(01/02/07) PASSAIC - The number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq now stands at more than 3,000, a figure that hits home particularly hard for one Passaic resident.

Yury Tarlavsky lost his son, U.S. Army Captain Michael Tarlavsky, in August of 2004. Michael was shot and killed by a sniper while serving with a special forces unit. The newest figure of more than 3,000 killed is especially tough for Tarlavsky to deal with, knowing other families are going through the loss of a loved one killed in combat.

Tarlavsky said his son thought he was doing a good thing by training Iraqi forces to hopefully take over their own country. However, he doesn?t believe victory can be achieved by the U.S. in the troubled country. Tarlavsky takes some measure of comfort knowing his son died trying to warn other soldiers about the sniper that would eventually take his life.