Life and Death at Age 22 for a Marine

[deadparrot]

RAMADI, Iraq - Eyes hidden behind sunglasses designed to protect against flying shrapnel, Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sims sat proudly atop the gun turret of his Humvee as the sun rose one morning over a dusty U.S. Marine base called Hurricane Point.

Wrapped in a heavy flak jacket with side armor plates for extra protection, desert camouflage pants tucked neatly into his boots, the young machine-gunner was waiting as he always did to go out on a mission through Ramadi, a city crawling with insurgents west of the Iraqi capital.

Before every trip "outside the wire," he knew what to do if something went wrong or if he got into a firefight, and went over a memorized list with an Associated Press reporter who traveled with him through the city several times.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060421/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_the_gunner_lh1

[BrklynLiberal]

1. What a godamned shame!

My contempt for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of those chickenhawk warmongers knows no bounds.

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. we need many many more stories like this

If the MSM can't show the blood at least they can talk about it movingly like this. People need to recognize the true horror of war, instead of the bland platitudes of an administration that doesn't want us to see the truth.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/714748

[jbnow]

5. I think the faces of them in life

and their stories hit harder then pictures of their bloodied selves.

When bush and gang are locked up I'd like their walls pasted with pictures of those they had killed...pictures of them still alive, with their eyes open and seeing, before the eyes were closed forever.

The thousands of pictures of those who were so alive and are no more. BIG pictures covering the walls.

This is just unbearable. How do the families survive while their loved one is over there?

[kurth]

3. "Marines are tasked with keeping the governor alive"

WTF!

[lyonn]

6. Too dangerous for Blackwater (?) hired protection

Probably have the name wrong for company but we have hired civilians to do a lot of dirty work in Iraq, dirty meaning undercover type stuff. Ya, it boggles the mind all the stupid conduct of this war on this country's part.

[flamingyouth]

4. What a sad story.

His whole life ahead of him. :(

[sarcasmo]

7. Sent this article to my 16 year old son who was stupid enough to

mention to me over lunch this week he thought about joining the Guard. I told him that I could send him 2300 more emails like this and will be once a day to drill it in to his dumb head.