Casualties with local ties
* Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, of Rochester died Sunday in Diyala province when a suicide bomber detonated explosives. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis.
* Army Pfc. Michael Pursel, 19, formerly of Lacey died May 6 in Diyala province when a roadside bomb destroyed his vehicle. Pursel was assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis.
* Army Pfc. Jerome J. Potter, 24, of Yelm died May 3 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Potter was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Hood, Texas.
* Sgt. Mickel D. Garrigus, 24, of Elma died Jan. 27 in Taji when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat patrol. Garrigus was assigned to the 543rd Military Police Company, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.
* Army Sgt. Justin Norton, 21, of Rainier was killed June 24, 2006 when an improvised explosive device exploded near Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood.
* Marine Staff Sgt. Abraham George Twitchell, 28, of Yelm was killed April 2, 2006, in Iraq when the truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Logistics Group, Combat Service Support Group 1, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
* Marine Cpl. Joseph Bier, 22, of Centralia died Dec. 7, 2005, from an improvised explosive device in Ar Ramadi. He was assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Twentynine Palms.
* Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Regina Clark, 43, of Centralia was killed June 23, 2005, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device exploded near her vehicle in Fallujah. She was temporarily assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
* Air Force Master Sgt. Steven E. Auchman, 37, who was living in Lacey while stationed at Fort Lewis, was killed during a mortar attack in Mosul on Nov. 9, 2004. He was assigned to the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Lewis.
* Marine Corps Capt. Gregory Ratzlaff, 36, whose parents live in Olympia, died Aug. 3, 2004, from a noncombat-related incident. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
* Army Command Sgt. Maj. Cornell Gilmore, 45, formerly of Lacey died Nov. 7, 2003, when his helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Judge Advocate General Office at the Pentagon.


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