Georgia leads country in National Guard deaths in Iraq

ATLANTA - Georgia leads the country in the number of National Guard deaths in Iraq, according to an analysis by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Twenty-five of the 27 Georgia guardsmen killed in Iraq were members of the 48th Brigade, which deployed to the war zone earlier this year and at the time included a 150-member Gainesville unit. That unit has since been attached to a regular Army group.

Louisana is second, according to the report, with 23 National Guard deaths in Iraq.

The AJC says it used data on the home states of fallen National Guard soldiers compiled by icasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks troop deaths, and the National Guard Bureau.

Jack Harrison, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, told the paper officials there do not compare troop deaths by state and believe that could be seen as disrespectful to fallen soldiers and their families. "We really don't get into comparing which state has the most or the least, because it really serves no purpose," Harrison said. "Every single death is unfortunate and unique."