Community Corner

The Iraq War, 10 Years of Casualties: Edison High School Graduate, Marine Remembered

This week, many remembered the soldiers lost — including Cpl. Binh N. Le — in the 10-year war in Iraq.

Cpl. Binh N. Le was born in Vietnam, but after moving to the United States with an aunt and uncle when he was four years old, Le grew to love his second home although he left his parents behind.

After graduating from Thomas Edison High School in 2002, Le ventured back to Vietnam to visit his parents for the first time since he left his native country. Later that year, he joined the Marine Corps even though he wasn't a legal U.S. citizen. According to Freedom Remembered — an online database for people to search, browse and remember fallen soldiers — Le became a U.S. citizen during his first tour in Iraq and planned to become a sponsor for his parents to join him in the States.

Growing up in Alexandria, Le was a member of Lorton's Gunston Bible Church and played the drums in a series of bands with other youth members of his church; he also played the trumpet and keyboard.

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Le died at age 20 from injuries sustained in enemy action in December 2004 in Anbar Province, Iraq, while patrolling the Jordanian border. Le was proud to be a Marine, and he is survived by his parents back in Vietnam and his aunt and uncle who legally adopted him when they brought him to the states.

Le is one of thousands of soldiers who lost their lives in the decade-long Iraq War. This week marked the 10th anniversary of the war, and many still question if this war was really worth fighting.

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Over the years, the war has taken the lives of 4,488 U.S. soldiers and more than 32,000 were wounded. Although there is no official commemoration for the 10th anniversary of the war planned in D.C. or Baghdad, the images of the war and those the United States has lost will forever be remembered.


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