Terry Lisk, 26.
Why did he die?
The passing of soldiers in Iraq is such a frequent occurrence that it often goes without remark.
Certainly those responsible for waging this war aren't aware of the individual tragedies of the death of American soldiers. To them, each death is just a number.
But as I sit in a friend's apartment in San Fransisco, thousands of miles away from a purposeless war I've yet to understand, I weep for the loss.
Overwhelmed by the grief brought about by the death of a man whom I've never met, I'm forced to turn here for some outlet. Because this tragedy, like the tragic deaths of more than 2,500 of his fellow countrymen are too easily noted as a statistic, not as a man.
Almost every day, men and women serving our nation under the pretense of protecting us from a threat created by the very war in which they have been forced to fight are dying. Men and women younger than I, with lives full of promise and potential, are erased from this world in senseless violence. And for what?
"I don't know if this war is worth the life of Terry Lisk, or 10 soldiers, or 2,500 soldiers like him," Colonel MacFarland told his forces. "What I do know is that he did not die alone. He was surrounded by friends.
Why did he die?
Read the whole article.
Hat tip to TPM for calling my attention to this story.