The Iraq War, 10 Years of Casualties: Santee Lost Three of Its Own

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.

In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, including 481 from California.

Among them, three soldiers from Santee. From the CNN war casualties web site:

• Cpl. Erik Thomas Garoutte, 22. Died in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 19, 2007.
• Lance Cpl. Cory Ryan Geurin, 18. Died as a result of injuries received when he fell 60 feet from a palace roof while performing guard duty in Babylon, Iraq, on July 15, 2003.
• Staff Sgt. Sean Paul Fisher, 29. One of five soldiers killed when their helicopter crashed in Taqqadum, Iraq, on August 14, 2007.

CNN has a stunning map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.