N.C. feels sting of Iraq milestone

Guardsmen's weekend deaths helped push toll above 4,000

When the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq pushed past 4,000 this weekend, North Carolina was hit especially hard.

Saturday's deaths of two North Carolina guardsmen and a third man serving with their unit helped the war's toll reach the grim milestone.

The 4,000 deaths pale compared with those of other lengthy U.S. wars, but the number is much higher than many Americans ever expected after the swift U.S. invasion of Iraq five years ago.

Sgt. Thomas C. Ray II of Weaverville, Sgt. David Williams of Tarboro, and Spc. David S. Stelmat Jr. of Littleton, N.H., were killed Saturday in Baghdad when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Ray and Williams were assigned to the 1132nd Military Police Company of the N.C. Army National Guard, based in Rocky Mount. Stelmat, who was assigned to the North Carolina unit, was a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard.

Maj. Matthew Handley of the N.C. Army National Guard's headquarters in Raleigh, said, "Four-thousand or not, they're all important to us. It's a tragedy any time we lose a soldier."

President Bush, in comments Monday at the State Department, remembered those who have given their lives and promised "an outcome that will merit the sacrifice."

Bush on Monday conferred with his national security team and his senior commander in Iraq about whether to continue reducing the Iraq force after last year's buildup.

In the face of a recent uptick in violence, the White House said Bush is likely to agree with an expected recommendation from Gen. David Petraeus to halt the withdrawals for several months.