Authored by: anonymous on Friday, December 29 2006 @ 07:34 PM MST

Vitaljis and Gints you are National Heroes in your Country. An are American Heroes. We appreciate your service to your country and stand firm with America. To given the Iraqi hope to one day live in peace. you have not died in vain. Know that every fallen families of America hearts and prays are with you both and your families. God Bless! Fatherof fallen soldier US Army Sgt. Gregory L. Wahl KIA Balad, Iraq 05-03-04. You will never ever be forgotten : not today and all the tomorrow's!

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Authored by: anonymous on Saturday, December 30 2006 @ 02:03 AM MST

Vitalijs and Gints,
I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for Latvia. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy. America is fortunate to have allies such as your Country who are willing to stand with us.

A grateful American

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Authored by: anonymous on Thursday, January 04 2007 @ 05:40 PM MST

Latvia remembers two young soldiers killed in Iraq blast

RIGA, Jan 4, 2007 (AFP) - Political leaders, diplomats, military personnel and hundreds of civilians gathered Thursday in St Peter's church in Riga to bid farewell to two young Latvian soldiers killed in Iraq last week.
Latvian army privates Vitalijs Vasiljevs, 24, and Gints Bleija, 25, were killed by a roadside bomb near the central town of Al Diwaniyah on December 27, the first combat fatalities from the Baltic state since it sent soldiers to Iraq in 2003.
"They were the best of soldiers," the chaplain of the Latvian armed forces, Elmars Plavins, said during the funeral service for the two soldiers.
"God's mercy towards our troops has been immense so far," Plavins said, alluding to the fact that Latvian soldiers had suffered no casualties in Iraq since a soldier was killed in a demining operation in 2004.
The two soldiers had carried out their duty "without grumbling or doubting", said Plavins.
Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga stopped and bowed silently in front of the two coffins, and laid a wreath alongside many others composed of maroon-red and white flowers, the colours of the Latvian flag.
"The whole of Latvia is in mourning today," said Plavins.
The sobs of grieving friends and family of the fallen filled the historic church as the caskets of the two soldiers were carried down the aisle by a guard of honour.
"Our mission in Iraq will continue as long as necessary, but our duties there are changing," Defence Minister Atis Slakteris told AFP at the funeral service.
The commander of the battalion the two soldiers belonged to said morale among Latvian troops who arrived in Iraq this week for a six-month tour of duty was high, in spite of the loss of their colleagues.
"We can never get used to these tragedies," Major Ilmars Lejins told AFP at the church in Riga's Old Town.
"Let us be grateful that three other soldiers survived the attack," he said, adding that the new deployment of soldiers was "ready to stand in for those who fell."
Three other Latvian soldiers were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off as their Hummer vehicle drove past last week, killing Vasiljevs and Bleija.
The vehicle was on its way back to the soldiers' base at Al Diwaniyah, southeast of Baghdad, the armed forces said in a statement.
The young soldiers were killed shortly before their six-month tour of duty in Iraq was due to end. Vasiljevs was completing his second stint in Iraq.
Lawmakers in Latvia, which is a staunch ally of the United States, voted three weeks ago to extend the mission of the Baltic state's troops in Iraq by one more year.
Latvia, which has a population of 2.3 million, currently has 124 soldiers in Iraq.

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