Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found

[Snowden]

Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found


(Newser) – The families of two US soldiers missing in Iraq for over a year have been informed that their bodies have been found, reports AP. Alex Jimenez, 25, and Byron Fouty, 19, were seized by insurgents in a May 2007 ambush. Four other soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division "Polar Bears" died in the attack. The body of a third kidnapped soldier was found weeks later.

"Every day that he's been missing has been a day of what could have been," said Fouty's stepfather at his home in Michigan. "I'm still in shock. But I know I have to go forward, not just for our family, but for the other men and women who are still doing their job over there." The bodies have been flown back to America, where officials will perform tests to determine the cause of their deaths.

In an undated file photo released by Sgt. Michael Morse, Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich., of Delta Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment is seen in Quarghuli village. (AP Photo)

In this undated file photo released by the U.S. Army, Spc. Alex R. Jimenez is seen. The father of Jimenez, of Lawrence, Mass., said his son's body has been found in Iraq. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, File)

In this Feb. 5, 2007 file photo., U.S. Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, from Lawrence, Mass., lifts weights near Youssifiyah, 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

In this undated picture released by a colleague on Thursday, May 24 2007, U.S. Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, left, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, right, are seen in their barracks. (AP Photo/ Sgt Michael Morse, HO)


Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found - Newser

[Woodmonkey]

May they rest in peace.

[AT3Weins]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 585-08
July 11, 2008

DoD Announces Change In Status Of Army Soldiers

The Department of Defense today announced the deaths of two soldiers previously listed as “Missing-Captured” while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On July 10, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner positively identified human remains recovered in Iraq July 9 to be those of two soldiers who had been previously listed as “Missing-Captured.”

Killed were:

Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez, 25 at the time of his capture, of Lawrence, Mass.

Pfc. Byron J. Fouty, 19 at the time of his capture, of Waterford, Mich.

Jimenez and Fouty were part of a patrol that was ambushed by enemy forces south of Baghdad on May 12, 2007. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. The Department of Defense previously announced the names of soldiers killed in the attack. They were Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack, Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell, Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn.; Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Nashville, Mich.; Cpl. Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, Va.; and Sgt. Anthony J. Schober, 23, of Reno, Nev.

The incident is under investigation.

If you have questions concerning the status change, please contact Shari Lawrence, Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va., at (703) 325-8856 or (703) 946-0791 (cell).