There were less than 15 US military deaths in Iraq during the entire month of July 2008.
Can you point to one major newspaper that covered this in the same fashion in which they covered our more violent months?
I can’t.
Major General William Troy writes in today’s Washington Post about serving as the General Officer assigned to funeral duty several times over the last few years:
My funeral duty has taught me a lot. The cynicism with which some people view politicians doesn’t square with what I’ve seen. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Mike Gregoire, husband of the governor of Washington, attended just about every funeral I went to in their states. Absent the media or official entourages, they personally expressed condolences to grieving families. I’ve learned that the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle club may seem unconventional, but its members’ patriotism and sincerity are undeniable.
And I’ve learned that war most often claims the lives of young kids who go out on patrol day after day, night after night. They go because they are good soldiers led by good sergeants. They go with a singular purpose: to not let their buddies down. Each soldier we lay to rest shared that goal. They kept faith with their comrades, even in the face of danger and death. That is the most humbling lesson of all.
For all those that have given their lives – or sacrificed in other ways – for their friends, their comrades, and their buddies around them at that awful moment… but most importantly for the freedom of total strangers like my family and I – know that today you are never far from our thoughts.
Lex moves on to terminal leave with a brief look behind – and a new career ahead.
Thanks for your service! And now, I’m waiting on the book…
Lex shares a very personal letter from his father from his days at the Naval Academy:
Dear Son,
We are hearing very good things about you, as we told you in our phone conversation last night. We are proud of you indeed and we are sure you’ll make it fine.
I know you won’t believe it now, but the worst is over. It is down hill from here on out.
Well worth reading…
Each of us – in some way – probably has a Final Post written somewhere to be posted in the event that we pass on before our time….
Andrew Olmsted, an Army Reserve Major serving in Iraq, wrote such a post back in July – before his deployment.
Unfortunately, one of his friends had to post Andrew’s ‘Final Post’ earlier this week. Major Olmsted had been killed in action in Iraq.
“I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here.”
G’Kar, Babylon 5
Hat/Tip: Lex
We’re not doubling down here.
We’re all in.
– General David Patraeus
Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq
After nearly eighteen months of silence on this blog, I thought that there was no better day to return than on Memorial Day.
Today is the day that we set aside to honor the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom.
Many of us take the day to BBQ and spend time with family, neighbors, and friends. But we should also take the time to remember those that gave all so that we can live as we do – in a free country, populated by a free-thinking people.
My own memories of Memorial Day run deep. I was raised in a family – and in a community – that honored its veterans and never failed to give them the proper respect. My elementary school music teacher – Carmen Abernathy – often told stories of World War II – when her husband flew B-17s out of England. My community paused on Memorial Day at our veteran’s memorial at the county courthouse on the town square to remember. The traditions, in some ways, of growing up in small town America.
Later in my teen years, as a Boy Scout, we took time on the weekend before Memorial Day to span out across the county in order to place a flag in front of each veteran’s grave in the county. Some had died as old men – having returned home to begin their families or lead successful lives.
Just as many had not.
Today, I pause to remember the more than 600,000 Americans who have died in the service of our country.
