Two California Soldiers Killed in Iraq

Specialist Jeremiah P. McCleery, 24, of Portola, California and Specialist Jake R. Velloza, 22, of Inverness, California, were killed fighting in Iraq May 2nd.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - A few hours ago we reported the deaths of two soldiers in Afghanistan and the situation involving a third who is missing in action.

Now the federal government announces the death of two more soldiers who died fighting in Mosul, Iraq which has been an active area in recent weeks and months.

Specialist Jeremiah P. McCleery, 24, of Portola, California and Specialist Jake R. Velloza, 22, of Inverness, California, were killed fighting in Iraq May 2nd.

Both reportedly died from wounds sustained after they were shot by enemy forces in Mosul, Iraq.

The two soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Recent reports on casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan:

5-4-09: Two Soldiers Killed and One Missing in Action in Afghanistan - Salem-News.com

4-20-09: The Faces of Four Americans Killed in Iraq and Afghanistan - Salem-News.com

Deaths in Iraq Jump: 6 Americans Killed in Recent Days - Tim King Salem-News.com

4-12-09: Five Soldiers Killed by VBIED in Iraq Among Latest Casualties - Tim King Salem-News.com

4-7-09: More Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq - Tim King Salem-News.com

3-29-09: Two U.S. Navy Officers Killed by Insurgent Posing as Afghan Soldier - Tim King Salem-News.com

3-24-09: More Marines and Soldiers Pay the Ultimate Price in Afghanistan and Iraq - Tim King Salem-News.com

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.
Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), the first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several other awards including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.
You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com