Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 | 1:10 a.m.
Following is the description Sen. Harry Reid offered during a Senate floor speech Tuesday of the 13 Nevada soldiers who have died in the war in Iraq:
- Marine Lance Cpl. Donald Cline Jr., Sparks, "was the first Nevada soldier to die in Iraq. During the initial invasion of southern Iraq, Lance Corporal Cline was killed in combat while assisting injured soldiers on March 23, 2003. He left behind a wife and two sons, Dakota and Dylan."
- Marine 1st Lt. Frederick Pokorney, Nye County, "killed in action on March 23, 2003. He left behind a wife and a 3-year old daughter. Lieutenant Pokorney was the first Marine from Operation Iraqi Freedom to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery."
- Sgt. Eric Morris, Sparks, "was only six weeks into his tour of duty when he was killed by a homemade bomb on April 28, 2003. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his bravery."
- Marine Cpl. William I. Salazar, Las Vegas, "was killed on Oct. 15, 2004, in a suicide bomb attack. Corporal Salazar was the first Marine combat photographer to be killed in action in more than 35 years. He died on his father's birthday."
- Marine Pfc. John Lukac, Las Vegas, "was killed on Oct. 30, 2004, when his convoy was attacked. The son of immigrants who escaped Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, Private Lukac had been interested in joining the Marines since the age of 12."
- Lance Cpl. Nicholas Anderson, Las Vegas, "died on Nov. 12, 2004. It had only been one year since he graduated from Bonanza High School."
- Army Pfc. Daniel Guastaferro, Las Vegas, "was determined to join the Army, despite suffering a snowboarding injury that left him with a steel plate in his arm. Private Guastaferro died on January 7, 2005. He was 27 years old."
- Marine Lance Cpl. Richard A. Perez Jr., Las Vegas, "died on Feb. 10, 2005. Lance Corporal Perez enlisted in the Marines shortly after his graduation from Coronado High School and volunteered to go to Iraq. He died only 10 days before he was supposed to return home."
- Cpl. Stanley Lapinski "died on June 11, 2005, from injuries sustained in a roadside explosion. After college, he worked at several jobs, finally winding up at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. September 11th prompted him to join the Army. The 37-year old was known in his unit as `Pops.'"
- Marine Cpl. Jesse Jaime, Henderson, "was killed on June 15, 2005, when the vehicle he was riding in hit an explosive device. The 22-year old had followed his twin brother's footsteps by enlisting in the Marines."
- Spc. Anthony S. Cometa, Las Vegas, "was killed on June 16. He was a member of the 1864th Transportation Company, which I met with when I visited Kuwait and Iraq. Specialist Cometa was the first Nevada Army National Guard soldier to die in Iraq. He died just one day after his 21st birthday."
- 2nd Lt. James J. Cathey of Reno "was killed by a roadside bomb on Aug. 21, 2005. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 2004, he headed to Quantico, Va., for officer training. Known as "Cat," ... Cathey and his wife had just found out they were going to have their first child before he left for Iraq."
- Spc. Joseph Martinez of Las Vegas "was killed on Aug. 27, 2005. He was killed in combat while serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. His mother said he always wanted to be a soldier."
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