A young, gung-ho soldier is slain in Iraq: How he lived, how he died

[kayell]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20030717/ts_usatoday/5330527

Andrea Stone and Deborah Sharp USA TODAY

BAGHDAD -- Army Spc. Jeffrey Wershow never let his guard down. His buddies nicknamed him ''The General'' because he strode about with a sense of purpose and confidence.


Wershow, 22, was a stickler for rules and regulations. He always stood at attention when addressing officers, when most other soldiers sweltering in the heat here would take a more casual attitude.


So it was a shock on July 6 when the aspiring politician from Gainesville, Fla., was gunned down on the campus of Baghdad University after buying a 7Up. If this gung-ho soldier who wanted another stint in Iraq (news - web sites) could be killed in such a brazen way in a crowded place, his buddies figured it could happen to them, too.


For the men of ''Charlie'' Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment of the Florida National Guard, Wershow's death occurred when most thought they would already be home. They have seen major combat turn into guerrilla war. ''You can never let your guard down. You can never truly relax. And that wears on you,'' says Spc. Thomas Stanley Sr., 27, of Melbourne, Fla., who is in Wershow's unit.

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[catmandu57]

1. He was probablly targeted

It sounds more like a hit.

[madrchsod]

2. dam a weekend

warrior..not even reg. army....i wonder if jebbie was at the funeral? another wasted life for the american empire

[akitamata]

3. ...the aspiring politician from Gainesville, Fla...

and nicknamed "the General"? I imagine America is probably better off without another militarist aspiring to political office. I realize this may sound as if I am impugning this dead soldier, maybe I am, but what I mean is, do we really need more kill-minded people aspiring to positions that are more likely to be better filled by socially-minded people?
RIP Soldier/you didn't know better, but it's not really your fault...you were sold a bill of goods. SHAME on * and his ArabiaCorps :(

[sham]

5. that's unfair

I read the entire article and didn't see anything to suggest that he was "kill-minded."
He was a 22-year-old kid who was committed to doing what he believed was right. How else are these kids supposed to maintain their morale and keep their wits about them long enough to stay alive over there?

After experiencing bush*, I for one will never fault a kid with political aspirations who volunteers for military service. And who's to say what kind of person he would have been in 20 years? He won't get that chance, and I don't think we should congratulate ourselves. We congratulate ourselves for Wesley Clark's record, and John Kerry's record, but we don't want younger people to have the same opportunities to establish a military record before running for office? :shrug:

[sham]

4. the father's statements

are telling...

''A lot of people were under the impression they were going to go over, win the war and come home,'' the father says. ''This situation scared me from the day I found out he was going to Baghdad. They were trained for warfare, but this was a whole different concept. This is a police action....."

''I have concerns about how the troops are being used in Baghdad. It places them in great danger from these assassins.''

These are kids who normally would be helping after natural disasters like hurricanes. They are not trained MPs. WTF are they doing policing Baghdad??? On top of that, they were deployed the day after Christmas, so they're pushing 7 months over there. Seems like a long time for National Guard troops, most of whom are not professional soldiers.

I am so angry. bush* and his merry band of thieves should have to answer for this life!