Fallen soldiers

On a flight to Chicago on Tuesday I sat next to a Marine in full dress uniform. He looked crisp and serious, just like you could imagine. At some point I turned and said I didn't know that Marines traveled in dress uniforms. They don't. As the plane parked at the jetway in O'Hare, the pilot came on and said, "We have a fallen soldier on board. We're asking everyone to stay seated until his Marine escort leaves the plane to accompany him to his final resting place." We all sat while my seatmate left.

Here's an AP photo that had this caption: Marine military gear from Capt. Lyle Gordon, Capt. Paul Alaniz, Staff Sgt. Dexter Kimble and Lance Cpl. Tony Hernandez were placed inside Airman Memorial Chapel during the memorial services for the fallen men at Miramar Marine Corp Air Station in San Diego on Friday, Feb. 11, 2005. The Marines were killed along with 26 other Marines and one Navy sailor in a helicopter crash in Iraq (news) on Jan. 26. More than 500 mourners paid tribute Friday to the four Texans who were among the 31 killed.

Death totals in Iraq as of today: 1,456
Wounded in Iraq: 10,700

Iraq