10 Years Of War: Lake Elsinore And Wildomar Touched

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began 10 years ago this week -- on March 19, 2003 -- and although officially "over," fighting continues.

By one count, the war is directly responsible for 189,000 deaths, not including those who died from hardship caused by the fighting.

CNN has a map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.

Among them, one serviceman from Lake Elsinore was killed, and three from Wildomar. From the CNN war casualties web site:

• Pfc. Daniel Ray Parker, 18, of Lake Elsinore was fatally injured when he was thrown from his vehicle after the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, Aug. 12, 2003.
• Lance Cpl. Justin Thomas Hunt, 22, of Wildomar was one of five Marines killed when a roadside bomb detonated underneath their vehicle near Falluja in Anbar province, Iraq, July 6, 2004.
• Lance Cpl. Fernando Baxter Hannon, 19, of Wildomar died from injuries received from hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2004.
• Sgt. Nathan Kalani Bouchard, 24, of Wildomar was one of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee following a mine-assessing mission in Samara, Iraq, on Aug. 18, 2005.

In the Afghanistan conflict, the following local servicemen have lost their lives:

• of Lake Elsinore was one of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in the Gardez district of Paktia province, Afghanistan, Dec. 27, 2011.
• , of Lake Elsinore died following a roadside bomb attack during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 29, 2012.