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11 Bravo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-19-05 05:19 PM
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He's dead
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This summer I posted about a young Army Lt. my wife and I met at a wedding. He was headed to Iraq within the week. As an ex-grunt, I struck up a conversation with him. I mostly just wanted to tell him to keep his head down, but the conversation evolved. I learned he was a Kerry supporter who didn't buy any of Bush's bullshit rationales for this war. But he told me that the civilian leadership of our nation was sending him to fight, and as a professional, he would go and do all that he could to ensure that the members of his platoon would make it home safely.
About three weeks after the initial post, I posted an update. The young man was in Walter Reed, missing his right eye, most of his right arm, and facing extensive reconstructive surgery for severe thoracic trauma. I visited him once, but always seemed to find a reason not to return. Eventually, he was transferred to a facility closer to his Pennsylvania home, and I never saw him again. I will regret that for a long time.
This will be my final update. A half an hour ago I received a call from the friend at whose wedding I met the young man. On Thursday, during a day trip from the hospital, he wheeled himself into the bathroom, put a 9 mm pistol in his mouth, and pulled the trigger. If they ever build a wall, he won't be on it. He doesn't even count as a casualty of this war. But the next time you see the KIA number, add one to it.
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