Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino, 21 of Rice Lake died on Monday, September 22, 2003 while serving south of Mosul, Iraq. He was in Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 320 Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Paul was originally with a tank unit based in Lawton, Oklahoma and then transferred to the 101st Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky to be a paratrooper. He went to Iraq in March 2003. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Sturino had re-enlisted in the 101st for another year but his tour of duty was also extended due to the war. He graduated from Rice Lake High School in 1999 and was on the wrestling team. He also attended Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. Survivors in Sturino's family include mother Chris Wetzel and father Dino Sturino; brother Alonzo Sturino; sister Amy Sturino; grandparents Arnold and Marilyn Peer; and, grandmother Gloria Sturino. Army Specialist Paul Sturino was the fourth Wisconsin military service person to die in the Iraq war. 

                                            As of this blog entry's posting date:

    83,521 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
    
    8,257 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    4,079 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    497 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    312 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    304 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    30,004 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    1,944 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    90 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    10 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    127 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    15 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

Soldier of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.