BAGHDAD —  Five U.S. soldiers died in Iraq, the U.S. military announced Friday, including three who were killed in an explosion near their vehicle.All five were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said.Three were conducting operations Thursday in Kirkuk province in northern Iraq when a bomb exploded near their vehicle, the military said in a statement. Another soldier was wounded in the blast, it said.A fourth soldier was killed by small arms fire the same day in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, another statement said.Another soldier died Wednesday in a non-combat related incident, which the military said it was investigating.

The victims’ names were withheld pending family notification.

Great way to start off the morning if your son is stationed in Kirkuk province, is always out “on operations” in vehicles and is a part of Task Force Lightning.

This is the really hard part. Most of the time you can put it out of your mind and act as though he isn’t in a war zone. Pretend he’s stationed at his base in Hawaii. Each death that occurs is immediately cross-checked with where it occurred. If nowhere close, you breathe a sign of relief. If closer to where you think he is, you try to get more information and check his My Space account to see when he was last on. That is usually my indication that everything is ok.

Today, there is no information available other than this.

He hasn’t been on My Space since Tuesday. Until I hear from him, I’m on pins and needles. The fact that we have not yet been “notified” is good.

I ask for your prayers for him and for us. Thanks.