WASHINGTON – Ten Maryland service members have died as a result of wounds suffered in Iraq since May, making this summer the state’s deadliest since the war began more than three years ago.
As of Monday, 2,651 members of the U.S. military have been killed in Iraq, 45 of them from Maryland.
Between May and August, the number of Maryland service members killed in Iraq more than doubled compared to equivalent periods in past summers. Only in the summer of 2005 did the numbers come close to that of this year, when four Maryland service members were killed between the months of May and August.
“It’s just terrible,” said Mary Wallace, of Lexington Park, whose son, Army Cpl. Matthew P. Wallace, 22, died July 21 in a German hospital, five days after a roadside bomb struck his Bradley fighting vehicle in Baghdad.
Since his death, Wallace’s friends and superiors have in letters, phone calls and visits supplied his parents with details about a man who worked untiringly in Iraq, often accepting responsibilities above his rank, however dangerous, and working during his personal time.
“Several people have told us that Matthew was the bravest man they’ve ever served with,” Wallace said. “It’s been truly eye-opening.”
Wallace, who went to Great Mills High School, enlisted in 2004. He was sent to Iraq in December 2005.
As Wallace was deploying, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Swanson, 25, of Rose Haven, was about a month into his third tour.
Swanson was first sent to Iraq in 2003, as part of the initial wave. Two Purple Hearts later, on July 22 of this year, he was killed in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, by small arms fire during a patrol, according to Defense Department records.
“He always gave a lot of himself,” said Mike Rogers, who worked with Swanson during several mission trips organized by their church, First Baptist in Upper Marlboro. “He was a true servant — to his family, his friends, his community and, obviously, his country.”
Whether he was volunteering his time building a church in West Virginia, holding backyard Bible-study groups in Florida, or finding toys and candy for children he met in Iraq, Swanson “was the type of guy where everything he did, he did it 110 percent. He was full force — always,” Rogers said.
Swanson, a graduate of Southern High School, also served in Kosovo in 2001.
He and Maryland’s other fallen will be feted in a peace vigil planned for Friday in Bel Air in front of the Harford County Courthouse. The vigil, organized by The Just 4 Peace Organization, will honor Maryland’s veterans and those service members killed in Iraq.
This summer’s toll also includes:
— Marine Sgt. Alessandro Carbonaro, 28, of Bethesda. Carbonaro died May 10 from wounds suffered during combat in the Anbar province.
— Army Spc. Armer N. Burkart, 26, of Rockville. Burkart died May 11, in Baghdad, from injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near the Humvee in which he was riding.
— Army Staff Sgt. Marion Flint Jr., 29, of Baltimore. During a May 15 combat operation in Baghdad, Flint was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.
— Army Pfc. Michael J. Potocki, 21, of Baltimore. Potocki died June 26 from injuries suffered from small arms fire during combat operations in Al Asad.
— Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward Austin Koth, 30, of Towson. Koth, a member of an explosives disposal unit, was killed at Camp Victory, Iraq, July 26, when a bomb detonated during a disposal operation.
— Marine Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins Jr., 22, of Thurmont. Higgins died July 27 from wounds suffered during combat in Al Anbar province.
— Army Spc. Thomas Barbieri, 24, of Gaithersburg. Barbieri was killed Aug. 23, by small arms fire in combat south of Baghdad.
— Marine Staff Sgt. Dwayne E. Williams, 28, of Baltimore. Williams died Aug. 24, during combat in Al Anbar province. — 30 — CNS-9-5-06