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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 19, 2006

Isle Marine killed by sniper

By William Cole
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Hawai'i-based Marine is among 11 U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq over the past two days, officials said.

The Multinational Division-West headquarters in Iraq said the Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died Tuesday from wounds sustained in western Anbar Province.

Marine Corps Base Hawai'i confirmed that the Marine was with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette newspaper in Massachusetts reported that 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth, 23, of Sturbridge, Mass., was killed by a sniper in Haditha, northwest of Baghdad.

Booth was married and had a 1-year-old daughter, Grace, and another child on the way, the newspaper said. Booth was a graduate of The Citadel in South Carolina, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in May 2005, the Telegram & Gazette said.

Two other Marines with the Hawai'i-based unit were killed Oct. 8 in separate battles. The 2nd Battalion has lost five Marines in combat since Sept. 26. About 1,000 Hawai'i Marines last month started a seven-month deployment to Iraq.

The military says a sharp increase in U.S. casualties — 70 so far this month — is tied to Ramadan and a security crackdown in Baghdad. Muslim tenets hold that fighting a foreign occupation force during the holy month puts a believer closer to God.

Seven Hawai'i-based soldiers with the Army's 25th Infantry Division have been killed in Iraq in recent months. More than 7,000 Schofield soldiers are on a year-long deployment to Iraq.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.