February 8, 2007

Marine death: Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Van Parys, 20, of New Tripoli, Pa., died Monday in Anbar province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Army deaths: Chief Warrant Officer Keith Yoakum, 41, of Hemet and Chief Warrant Officer Jason G. Defrenn, 34, of Barnwell, S.C., died Friday when their helicopter went down in Taji.

Bulgarian troops: NATO member Bulgaria approved a decision yesterday to extend the mission of its troops in Iraq by a year, the government said. Bulgaria plans to send 155 soldiers to Iraq to replace 120 troops and 35 support personnel in March, when the mission was originally to end. The new contingent will guard an Iranian refugee camp in Ashraf, 40 miles north of Baghdad. The decision must still be approved by parliament.

Mistrial declared: At Fort Lewis, Wash., a judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq, saying the soldier did not fully understand a pretrial document he signed admitting to elements of the charges. Military judge Lt. Col. John Head set a March 12 date for a new trial for 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, of Honolulu, who says he refused to go to Iraq because he believes the war is illegal.

Census official killed: A female official with the Census Department was shot to death yesterday while she was riding to work with her husband in Mosul.

Italian case: Italian Judge Sante Spinaci yesterday ordered a U.S. soldier to stand trial in absentia for the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence agent at a checkpoint in Baghdad, the prosecutor said. Spc. Mario Lozano is indicted on murder and attempted murder charges in the accidental death of Nicola Calipari, who was shot on March 4, 2005, on his way to the Baghdad airport shortly after securing the release of an Italian journalist who had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital, prosecutor Pietro Saviotti said. Lozano's whereabouts is not known. Lozano has said through friends in the military that he had no idea the car was carrying the Italians.

Congressman's sound bite: A New York congressman yesterday jokingly suggested the Bush administration may fear a “platoon of lesbians” more than terrorists in Baghdad, given the military's resistance to letting homosexuals openly serve. Rep. Gary Ackerman's criticism of Pentagon policy came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ackerman, a New York City Democrat, complained to Rice that the military had fired Arabic and Farsi translators after learning the translators were homosexuals. “For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists. They're very brave with the terrorists, and if the terrorists ever got ahold of this information, they get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad,” said Ackerman, prompting laughter. The lawmaker voted in 2002 for the invasion of Iraq but is now a fierce opponent of the war.

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