Gazette.com War in Iraq

May 5, 2008
Carson soldiers vulnerable while building wall
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
Fort Carson soldiers working on the wall in eastern Baghdad know they'll be attacked every day. The job, now half-done, would separate the southwest quarter of Sadr City from the rest of the Shiite enclave... FULL STORY

May 5, 2008
Sandstorms offer 'welcome relief' to Carson squadron
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
Halfway through a 15-month tour in northern Iraq, a Fort Carson helicopter unit is waiting out frequent sandstorms in Kirkuk that have grounded reconnaissance and attack missions... FULL STORY

May 3, 2008
Fort Carson soldier killed by Baghdad explosion
THE GAZETTE
A decorated veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was killed Wednesday in Baghdad, the first casualty from his Fort Carson-based bomb disposal group... FULL STORY

May 2, 2008
Fountain soldier killed in Iraq
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
A 21-year-old soldier from Fountain died in a Baghdad bombing, the Army announced Friday. Spc. Ronald J. Tucker was on patrol with his unit from Fort Hood, Texas, on Wednesday when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb... FULL STORY

April 30, 2008
Fort Carson soldiers in a four-hour firefight in Iraq
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
Ambushed Fort Carson soldiers battled Shiite insurgents Tuesday in Baghdad before ending the four-hour firefight by calling in fire from a seldom-used mobile rocket launcher. Six soldiers were wounded... FULL STORY

April 25, 2008
Family man, good friend remembered
By BILL REED, THE GAZETTE
Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Simpson held the bugle high and tried to fight back tears as he blew taps for his son. Sgt. Christopher C. Simpson, 23, and Staff Sgt. Michael D. Elledge, 41, were honored with a memorial service at Fort Carson... FULL STORY

April 23, 2008
All 78 in Springs unit are back home safely
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
The troops in the rear with the gear came home Tuesday after 15 months in Iraq. The 68th Combat Support Battalion, which went to Iraq with a core group of only 78 men and women, wound up making sure all U.S. soldiers from Baghdad south had everything from diesel and bullets to beans and water.... FULL STORY

April 22, 2008
Springs soldier killed by IED
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
A soldier from Colorado Springs died Friday in Iraq, the Department of Defense said Monday. Spc. Benjamin K. Brosh, 22, died after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Paliwoda, Iraq. He is survived by his father, James Brosh of Biloxi, Miss., and his mother, Barbara Brosh of Colorado Springs. No family members could be reached for comment Monday... FULL STORY

April 9, 2008
Carson officer killed by bomb
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
A 32-year-old Fort Carson officer was killed Tuesday in an explosion in Baghdad, the ninth death since his brigade went to Iraq in November on its third deployment. Maj. Mark E. Rosenberg died of wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday ... FULL STORY

April 2, 2008
Carson brigade bore brunt of recent battle
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
Fort Carson soldiers bore the brunt of a surge of Shiite violence in Baghdad over the past week and were instrumental in restoring an uneasy calm to the city, commanders said today. In six days of fighting in and around Sadr City, 36 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team were wounded... FULL STORY

March 21, 2008
Baghdad commander says he made a mistake sending injured troops to war
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
The commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, said Thursday "mistakes" were made in sending injured Fort Carson soldiers to Iraq. Hammond, who now oversees all troops in Baghdad, gave an upbeat report on war progress in a satellite news conference, but admitted problems with ordering soldiers to war who had been deemed medically unfit to fight... FULL STORY

March 20, 2008
Smoothies heading to Iraq for Easter treat
By ANDREA BROWN, THE GAZETTE
The smoothies are in the mail - to Iraq. The Smoothie King store in Briargate on Wednesday shipped 132 pounds of ready-to-slurp fruity concoctions to Fort Carson troops at Camp Taji... FULL STORY

March 19, 2008
2 Carson soldiers killed in Baghdad bomb blast
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE and JENNIFER WILSON
Two Fort Carson soldiers died when a bomb detonated near their Humvee in Baghdad, the Pentagon announced Wednesday... FULL STORY

March 19, 2008
5 years later: A local look at the Iraq war
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
FIRST YEAR The deployment orders hit Fort Carson in January 2003 and were met with eagerness and apprehension. The community, too, had mixed reaction. The largest anti-war protest in the city's history... ... FULL STORY

March 13, 2008
Carson mourns sergeant 'who always put himself last'
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
Fort Carson mourned a man at a memorial service Thursday "who always put himself last." Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division died Feb. 2 in Mosul, Iraq ... FULL STORY

Feb. 27, 2008
AFA grad takes 911 calls to new level
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
BALAD, Iraq - Flying in slow circles four miles above Baghdad in the back of a four-engine C-130, the Air Force Academy's Capt. Linda Thorstenson waits for a call. It could be from a convoy under attack, or just someone checking a radio... FULL STORY

Feb. 25, 2008
'Be right 100% of the time'
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
BAGHDAD - One mistake and the suicide bombers and assassins win. That simple reality drove the soldiers of a Fort Carson battalion guarding the Green Zone ... FULL STORY

Feb. 25, 2008
Local judge returns from Iraq hopeful
By DENNIS HUSPENI, THE GAZETTE
The only bangs 4th Judicial District Judge David Shakes hears these days are those of his gavel coming down to start or end court hearings... FULL STORY

Feb. 23, 2008
Soldiers get a kick out of base
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
BAGHDAD - Fort Carson soldiers complain about their jobs, about being away from home and about missing their families here at Forward Operating Base Prosperity... FULL STORY

Feb. 22, 2008
Soldiers enjoy a rare chance to fire big guns
By TOM ROEDER, THE GAZETTE
BAGHDAD - Soldiers from a Fort Carson artillery battalion rejoiced Thursday in doing what's become an extremely rare activity for them in Iraq. They fired their artillery... FULL STORY