Community Corner

Remembering Local Casualties of the Iraq War

A doctor from Moorestown and a Maple Shade man are among the 82 New Jerseyans and 4,802 Americans and allies lost in the war, which began 10 years ago this week.

This week marks 10 years since the beginning of the Iraq War, a good time to honor those from Moorestown and the surrounding area who sacrificed their lives for our country.

By one count, the war is directly responsible for 189,000 deaths, not including those who died from hardship caused by the fighting.

(CNN has a stunning map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.)

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In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, including 82 from New Jersey.

Seven of the casualties hailed from Burlington County—among them, one from Moorestown and another from Maple Shade. From the CNN war casualties website:

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Maj. John Paul Pryor, 42, of Moorestown, was killed when a mortar round struck near his living quarters in Mosul, Iraq, on Dec. 25, 2008. Pryor, a trauma surgeon, was a member of the Forward Surgical Team, 1st Medical Detachment, Army Reserve, assigned to the 344th Combat Support Hospital.

In 2010, the township rededicated the former Salem Road Park, at Salem and Hartford roads, as John Pryor Park. 

Spc. David Paul Mahlenbrock, 20, of Maple Shade, was killed on Dec. 3, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded while he was clearing a route in Kirkuk, Iraq. Mahlenbrock served with Company B, 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division (Light). 

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