Roadside bombs claim 6 Ft. Lewis soldiers in 3 days

Roadside bombs claim 6 Ft. Lewis soldiers in 3 days

Susan Rothwell stands next to the sign outside her restaurant after adding the names of the latest Ft. Lewis soldiers killed in Iraq.

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Story Published: Aug 6, 2007 at 7:43 AM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 6, 2007 at 1:08 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

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FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- The Department of Defense on Sunday said that three more soldiers from Fort Lewis have been killed in Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Fernando Santos, 29, Spc. Cristian Rojas-Gallego, 24, and Spc. Eric D. Salinas, 25, were killed August 2 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghhdad.

All three soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, at Fort Lewis.

Across the street from the main gate at Fort Lewis is a sign outside Gallopping Gertie's restaurant listing the last names of the three soldiers.

Owner Susan Rothwell posts the names of all the fallen Fort Lewis soldiers and just finished posting the latest names Monday morning. "I'm running out of room. That's the really sad part," she said.

Rothwell says it's a good day when she doesn't have to come out and update the sign.

"I think about the person. Their family. Their connections," she says. "I wonder, were they here. Did we serve them their last breakfast before they left?"

On July 31, three other soldiers from the same unit were killed in Baghdad by an improvised explosive device that detonated near their vehicle on July 31.

The Pentagon said Spc. Zachariah J. Gonzalez, 23, Pfc. Charles T. Heinlein Jr., 23, and Pfc. Alfred H. Jairala, 29, died in that attack.

The brigade went to Iraq in June 2006.

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