Three more members of our military have been killed:

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) -- The number of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq since the war began last March reached 500 on Saturday after a roadside bomb detonated north of Baghdad, killing three U.S. soldiers and two Iraqi civil defense troopers.

Two Americans also were wounded in the attack, which occurred when a Bradley Fighting Vehicle struck an explosive device on a road near Taji, about 20 miles north of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Bill McDonald, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.

The vehicle caught fire, killing the three Americans and two Iraqis who were on joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol, which was looking for roadside bombs, McDonald said.

Three men fleeing in a white truck were detained and soldiers found bomb-making material in the vehicle, he added.

The whole running-tally thing is repulsive. My prayers for their families. A good friend of mine, an Aviation Boatswains Mate (Fuel) is training for a one year Iraqi excursion. He'll be near Baghdad and some of the crazier stuff. Think of him and the other men and women serving today in Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, and other locations.