During last week’s Route 66 Summit at Litchfield, Ill., a steering committee was formed to establish a national Route 66 alliance. One of the organizers at the meeting is optimistic the group will be operating by 2009.

The organization would be similar to the old U.S. Highway 66 Association, which operated until 1976, and the Lincoln Highway Association, which has a paid executive director, office staff and representation from all the member states.

Talks about a national Route 66 group occurred at the 2007 Route 66 Summit in Clinton, Okla., but nothing much happened afterward. Route 66 author Michael Wallis, who presided over that meeting, acknowledged a mistake was made in not forming a steering committee at the time.

“Everybody’s heart was in the right place and the intentions were good, but we didn’t put it away,” Wallis said ruefully during a telephone interview this week.

“But it’s a brand-new day, and I was incredibly impressed with what happened at the summit in Litchfield. The debate never got heated. It got lively, that’s for sure, and that’s good. I think everyone, particularly the people on the steering committee, all got on the same page.”

A number of the steering committee members will gather before a meeting in November of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program advisory board in St. Louis, as many of them are associated with both. But much of the talk about a national Route 66 alliance will occur electronically. Swa Frantzen, proprietor of Historic66.com, donated the rt66.org domain to be expressly used by the alliance.

“A lot of what we can do can be accomplished by e-mail, phone or conference calls,” said Jim Conkle of the Route 66 Preservation Foundation, who also presided over last week’s summit. “Getting together is nice, but it’s not a necessity.”

The steering panel will have a long to-do list, including writing bylaws, applying for nonprofit status and deciding classes of membership.

“We would like to be up and running by Flagstaff (during the annual Route 66 festival in September) and elect a board of governors,” Conkle said.

The steering committee consists primarily of members of existing Route 66 associations from the eight states. The tentative list is:

• Marty Bilecki, Illinois
• Tommy Pike, Missouri
• Mike Pendleton, Kansas
• Scott Nelson, Kansas
• Someone from the Oklahoma association
• Bob “Crocodile” Lile, Texas
• Vickie Ashcraft, New Mexico
• Mike Ward, Arizona
• Kevin Hansel, California
• Michael Wallis, at-large
• David Rushing, at-large
• Rick Freeland, at-large
• Swa Frantzen, at-large
• Jim Conkle, acting chairman

Requests to several other people involved in Route 66 to serve on the committee have been made, but responses have not yet been made.

Conkle is adamant that the future board of directors has representation from outside of Route 66’s eight states, including from foreign countries.

“We’re looking for input,” he said. “This is not a clique; this is not a secret society. It’s going to be open to everybody who has a stake in 66, whether they’re on the road or off the road.”

As for where the alliance will be based, Wallis is lobbying for Tulsa, where a Route 66 museum will soon be built at Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza.

“But I’m pushing for this thing whether the alliance is there or not,” Wallis said.

This version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ is by Park Sung Yeon, who’s described as the “Mother of Korean Jazz.”

Miranda Lambert’s song, “New Strings,” is a doggone good highway song. It also starts in Amarillo, right in the heart of Route 66 country.

Beth, aka loveroute66, has posted three recent photos of the fast-decaying ruins of John’s Modern Cabins on old Route 66 near Arlington, Mo.

She says in the video that she wanted to videotape them now, as they might be unrecognizable or gone the next time she’s in the region.

I confess that we have a lot of history with John’s Modern Cabins. Emily and I extensively researched the history of the tourist court, uncovered a lot of fascinating details, and became involved with Route 66 largely because of it.

We found it once was a beer joint called Bill & Bessie’s Place, and that an aggrieved husband shot to death his estranged wife there in the 1930s. The killer served about 13 years in prison, remarried after his release and by all appearances lived an uneventful life after that.

The second owner was a Chicago native named John Dausch. He renamed the place John’s Modern Cabins shortly after purchasing it in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Locals said the owner’s nickname was “Sunday John” because he illegally sold beer on Sundays. The place went downhill fast after John’s wife died, and he died in 1971. John’s has been pretty much vacant ever since.

The current owner lives about 100 miles away in St. Charles, Mo. About six years ago, we learned he was about to tear the cabins down. But we and other Route 66 enthusiasts persuaded him to relent. After an initial meeting with him, he lost interest in preserving the cabins. Repeated pleas by me and others to help fix what was left of them were ignored.

So John’s Modern Cabins continue to decay rapidly, especially in the past three years or so. They may be gone soon. But at least they’re still there for a little while, helping tell a Route 66 story.

On Sunday, Amy Mack and about 40 other cyclists are embarking on a 3,400-mile ride from Los Angeles to Boston, part of it on old Route 66.

That’s a remarkable enough quest. But Mack is doing it three years after she was nearly killed in a biking accident, reports the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette:

Thrown more than 100 feet on ML Avenue as she rode her bike to her son’s soccer game in the spring of 2005, Mack suffered four breaks in her back, including a compression fracture, as well as fractures of a leg and ribs. A helmet saved her from death, but it too was broken, and she suffered a closed-head injury.

She spent two weeks in intensive care and half of that summer in a hospital bed at home.

Doctors at one point were not sure she would walk again.

But Mack has pushed herself far beyond that point, strengthening herself for her upcoming 49-day group ride. She expects to average 80 miles a day, the first grueling week involving a ride across the Mojave Desert.

You can read more about Mack’s recovery here. She’s also created a blog of her upcoming road adventures here, which she plans to update along the way.

A report by the Morris (Ill.) Daily Herald indicates that attendance at the second annual Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival was hurt by cold weather on Saturday, but it rebounded somewhat when the temperatures improved on Sunday.

And there’s sentiment to push the festival deeper into the summer months:

Several community members said they hope the committee goes back to a summer event next year, when there may be a chance of rain but the cold, windy weather wouldn’t be an issue. [...]

“The fact that all these people came out and pulled together to put the event on makes it a success,” Cox said. “The weather is the only let down.”

He said they were also competing with several proms, including Gardner, Dwight and Morris’ proms, which he felt was holding some people back from coming out.

Cox said he would be talking with the organizers of the Red Carpet Corridor to see if he could persuade them to push the event back until warmer weather next year.

It appears attendance was better on Sunday, however:

As the weather turned nicer on Sunday, the numbers were better and more people could be found throughout the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor.

Employees at the Joliet Visitor Center said they had about 25 people in the first hour on Sunday.

A Wilmington Route 66 store reported this weekend to be his busiest in three years.

But any festival organizer will tell you that Saturday is a much bigger money-making day for festivals than Sunday. For the festival to be successful, it needed better weather on Saturday.

I’m not sure that pushing the event back into the summer months would be all that viable because you’d be competing against other summer festivals in the region. But even rescheduling the Red Carpet from early May to late May could make quite a difference with weather conditions.

UPDATE: A report by the Pontiac Daily Leader was a bit sunnier:

“Yesterday was pretty chilly, PROUD’s Lori Fairfield said Sunday, “but the vendors said they actually did fairly well.” Store owners did well, as did restaurants, and “It was great having it downtown,” she said of the mix of entertainment, sales and food. [...]

Officers of the Route 66 Association of Illinois staffing the museum on Sunday said they had a very good turnout, whether people driving the corridor or just visiting the museum. No one mentioned the price of gasoline as a factor in whether to make the trip, they said. [...]

“I think the first day was pretty good attendance for the horrible winter weather that we had. We had quite a bit of crowds, the museums were full, they were happy with the turnout we had,” Pontiac Tourism Director Ellie Alexander said Sunday afternoon. “Our food vendors were busy all day long. I went in a couple of our restaurants here in town and you d couldn’t get a table in them so I would say that was a successful weekend of bringing people to Pontiac and showing them what we have. I haven’t talked to many of the other towns; I know weather was a factor in some of the and some of their vendors left. I was proud our vendors stuck out the bad day yesterday. Today we are going to reap the benefits of that. I see traffic is picking up as we speak.”

It should be noted that Pontiac probably would attract the most people from the festival, especially when the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum is right downtown.

Eric Swanger is planning on driving the length of Route 66 in a few days.

What makes his trip special is he’s doing it entirely on a Vespa scooter. He starts from Chicago on May 6.

He e-mailed:

I am keeping a blog and posting a ton of pics. For the Route 66 segment, I’m doing an average of 150 miles per day. I intend to spend a lot of time getting to really know the road.

He knows it fairly well already. He’s made four major trips on the Mother Road. But this will be his first on a scooter.

That’s not all — after reaching Santa Monica, he’ll turn north and go clear to Montana while traveling east. By the time he’s done, I figure he’ll have logged 8,000 miles.

He’ll be driving a 2007 Vespa GTS, which goes up to 85 mph and gets 70 miles to the gallon.

In more news from the Mother Road:

• The order that allowed the City of Albuquerque to take possession of El Vado Motel was made permanent on Tuesday. There is an application for a demolition permit filed by previous owner Richard L. Gonzales. But the city’s senior planner for the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Committee told me the demolition application has been rendered moot.
• The Fanning U.S. 66 Outpost and General Store, located four miles west of Cuba, Mo., is holding its grand opening on May 10. The store is next to the recently built world’s largest rocking chair.
• Joe Sonderman, a Route 66 enthusiast based in St. Louis, has a book coming out called “Route 66 in St. Louis.” It will be published on May 14, and will retail for $19.99.
• Jacob Saunders is traveling the road, and he’s set up a terrific blog to document his experiences. The dozens of photos show how much stuff there is on Route 66, yet there are still a few things he missed.
• Reed’s Route 66 Antiques and Silks in Erick, Okla., is holding its grand opening May 24. It’s at 201 E. Roger Miller Blvd., aka Route 66, which is one block from the Roger Miller Museum. The first 50 customers that day will get free homemade cinnamon rolls.
• From the Get Yer Freak On Department: With this blog item, you’ll see some photographs of arty video footage projected onto abandoned buildings near the Route 66 settlement of Amboy, Calif.

Here in Tulsa, there’s been considerable discussion by the city council on what to do about digital billboards. Some officials want to restrict them, some want new spacing rules for them, and a few undoubtedly want to ban them (although that option is unlikely).

But it appears the Route 66 town of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has come up with an interesting compromise. According to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:

The City Council has given Lamar Advertising, which owns nine billboards in the city, the go-ahead to build three electronic signs - two on the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Archibald Avenue and another on the northeast corner of Arrow Route and the 15 Freeway.

The electronic billboards will replace nine signs, resulting in a decrease of six signs. The agreement allows the city to use the billboards for public service messages.

Councilman Sam Spagnolo said giving the city an opportunity to publicize fundraisers and other events is a plus. He described it as a “win-win.” [...]

The two billboards at Foothill Boulevard and Archibald Avenue will be 17 by 17 feet and in the shape of the Route 66 emblem. The billboard near the 15 Freeway will be 14 by 48 feet.

This makes a lot of sense. The billboard companies get their LED billboards, the city can use these newfangled devices to tout tourism and charities in the city, and the number of billboards overall drops.

If such a deal were struck in Tulsa, billboards could publicize Route 66, the Gilcrease Museum, the Golden Driller and other attractions. If you’re going to allow new advertising technology that creates more messages and is more attention-getting, make sure some public benefit comes from it.

For the record: I have a much less dim view of billboards than most. Billboards are part of the road-trip experience. A journey down Route 66 would be less interesting without messages such as “Free 72-oz. steak,” “Tucumcari Tonite!” and “Here It Is!” along the way.

TVShowsonDVD.com has interesting news about the upcoming DVD re-releases of the original “Route 66″ television series of 1960-64.

Apparently dates for upcoming releases, including a complete Season 1 and a half-season of Season 2, had been canceled. But those dates apparently will be rescheduled:

Along the course of putting out the first DVD packages, Infinity (and Roxbury) recognized there was some customer dissatisfaction with the half-season sets put out for the first season, and they want to resolve this. To begin with, they are scrapping the half-season concept at this time. As a result, Season 2, Vol 1 is completely canceled. Instead, though, we will get a Complete Season 2 DVD package! It’s currently penciled in for an October release, but that’s not finalized just yet.

In the meantime, the Complete Season 1 DVD IS still coming out. But it’s being pushed back to release sometime in August, in order to give the studio more time to address customer complaints about how episodes were presented on disc in the first half-season sets for that show. There has not been any word yet on whether Infinity will offer any sort of “upgrade/fix” path for people who purchased the original versions and wish to get the corrected versions, but we’ll let you know if we hear anything.

To elaborate a bit: In Season One, Vol. 1, the folks at Roxbury Entertainment faced a deadline crunch and were unable to track down original duplicate film stock of “Route 66″ in time. So a few viewers perceived subpar image quality on a number of episodes. One episode in particular used a set of reels that had about six minutes edited out.

In the Season One, Vol 2, release, a letterbox look was employed to take advantage of the burgeoning high-definition television market. This resulted in the picture being cropped on the top and bottom.

I must admit that the overall quality of Vol. 1 was so good, I tended to overlook what I considered to be minor flaws. I’ve seen other re-releases of movies from decades ago look far worse, mainly because the film stock had deteriorated. In Vol. 2, I didn’t even notice the cropping until someone had pointed it out. Even then, it didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment of the few episodes I viewed.

Still, it appears the complaints were persistent enough (and perhaps Infinity felt its good reputation was at stake) that Roxbury decided to take a step or two back and be a little more diligent. Roxbury’s president said “Route 66’s” DVD sales had exceeded expectations, so lack of revenue shouldn’t be an excuse for skimping on quality control.

This is going to be obscure except for the most rabid of Route 66 enthusiasts in the Windy City. But it was announced a couple of days ago that the International Tailoring Company Building at 847 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s also known as the White Tower Building.

Jackson Boulevard is an eastbound-only street that’s an alignment of Route 66. I figured David Clark’s book, “Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland,” would have something about it. It did, on Page 9:

The School of the Art Institute uses the building on the south side of the block for gallery space. Public art shows are staged here periodically. Originally known as the White Tower Building, it is being converted into residential use as “The Tailor on Jackson” as of spring 2005. Here’s hoping they renovate the Clock Tower, which as been sheathed in ugly corrugated metal for many years.

The Art Institute’s gallery there is known as Gallery 2.

The building is at the southeast corner Jackson and Peoria Street (map here). A Google Streets image shows the White Tower Building here (pay no mind to the listing of 876 W. Jackson Blvd.; that is inaccurate). The letters “White Tower” can be clearly seen on the building’s windows above the doorway.

Another image of the building can be seen here.

The Mill restaurant and the Postville Courthouse State Historic Site in Lincoln, Ill., saw “Route 66 Roadside Attraction” signs erected at those sites this week, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph.

A small ceremony was held at each landmark as Ladd christened the new signs with an official bottle of Route 66 Root Beer. He was joined by volunteers John and Lenore Weiss, John Sutton and Shirley Bartelmay, coordinator for the Postville site. [...]

Currently, there are 25 locations on Route 66 in Illinois that are listed as official roadside attractions.

Here’s another story about the new sign placements, by the Lincoln Courier.

Illinois Route 66 Association volunteers placed the signs. The effort also is an outshoot from the Hampton Inn Route 66 Caravan in 2003, in which dozens of “Roadside Attraction” signs were placed.

This is Nancy Williams and the SunTones playing Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.” One of the guitarists also has to double as a harmonica player.

Here’s a video tribute to a Route 66 legend in St. Louis — Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. It’s the best place for frozen treats on the Mother Road, and maybe anywhere.

Music is “The Sweetest Thing” by U2.

From the “Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down” column today in the Williams-Grand Canyon News in Williams, Ariz.:

Thumbs down - Witnessed just last week - a tourist was asking a local store clerk for directions to westbound Historic Route 66 leading to Kingman. The store clerk was unable to provide the directions. Another one of our amazing locals told the tourist that there was nothing along that portion of Route 66 to see. Luckily, another local stepped forward to help the tourist. Williams is Route 66. We all should be proud of where we live and more importantly, become educated enough about our area to share what we know with our visitors. Let’s show our pride in our community by being helpful to our visitors. If you are new in town, stop by the city of Williams-Forest Service Visitor Center, 200 W. Railroad Ave. There’s tons of free literature about our area and the staff is more than happy to tell you everything you want or need to know.

The sad part is Williams has about as much civic pride in Route 66 as any town. I hope the local who said there was “nothing” along the Mother Road in western Arizona had his chops busted.

Soul singer Al Wilson, a longtime resident of the Route 66 town of San Bernardino, Calif., and a performer at its Route 66 Rendezvous, died Monday at an area hospital at age 68, reports the Inland Press-Enterprise.

He also performed at the John Steinbeck Awards, a ceremony for Route 66’s movers and shakers, in San Bernardino in 2005.

According to Reuters, he died of kidney failure.

He was born in Mississippi but moved to San Bernardino when he was a teenager.

A garage fire destroyed Wilson’s home studio and many of his master tapes last spring.

Wilson’s biggest and best-known hit was “Show and Tell,” which went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts in 1974.

Here’s a good biography on Wikipedia.

And here’s Wilson’s biggest hit, on the “Soul Train” television show, during his peak:

A proposed Route 66 display inside the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, Mo., was unveiled on Wednesday, and it drew a lot of praise — including the president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, reported the Joplin Globe.

The description of the display:

Elements of the exhibit are to include a facade of the former Boots Drive-In in Carthage as a display case to secure Route 66 artifacts to be displayed; a vintage gasoline pump; a Missouri Route 66 sign; and model front ends of two vehicles from the early days of the highway.

The display will occupy space in the courthouse lobby just across from the elevator. On facing walls will be maps of Route 66 in the United States and in Jasper County, with information on communities through which the route passes. The exhibit also will include a flat-screen television for presentation of a slide show of Route 66 scenes from the early days to the present.

The proposal was developed by Brad Belk and Christopher Wiseman of the Joplin Museum Complex. Belk has received praise for previous museum work. Funding for the Route 66 display is set to come from a Missouri Department of Transportation grant. According to previous reports, Belk hopes to have the display ready later this year.

UPDATE: Here’s a video about the proposal from KODE-TV in Joplin.

Five years ago, the City of Albuquerque purchased the historic De Anza Motel on Route 66 after proposal surfaced to replace it with a drug and liquor store.

The city hoped to have it reopened as a boutique motel by now. But progress has been slow, reports the Albuquerque Tribune.

It took the city until last September — almost five years after buying the property — to reach a purchase agreement with De Anza LLC, a development group headed by Matthew Terry, an Albuquerque accountant, and his financial backer, Gerald Landgraf.

That agreement is in its first phase, with the developer allowed on site to perform feasibility and financial studies.

The actual sale of the property — for $1 but with strict, contractual stipulations about how it could be developed — would not occur until the next phase. Work on the property, which begins with city removal of hazardous substances like asbestos, also is part of Phase Two.

Moreover, the developer can back out anytime before reaching Phase Two.

Though De Anza LLC recently was granted an extension until June, Dineen says he remains optimistic.

“They’ve got the wherewithal to do this, and I think they really want to do it,” he said.

Terry, reached by phone Monday, declined to comment other than to say: “We’re moving forward with the process, but we don’t have anything to add at this time.”

In case you’re wondering whether the city’s bid to purchase or condemn and renovate El Vado Motel would then subsequently face the same sluggish progress, officials don’t think so.

But he said several factors would make the resurrection of El Vado easier and quicker to accomplish.

Those factors include a more favorable location (El Vado is near tourist draws like the Rio Grande Zoo), and the fact there are no additional complications, such as the murals depicting sacred Zuni Pueblo scenes at the De Anza that must be protected.

The city objects to El Vado owner Richard Gonzales’ plans to demolish the building, which it has designated as a historic landmark. It is proceeding with condemnation of the property and plans to make its redevelopment a “high priority,” Dineen said.

A consultant has evaluated possibilities for making El Vado a “destination motel” — the city’s first choice for its reuse, much as it was for the De Anza.

Incidentally, this is probably the last time the Tribune will issue reports such as this because. The afternoon newspaper is ceasing publication on Saturday, after years of declining circulation.

Here’s another road song from Jackson Browne, and it’s probably his best-known. He’s got a little help, circa 1982.

I don’t subscribe to the notion that all publicity is good publicity. Exhibit A is a story out of Tracy, Calif., in which the town’s Veterans Park being built was changed from a promised patriotic theme to a Route 66 theme.

Here’s the initial story from the Tracy Press. Here’s a follow-up from a local CBS affiliate. It seems the park’s theme was changed for reasons no one seems to know — except that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.

I don’t think hardly anyone would think that Route 66 is unpatriotic. However, if the local government pledges to residents a specific patriotic theme, give it to them. A Route 66 connection such as this isn’t needed if there are hurt feelings and broken promises.

The curious thing is that Tracy is in northern California — hundreds of miles from the Mother Road. So there’s no local connection to Route 66 whatsoever.

Here’s our tribute to the soldiers from Route 66 towns who’ve died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

ILLINOIS
Chicago

• Staff Sgt. Oscar D. Vargas-Medina, died May 1, 2004
• 1st Sgt. Edward Smith, died April 5, 2003
• Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps, died March 17, 2004
• Pfc. Torry D. Harris, died July 13, 2004
• Sgt. Sirlou C. Cuaresma, died June 21, 2006
• Cmdr. Adrian Basil Szwec, died April 12, 2004
• Machinist’s Mate Fireman Apprentice Bryant L. Davis, died Nov. 7, 2001
• Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr., died May 6, 2007
• Sgt. Eric A. Lill, died July 6, 2007
• Pfc. Omar E. Torres, died Aug. 22, 2007

Countryside

• Spc. John R. Sullivan, died Nov. 15, 2003

Cicero

• Sgt. Pedro J. Colon, died Feb. 19, 2007

Dwight

• Lance Cpl. Raymond J. Holzhauer, died March 15, 2007

Lincoln

• Staff Sgt. Daniel G. Gresham, died Feb. 24, 2005
• Spc. Francis M. Trussel Jr., died May 26, 2007

Normal

• Spc. Jessica L. Cawvey, died Oct. 6, 2004

Bloomington

• Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, died March 21, 2003
• 1st Lt. Debra A. Banaszak, died Oct. 28, 2005

Springfield

• Spc. Jacob C. Palmatier, died Feb. 24, 2005

Virden

• Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., died Oct. 9, 2005

Carlinville

• Spc. Jeremiah D. Costello, died June 2, 2007

Edwardsville

• Pfc. Ryan C. Garbs, died Feb. 18, 2007

Granite City

• Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Christopher Dostie, died Dec. 30, 2005
• Sgt. Steven P. Mennemeyer, died Aug. 9, 2006

MISSOURI
Florissant

• Pvt. Lavena L. Johnson, died July 19, 2005

St. Louis

• Maj. William F. Hecker III, died Jan. 5, 2006
• Sgt. Amanda N. Pinson, died March 16, 2006
• Pfc. James F. Costello III, died April 11, 2006
• Lance Cpl. Leon Lance Deraps, died May 6, 2006
• Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Walsh, died Sept. 4, 2006
• Cpl. Jacob R. Fleisher, died Nov. 24, 2004
• Spc. Christopher M. Katzenberger, died Aug. 9, 2005
• Maj. Gloria D. Davis, died Dec. 12, 2006
• Lance Cpl. Matthew W. Clark, died Dec. 14, 2006
• Sgt. Milton A. Gist Jr., died Jan. 30, 2007
• Sgt. Brandon L. Wallace, died April 14, 2007
• Lt. Daniel P. Riordan, died June 23, 2007

Wildwood

• Spc. Peter J. Navarro, died Dec. 13, 2005

Pacific

• Cpl. Riley E. Baker, died June 22, 2006

Bourbon

• Corp. James E. Summers III, died May 28, 2007

Lebanon

• Sgt. Lawrence Parrish, died Oct. 7, 2006

Marshfield

• Spc. Michael C. Campbell, died May 19, 2004

Springfield

• Pfc. Jesse Alan Givens, died May 1, 2003
• Sgt. Timothy J. Sutton, died July 11, 2005
• Sgt. 1st Class Randall L. Lamberson, died April 10, 2006
• Spc. Jessy G. Pollard, died Aug. 22, 2007

Carthage

• Master Sgt. Thomas A. Wallsmith, died Oct. 26, 2005

Joplin

• Sgt. Philip J. Svitak, died March 4, 2002

KANSAS
Riverton

• Pvt. Dustin L. Kreider, died March 21, 2004

OKLAHOMA
Miami

• Civilian Fern L. Holland, died March 9, 2004
• Tech. Sgt. Jason L. Norton, died Jan. 22, 2006

Vinita

• Sgt. Justin Noyes, died July 2, 2006

Claremore

• Staff Sgt. John G. Doles, died Sept. 30, 2005

Tulsa

• Pvt. Jason M. Ward, died Oct. 22, 2003
• Spc. James E. Marshall, died May 5, 2004
• Lance Cpl. Jordan D. Winkler, died Nov. 26, 2004
• Cpl. Nathaniel T. Hammond, died Nov. 8, 2004
• Cpl. Jared M. Shoemaker, died Sept. 4, 2006
• Cpl. Derek A. Stanley, died June 5, 2006
• Pfc. Jaron D. Holliday, died Aug. 4, 2007

Luther

• Cpl. Jeremy D. Allbaugh, died July 5, 2007

Edmond

• Pfc. David J. Martin, died Oct. 31, 2005

Oklahoma City

• Spc. Sonny Gene Sampler, died July 8, 2004
• Sgt. Carl W. Lee, died Nov. 28, 2004
• Cpl. Jeffry A. Rogers, died Nov. 16, 2005
• Staff Sgt. Lance M. Chase, died Jan. 23, 2006
• Chief Warrant Officer Lawrence S. Colton, died April 11, 2004
• Sgt. Danton K. Seitsinger, died Jan. 29, 2004
• Lance Cpl. Trevor A. Roberts, died March 24, 2007
• Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, died June 21, 2007
• Spc. Derek A. Calhoun, died June 23, 2007
• Staff Sgt. William D. Scates, died Aug. 11, 2007

TEXAS
Amarillo

• Capt. Eric Bruce Das, died April 7, 2003
• Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, died March 23, 2003
• Spc. Taylor J. Burk, died Jan. 26, 2005
• Staff Sgt. Tommy Ike Folks Jr., died Oct. 19, 2005
• Chief Warrant Officer Miles P. Henderson, died Nov. 6, 2006
• Pfc. Troy D. Cooper, died Dec. 3, 2006

NEW MEXICO
Las Vegas

• Lance Cpl. Shane P. Harris, died Sept. 3, 2006

Santa Fe

• Lance Cpl. Jonathan Walter Grant, died May 11, 2005

Albuquerque

• Pfc. Christopher Ramos, died April 5, 2004
• Pfc. Christopher S. Adlesperger, died Dec. 9, 2004
• Spc. Jeremy E. Christensen, died Nov. 27, 2004
• Spc. Christopher A. Merville, died Oct. 12, 2004
• Sgt. 1st Class Christopher J. Speer, died Aug. 7, 2002
• Spc. Eric Vizcaino, died Nov. 21, 2006
• Tech Sgt. Scott E. Duffman, died Feb. 18, 2007
• Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III, died April 9, 2007
• Maj. Douglas Zembiec, died May 10, 2007
• Sgt. James C. Akin, died June 3, 2007

Los Lunas

• Sgt. Joel A. Dahl, died June 23, 2007

Belen

• 1st Lt. Tamara Long Archuleta, died March 23, 2003

ARIZONA
Holbrook

• Spc. Damien M. Montoya, died July 9, 2006

Winslow

• Sgt. Christopher N. Gonzalez, died May 14, 2007

Flagstaff

• Lance Cpl. Marty G. Mortenson, died April 20, 2005
• Spc. Alyssa R. Peterson, died Sept. 15, 2003

Kingman

• Hospitalman Joshua McIntosh, died June 26, 2003
• Staff Sgt. William T. Latham, died June 18, 2003
• Spc. Coty J. Phelps, died May 17, 2007

CALIFORNIA
Barstow

• Sgt. 1st Class James F. Hayes, died Nov. 6, 2005
• Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Phillip Daugherty, died July 6, 2007

Victorville

• Lance Cpl. William J. Wiscowiche, died March 30, 2004

San Bernardino

• Cpl. Sean R. Grilley, died Oct. 16, 2003
• Cpl. Nicanor Alvarez, died Aug. 21, 2004
• Spc. Timothy D. Watkins, died Oct. 15, 2005
• Pfc. Alex Oceguera, died Oct. 31, 2006

Rialto

• Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Molina Bautista, died May 23, 2004
• Spc. Luis D. Santos, died June 8, 2006
• Spc. Victor A. Garcia, died July 1, 2007

Azusa

• Pfc. Leroy Harris-Kelly, died April 20, 2004

Arcadia

• Sgt. Kyle A. Colnot, died April 22, 2006

Fontana

• Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, died May 5, 2006
• Lance Corp. Fontana S. Tamayo, died Dec. 21, 2006

Glendora

• Spc. Elias Elias, died Dec. 23, 2006
• Lance Corp. Blake H. Howey, died Feb. 18, 2007
• Staff Sgt. Thomas M. McFall, died May 28, 2007

Monrovia

• Lance Cpl. Raul Mercado, died Jan. 7, 2006

Rancho Cucamonga

• Capt. Mark C. Paine, died Oct. 15, 2006
• Sgt. Lawrence J. Carter, died Dec. 29, 2006

Pomona

• Petty Officer 2nd Class Cesar O. Baez, died June 15, 2005
• Sgt. Shaker T. Guy, died Oct. 29, 2005
• Spc. Sergio Gudino, died Dec. 25, 2005

Pasadena

• Lance Cpl. Sergio H. Escobar, died Oct. 8, 2005
• Spc. Adam J. Rosema, died March 14, 2007
• Lance Cpl. Rogelio A. Ramirez, died Aug. 26, 2007

Los Angeles

• Staff Sgt. Juan de Dios Garcia-Arana, April 30, 2005
• Staff Sgt. Eddie E. Menyweather, died Nov. 23, 2003
• Lance Cpl. Benjamin R. Gonzalez, died May 29, 2004
• Staff Sgt. Abraham D. Penamedina, died April 27, 2004
• Sgt. 1st Class John Winston, Marshall, died April 8, 2003
• Pfc. Francisco Abraham Martinez-Flores, died March 27, 2003
• Cpl. Jorge Alonso Gonzalez, died March 23, 2003
• Lance Cpl. Victor R. Lu, died Nov. 13, 2004
• Sgt. Trinidad R. Martinezluis, died Nov. 28, 2004
• Lance Cpl. Luis A. Figueroa, died Nov. 18, 2004
• Spc. Omead H. Razani, died Aug. 27, 2004
• Sgt. Edgar E. Lopez, died Aug. 28, 2004
• Sgt. 1st Class Joselito O. Villanueva, Sept. 27, 2004
• Lance Cpl. Felipe D. Sandoval-Flores, died April 2, 2006
• Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero, died June 9, 2006
• Cpl. Roberto Abad, died Aug. 6, 2004
• Pfc. Geoffrey Perez, died Aug. 15, 2004
• Lance Cpl. Veashna Muy, died June 23, 2005
• Cpl. Carlos Pineda, died June 24, 2005
• Lance Cpl. Dion M. Whitley, died June 15, 2005
• Sgt. Milton M. Monzon Jr., died July 24, 2005
• Sgt. Alejandro Carrillo, died Jan. 30, 2007
• Spc. Christopher D. Young, died March 2, 2007
• Spc. Romel Catalan, died June 2, 2007
• Staff Sgt. Greg P. Gagarin, died June 3, 2007
• Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, died Sept. 29, 2007
• Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri, died Oct. 27, 2007

(Sources: CNN.com, icasualties.org)