canton, Ohio. Sgt. Endlich was killed in Iraq. (AP Photo/The Repository, Bob Rossiter) In this photo released by the U.S. Army on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Henderson is shown. Henderson, 35, of Hillsboro, Ore., and two other Soldiers died June 17 in Panjway, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Transition Team), Fort Riley, Kan. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

In this photo provided by the Leemhuis family, Pfc. Thomas Ray Leemhuis is pictured in an undated photo. Leemhuis, 23, of Anadarko, Okla., was killed Thursday, June 21, 2007, in Baghdad. Leemhuis, 23, of Anadarko, and Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, 22, of Oklahoma City, both were killed Thursday in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Leemhuis family photo) In this photo released by the Pittman family, shown is Pfc. Michael Patrick Pittman, date and location unknown. Pittman, 34, was killed in an explosion Friday in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Pittman Family) ** NO SALES **

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army, Sgt. Andrews J. Higgins, 28, of Hayward, Calif., is shown. Higgins died on June 5, 2007, in Iraq of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES ** Val John Borm, of Sidney, Neb., is shown in an undated photo released by family. Borm, 21, died Thursday, June 7, 2007, in Iraq's Kirkuk province after the explosion. Borm was serving as an infantryman in B Company, 2nd Battalion with the 35th Infantry. The unit is based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Family Photo) ** NO SALES **

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army, Pvt. Scott A. Miller, 20, of Casper, Wyo., is shown. Miller died on June 9, 2007, in Iraq, of wounds from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES ** In this undated photo released by U.S. Army, Spc. Chadrick O. Domino, 23, of Ennis, Texas, is shown. Ennis died on May 31, 2007, in Iraq of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while on patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), out of Fort Lewis, Wash. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES **

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army, Staff Sgt. Brian M. Long, 32, Burns, Wyo., is shown. Long died in Iraq on June 10, 2007, of wounds from an explosive ordnance. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, in Fort Lewis, Wash. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES ** In this undated photo released by U.S. Army, Sgt. Robert A. Surber, 24, of Inverness, Fla., is shown. Suber was died on June 3, 2007, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES **

In this undated photo released by U.S. Army, Spc. Romel Catalan, 21, of Los Angeles, Calif., is shown. Catalan died on June 2, 2007, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Iraq. He was member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES ** In this undated photo released by U.S. Army, Sgt. Tyler Kritz of Eagle River, Wis., is shown. Kritz died on June 3, 2007, following a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). (AP Photo/U.S. Army) ** NO SALES **