Army Sgt. Evan Asa Ashcraft KIA July 24, 2003
His mother's statement, read before Congress:
I often think of the contributions my intelligent, sensitive wonderful son could have made. He could have been President of the United States. He could have been a doctor caring for children in a Third World Country. He had so much potential.
He told us that when he came back from Iraq he wanted to help people. He said he had seen so much hatred and death that the only way to live his life was through aid to others. Look at what we've lost. The loss is not just mine, it's the world's loss.
Evan will always be alive in my heart. He and all the other victims of this heinous action in Iraq must be more than mere numbers emerging from the Pentagon's daily tally. His death is a crime against humanity and the fault lies with the war criminals who inhabit our White House.
- Jane Bright, Evan's Mother
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Army Sgt. Evan Asa Ashcraft
Evan Asa Ashcraft believed in his mission in Iraq, and hoped to become a police officer when he returned home. It was part of what he was all about.
"He was a person who really wanted to help other people, to protect them," said his wife, Ashley Ashcraft.
Ashcraft, 24, of Oak Grove, Ky., was one of three 101st Airborne soldiers killed July 24 when their convoy was attacked. He was stationed at Fort Campbell.
"He absolutely wanted to be there," said his father, Asa Ashcraft. "In his last letter, he said, 'Dad, I've seen an awful lot of stuff. We'll talk about it when I get back."'
Ashcraft, a native of California's San Fernando Valley, planned to join the Los Angeles Police Department upon his scheduled January discharge from the Army. He especially aspired to the SWAT team.
"And he would have made it, too," his father said. "He set goals and achieved them."