Va. soldier slain while taking (pregnant) wife's place in Iraq -horribly sad

[underpants]

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-12-0164.html

A Virginia National Guardsman who re-enlisted so his wife, also a member of the National Guard, wouldn't have to go back to Iraq was killed Wednesday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb south of Baghdad.

Staff Sgt. Jesse Ault of Dublin in Pulaski County was 28. He was serving with E Company in the 429th Brigade Support Battalion out of Roanoke.

"Jesse separated from the Guard after the deployment , but I was still serving when my unit was alerted early 2007," she said. "Jesse loved our family so much and saw how important it was for me to stay with my sons, he joined the National Guard again to take my place on the deployment.

"The day he landed in Kuwait, I found out we were pregnant. He was allowed emergency leave to come home to see the birth of our daughter, Rachel." Rachel is now 4 months old.

[samdogmom]

1. Sigh! So many lives ruined...so little good to come out of this debacle!

What a sad, terrible waste of a life and what a loving, brave young man to do this for his wife! I hope the family can survive this loss!

[BlooInBloo]

2. :(

[MidwestTransplant]

3. I would feel bad too but then I am reminded by Cheney that they volunteered to be in harms way.

/Sarcasm.

Sick mofo

[Imagevision]

4. Cheney ------> So???

[frogcycle]

5. here is her full statement

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/17561219.html

and his photo

[seabeyond]

7. this story, this picture

just hit me in stomach for whatever reason. made me sick

[seabeyond]

6. i HATE this story. hate it hate it......

for clarification..... hate it that it ended as it did. i hate all this garbage over there, but this is just wrong. i hate it

[frogcycle]

9. I just spent the day adding links to Zeitlangers

I added links to MilitaryTimes.com to each and every one of the 4526 (as of this afternoon)names in my database. In the course of doing so, I read many, many articles. This one hit me hard a couple of days ago when I posted it; you would not believe, though, how many of them have some sort of "hook" that just haunts you.

One that I noticed just an hour or so ago was from 2004 - the kid was killed less than a week after getting there. His family had been shocked when he said he was going to sign up, but supported his decision. The interview of his father was just brutal. The man was so proud of his son, and had so little time to brace himself for the news. Kid was 19.


Two got killed the other day while enroute to the airport to come home.

A major and lt col were killed by rocket attacks working out in the gym in the green zone - both were reservists assigned to hq desk jobs




but they all volunteered, so we're not supposed to care

[seabeyond]

10. it is all so dirty

i am feeling so dirty

you are a good dude. from previuos posts. but gotta say, with all the stuff, iraq, the destruction, the prostitutions and rapes, the deaths, all of it especially of late.

just feel so dirty.... here in the grand ole u.s. of a.

[malaise]

8. Thanks George Bush

Fuck you!

[seabeyond]

11. with this story, .... isnt that just so right on. just from the gut. F* you bush. n/t

[Mind_your_head]

12. So what are 'we' going to do about it? Fellow keyboard warriors?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead