Sad photo

[NNN0LHI]

Members of a U.S. Army honor guard flank the flag draped casket of Pfc. Tim R. Brown Jr., before a funeral service at Freedom High School in Freedom, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003. Brown was killed in a guerrilla bomb attack in Iraq Tuesday, Aug. 12, and will receive the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Army announced . (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

[Jacobin]

1. madness

pure madness.

That a country would make a choice to go invade another country based on pretexts to steal its oil, KNOWING that its own citizens and thousands in the country attacked will be killed and maimed.

widows, orphans, parents are losing their sons and daughters, and for WHAT???

Goddamn George Fucking Bush AND every senator and representative who voted to enable Smirk to start this dastardly invasion.

This is only the beginning. Pride will keep us from leaving Iraq (and oil, but mostly pride), and thousands more will die on both sides.

[Ein]

3. Makes me wonder

If it is the predisposition of human beings, or governments, or both; to be tyrannical.

Shooks hands with a soldier who got back from Iraq last week, he was stationed in Fallujah, the guy had an odd look in his eye...

[AnnabelLee]

2. Very sad

But it makes me angry, too. Very angry. What is the point of giving medals to a dead person? If I was his mother or his wife, I would spit on those medals.:mad: I wouldn't allow the current so-called government to defile my loved one any further by putting on one of their glory-show funerals, either.:grr:

[karlschneider]

4. Worse, many people who actually get to see this picture will forget that

inside that box is a dead kid. Someone's son and maybe someone's husband and or father. The image, focussing as usual on the flag, fails to convey the tragedy lying underneath it.

And after the appropriate symbolic regrets, the fact that he died for no good reason whatsoever will be relegated to the dungeon of the bogus edifice of 'patriotism.'

The word 'wasted' was common back during the Viet Nam era. Its essential meaning was never properly appreciated.

RIP

[ProudGerman]

5. Pfc....how old is this kid?

He's gotta be no older than 19. Hell, he probable went to that high school last year.

I wonder if any of the "support our troops" bumper sticker owners knows that Tim R. Brown Jr is dead now. I wonder if they care.


Your country will miss you Tim, at least parts of it.
:mad:

[karlschneider]

9. He was 21, apparently. You may know this link, but if not...

http://www.pigstye.net/iraq/

My neighbor kid joined the army just about 2 years ago. He's ...I guess
19 or 20 now. Spent several months in Afghanistan then got repatriated to Ft. Bragg, just heard from his mom he's being sent to Iraq in 2 weeks. She's scraped up enough money to fly to NC to see him before he goes. These poor dopes are wonderful friends and neighbors but have no clue how and why Robert is going into yet another quagmire. (It's Oklahoma) I hope he doesn't get sent home in a box, I think he's a terrific kid but I'm afraid the military has done what it set out to do.
:grr:

[Minstrel Boy]

6. "John Brown went off to war,

to fight on a foreign shore.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama's face broke out all in a grin.

"Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home."

As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.

Oh! Good old-fashioned war!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train.
Your son's a-coming home from the war."

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!

Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.

"Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.

"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."

"Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
I'm a-tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."

Oh! Lord! Just like mine!

"And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."

As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand.
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.

- John Brown, by Bob Dylan

[Howardx]

7. ive noticed

all these dead kids seem to recieve the bronze star

[Ein]

8. like a concession prize...

on a bad game show

[Randi_Listener]

10. Can someone explain to me

How this scene is worth what we have "achieved" in Iraq?

[spielino]

11. Not to worry. His death was not in vain

Those demons who attacked this boy and snuffed out his life, just because he is an an American will be found out and responded to. I shed tears of grief for this boy who died serving his country. His death will NOT be in vain. We can take some comfort in that thought.

[diamondsoul]

12. His death IS in vain.

It's a disgusting testament to the bastardization of everything that Tim R. Brown's country was founded to be.

It's a sacrifice on the alter of hate, fear and greed that now rules our land. He wasn't serving his country, he was serving corporate greed, and he DIED because of it. That and nothing more and I despise those responsible for it with a passion beyond comprehension.

*on edit, I originally posted this withuot using PFC Brown's name. When I looked at it in black and white it made me sick to realize I had already forgotten a fallen soldier's name. It took less than 30 seconds. THIS is what we have become, and I refuse to succumb to that. I will NOT FORGET AGAIN.

[spielino]

13. For the boy's family's sake, I think it is important

to recognize that this boy lost his life in service to the United States, and we, his countrymen, should thank the family for their son who gave his life serving America.

[BurtWorm]

17. There's something repulsive about the idea

that the family of this young man gave their son to the US just to have him killed. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but somehow it came out that way. The natural impulse is to feel sorrow for a death, not gratitude for it.

[karlschneider]

20. BULL FUCKING SHIT. He was exploited by criminals and died for lies.

:grr:
Go back under your god damned rock.

[leftchick]

15. are you crazy?! Of course his death is in vain!

Unless you consider Haliburton, Brown and Root, Bechtel, the BFEE and all of the other profiteers of war worth dying for! Wake up!

[JNelson6563]

16. really?

and what does this death achieve? Security for Halliburton? Guaranteed profits for the Carlyle Group? Re-elction for the Simian??

Ever dream of pulling your head out of your arse?

Julie

[BurtWorm]

14. "As a volunteer, he made a choice to wind up in that casket."

That's not my opinion; that's the opinion of the Libertarians, left and right, who oppose the draft. In my opinion, he's in that casket because the imperialists needed cattle to exploit for their war-making agenda without the consent of the people. But this kid consented, right?

[skyzics]

19. Consented to DEFEND America..

Not to become cannon fodder in an illegal war of aggression fought on false pretexts in the service of US corporate interests (primarily big oil) or to fulfill some illegally installed and delusional neocons' dreams of world domination.

You libertarians are something.

[InkAddict]

18. I share your exquisite pain and rage; but beyond it all He was Loved!

In Freedom, PA, huh....

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's oka and everythings going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think evertyhing's gone wrong and everthing blows up
In your face

I offer that perhaps at the very least he's been cruelly rescued from the flip-flopped abuse of You-Know-Who if and when this "war" is REALLY "over." I want to cry and rage, at this instance in history, against the planners and managers of this fiasco grab of sovreignty and loss of life! But, I suppose history will be re-written - Poster is correct - SAD PHOTO! ;(