A Pentagon announcement Tuesday said Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died in San Antonio, Texas. The death raised the Associated Press tally of military fatalities in the Iraq war to 2,000.
Alexander was wounded Oct. 17 in Samarra, a town 60 miles north of the Iraqi capital. He was assigned to the 1st Batallion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga.
The military says it's an artificial mark and doesn't mean much. Here's an article.
I will say I agree with the first part of this, taken from the article:
"The 2,000th Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations," Boylan wrote.
The italics are mine and let's just say I'm skeptical about that being the reason our troops are there.
Having said before that I do not agree with this war, I would like to say here that I do appreciate our uniformed service members, I support them wholeheartedly as they carry out their mission, and I am humbly grateful to them and their families for the sacrifices they make every day.
Two thousand people. That equals countless spouses, parents, siblings, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and coworkers who are living without someone who was important in their lives.
Two thousand.
It is a lot isn't it and how do we stop it?
ReplyDeleteWe recently watched the movie Cold Mountain. There's a part where the friend of Nicole Kidman and Renee Z is tortured and suffers horribly at the hands of the lawless ruffian guys. Renee Z says "There will be a reckoning" with regard to the actions of the powerful against those with no power... Do you think that's true for those in power now? I really hope so.
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