John Moore/Getty Images Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
Mary McHugh visited the grave of her fiancé, Sgt. James J. Regan, who was killed
While today is the day that we set aside to honor all service men and women who have given their lives for this country, it is impossible not to pay special attention to those who are dying as we speak in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We've printed the picture below here at 2pj many times because our current Administration continues to refuse to fully honor our fallen by spiriting in their coffins in the dead of night and by their absence at any funerals of those who have perished in Iraq. This is a reminder that this photograph was taken, by necessity, in secret while our Commander in Chief has asked no greater sacrifice of the American people than that they go shopping.
Since Memorial Day 2006, over 1,000 more soldiers have died.
As of last Thursday, 3,441 soldiers have died in Iraq. Another 25,242 have been wounded.
The number of Iraqi civilians killed and wounded is unknown.
You can see all the names of U.S. Troops killed in Iraq from March 21, 2003 to May 25, 2007 here.
You can view a list of Memorial Day events in Pittsburgh here.
However one may feel about this war, I know that all who are reading these words will give pause today to remember those who have, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, given "the last full measure of devotion."
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Thank you for this post. I saw the photo in the NY Times this morning - the grief was palpable. My Dad was a World War II vet, who fought and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, who lost a brother in the D-Day invasion . . . to quote the song . . . when will they ever learn . . . when will they ever learn?
ReplyDeleteYou dirty bastard. you have the nuts to sit there and politicize memorial day...only a liberal would stoop to such lows.
ReplyDeleteit still hasn't occured to you that our military is composed of volunteers.
how about thanking our men and women in the military for their service instead of using memorial day as a political tool against the war in iraq?
Dean Anon. #2,
ReplyDeleteI don't know when you wrote this comment. I just saw it today so you may never see my response, but here it is:
1. Like President Bush never uses the troops for photo ops. Yeah, right.
2. It's the other side that constantly uses the fact that the troops are volunteers as some sort of excuse that's it's OK to dismiss any criticisms of this ridiculous, unwinnable CIVIL war in Iraq that Bush has placed them that since they volunteered, it doesn't matter how many die or are wounded there.
3. Yes, let's pretend that there isn't a war happening on Memorial Day. Let's pretend no one is dying in a war that the president LIED to get us into, that our own government agencies say is creating MORE terrorists. Let's just close our eyes to that.
4. Perhaps you missed the last paragraph that I wrote.