The number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq hit 2,000 on Tuesday.

According to the web site Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, 18 Native Americans have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003. This represents 0.92 percent of the total U.S. military casualty count. Another 20, or 1.03 percent, were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, according to the figures.

The casualties include Lori Piestewa, a member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona who was the first Native American to die in the war in late March 2003. She is considered the first Native woman to die in combat.

At least five members of the Navajo Nation -- Marshall Alan Westbrook, Lyle Cambridge, Quinn A. Keith, Harry N. Shondee and Lee Duane Todacheene -- and have been killed in Iraq. Most died due to roadside or makeshift bomb explosions.

Other casualties include Seferino Reyna, a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona; Dwayne Bellanger McFarlane, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe from Minnesota; and Sheldon Hawk Eagle, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe from South Dakota.

Get the Story:
U.S. Military Death Toll in Iraq Hits 2,000 (The Washington Post 10/26)
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Bigger, Stronger Homemade Bombs Now to Blame for Half of U.S. Deaths (The Washington Post 10/26)
2,000 Dead: As Iraq Tours Stretch On, a Grim Mark (The New York Times 10/26)
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Relevant Links:
Iraq Coalition Casualty Count - http://icasualties.org/oif

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