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.
CNN has a stunning map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. Among them, four soldiers with ties to Elk Grove:
- Army Spc. Joseph C. Nurre, a 22-year-old former Elk Grove High School football player from Wilton who was killed Aug. 21, 2005.
- Army Spc. Ty J. Johnson, 28. Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Kirkuk, Iraq, on April 4, 2006.
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Isaac S. Lawson, a 35-year-old father of two who was killed June 5, 2006.
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E. Hall, 32. One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009.
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