Jan. 27, 2004 ~ Too much information
It happened again, just now. A news ambush. The TV was on, more or less as background noise, when from the next room I heard the words, "Six Americans killed in Iraq today." Sucked in, my feet moved without my permission, and there I was, listening to every word. Sitting up close to the TV, looking for a familiar face among those uniformed men scrambling around, I heard the words I didn't want to hear. Three of those killed were from the 82nd Airborne. Feeling like I'd been punched in the gut, an animal sound came forth, unbidden. Why, why, WHY must they do that? Anything to get people's attention, boost the ratings? Yes, these deaths are news, but wouldn't it be kinder to wait to release such a story AFTER the next of kin have been notified? As it is now, all across America there are countless fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, brothers and sisters who feel like they've been punched in the gut, too, people whose loved ones are in the 82nd. We're all praying the same prayer, hoping that some other family gets that dreaded visit, the military vehicle pulling up in someone else's driveway, not ours. It sounds horrible to say that, but it's true. The only way that it can NOT be our loved one is if somebody else's loved one died.
But I'm going to try to get a grip. Stay centered. Take deep breaths. Breathe, just breathe. Carefully, reluctantly, I just checked a reliable website for news about today's deaths, and breathed a little easier after reading that the slain soldiers' units are uncertain. They may not actually even be with the 82nd, but may be with units which are attached to 82nd units.
There are going to be many more days like this one; I can't let it get to me. So I will say another prayer, this one for the slain soldiers, and for their families, whoever and wherever they may be.
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