By: Joe Strupp The New York Times took extra measures today in covering the deadliest week for U.S. military personnel in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict, with a full-page spread of photos depicting all but two of the 64 Americans killed during the seven days that ended last Saturday. But don't look for it again any time soon.
"We thought it was a striking way to demonstrate the news importance and poignancy of an extraordinary week in the continuing story," said Times spokeswoman Kathy Park, who added that the photos would not become a regular feature.
The black-and-white gallery of the dead -- which brought back memories of the Times' award-winning "Portraits of Grief" briefs that followed the Sept. 11 tragedy -- ran with a lengthy story about the funerals of many of the dead, which began on Page One and continued inside.
In addition, five photos from memorial services for some of those killed were published, along with a map of the United States detailing where the mortally wounded lived and a chart indicating how many service people have been killed per week since the Iraq invasion began last spring.
A note accompanying the full page of photos stated, "The dead came from all the major service branches ... as well as the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. Thirty-three of the casualties were marines, including 29 from Camp Pendleton, Calif."
The photos were accompanied by the soldiers' name, age, hometown and rank. Of the 64, just over one-third were age 20 or under.
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