The faces behind "Just a number"
Sat Aug 19, 2006 at 09:33:36 PM PDT
There have been 2,831 coalition deaths, 2,604 Americans, two Australians, 115 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, three Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian, 31 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, two Romanians, four Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of August 18, 2006
The faces behind the names
Below are a few of these soldiers and some personalized links for them.
I am not going to stop writing these diaries until I don't have to.
Take a moment to honor them with your thoughts.
Soldiers are listed in alphabetical order starting with this young man from Los Angelos.
Cpl. Roberto Abad, Age 22. Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Died of injuries received from enemy action in Najaf, Iraq, on August 6, 2004
From the Fallen Heroes website, here is a link to the message board for
Marine Cpl. Roberto Abad
One of the messages found there reads:
""My brother, Sgt. Joseph Perusich (Sausage) served with Corporal Roberto Abad for several years. My brother prays for his fallen brother every single day and has a tattoo on his right arm, with the names "Abad" and "Reynoso" for Sgt. Yadir Reynoso surrounded by clouds with a cross in between the names. Whenever someone calls him a hero, he looks to his arm and says "These are the heroes, these are my heroes." I never met Sgt. Reynoso or Corporal Abad, but I love them as if they were my own big brothers, for they were vigilant in their care for my own blood brother, and they gave their lives so that he might fight another day. Semper fi, you will live in the hearts of my family for years and years. God Bless the Abad family for giving life and raising a man whom my brother calls his hero.""
The last soldier on the list is this man from Elgin, Oregon
Staff Sgt. Michael S. Zyla Age 32. Company A, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq, on December 13, 2005
His page at Fallen Heroes Staff Sgt. Michael S. Zyla
The oldest Soldier I found listed is
Sgt. Roger D. Rowe Age 54 1174th Troop Command, Tennessee Army National Guard. Killed by a sniper in Iraq on July 9, 2003
Army Sgt. Roger D. Rowe
I think of you often. Your calm nature and easy going fit with your true heart. I know your family misses you greatly and i still see you waiting early in the morning ready to walk to the mess hall for a cup of coffee. You will not be forgotten here. I often tell people that don't know you to look up your story on the net. Yes i want people to remember and to know what your contribution was. Thank you for your friendship. fellow 1174 th soldier."
The oldest American Civilian Listed there is
Barbara Heald Age 60. Department of the Army civilian employee asigned to the Project and Contracting Office - Finance. Killed when the Republic National Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, was hit by a mortar round on January 29, 2005
Army Civilian Barbara Heald
Maybe it is much easier to think of these men and women as belonging to someone elses family. Maybe taking that view to the ninth degree is how Snow was able to refer to them as "just a number". Looking at their faces, seeing them as they were in life, vibrant, living, breathing, loving members of my human family, their loss is felt on a deeper level. I can never make right was the bush regime has done to these families, all I can do is honor them as people who did the job they felt they had to, and died while doing it the best they could. Take some time to visit this page below and see them for who they were. Just like you and I.
The faces behind the names
The other side of this is the not so talked about number of casualties of Iraqi citizens. From BBC News they put the figure at more than 100,000.
Iraq Body Count Press Release 13, 9th March 2006.
IRAQ DEATH TOLL IN THIRD YEAR OF OCCUPATION IS HIGHEST YET
Their count of Iraqi Civilians is between 40,000 and 45,000
Iraq Body Count
It is imperative that we take back control of our Government.
I don't think we can endure another two years of a rubber stamp congress pounding the neocon agenda up our asses without incurring long term devasting problems for the entire world.
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