I Hate War

I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war.

            Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I once heard someone say that it goes against nature for a parent to bury their child. I don't remember where I heard that, but with war going on, so many mother's are having to bury their children. And if that's not going against nature, then I don't know what is.

Yesterday, we found out that one of my mom's best friend's son was killed in Iraq. We've known Kelly since he was about 9 years old. When he was about 10, he borrowed Travis' old Army uniform for Halloween. He knew he wanted to be a soldier way back then.

He graduated from basic training not too long ago, and had been in Iraq for 17 days. 17 freakin' days. I think that the idiotic powers that be are rushing these kids to war before they've even had a chance to be properly trained. He hadn't even been in the Army for a year, and already his career is over. Sometimes, it's a shitty world we live in.

I can't fathom what his mother must be going through, or how she will recover from such a blow.

Kelly was only 19 years old and I can't believe that such a young life is gone, wasted. I'm still trying to figure out what it was all for.

Kelly was such a nice kid, and this world will be a sadder place without him in it.

Comments

[Angel]

That is devastating. I wish I knew what to say... but I understand the confusion and agony and the questions that go with this. It's just awful. He probably never even understood that his sacrifice was for all of us in the states. He was a brave young man, no doubt.

[Open Grove Claudia]

I am very sorry. It's such an awful, awful thing.