For Iraqis? If Vietnam is any indication, the deaths will continue long after the war.
What about for US troops on Iraqi soil?
Yesterday, Verena Dobnik (AP) noted the Saturday morning funeral of Christopher Raguso, "On Saturday morning, his flag-draped casket arrived atop a fire engine at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in the Suffolk County hamlet of Kings Park, with bagpipes intoning 'Amazing Grace' and hundreds of white-gloved, uniformed firefighters lining the street. Some became pallbearers who carried him to the altar of the church where Raguso was married in 2009."
Today we lay to rest #FDNY Lt. and @usairforce Master Sgt Christopher Raguso, who made the Supreme Sacrifice on March 15 in an Air Force helicopter crash in Iraq. Join us live at 11 am EST at http://youtube.com/yourFDNY
Jennifer Bain and Melkorka Licea (NEW YORK POST) note:
Hundreds of uniformed firefighters stood in reverence as they lined Church Street, watching six of their own carry their brother to a church altar, covered in white lilies and pink and purple hyacinths.
Raguso’s widow, Camilla, placed her hand softly on her husband’s casket, and then joined the couple’s two daughters, ages 5 and 6, seated in a front pew of the church, where the girls were baptized.
Roshan Abraham and Larry McShane (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) add, "The Rev. Sean Gann, in his homily, noted that Raguso was never in his dangerous work for the glory. 'Celebrities show off, heroes show up,' said Gann. 'Chris showed up'.''
Chris Raguso was one of seven US service members killed in a recent helicopter crash in Iraq.
How many more Americans have to die on Iraqi soil? When does the Iraq War finally end?
Eric Bradach (COLUMBIA CHRONICLE) points out:
We’re always told to “support the troops,” but what does that mean?
In the case of the Iraq War, it should mean demanding elected officials justify staying in a war that has lasted for more than 15 years. It’s incumbent upon every citizen to ask what their tax dollars are used for and why it’s justified. The Iraq War has inflicted irreparable physical and psychological damage to veterans, their family and friends, both in this country and abroad. In the case of the Iraq War, it should mean demanding elected officials justify staying in a war that has lasted for more than 15 years. It’s incumbent upon every citizen to ask what their tax dollars are used for and why it’s justified. The Iraq War has inflicted irreparable physical and psychological damage to veterans, their family and friends, both in this country and abroad.
No one in Congress should get away without answering what justifies "staying in a war that has lasted for more than 15 years"?
A real democracy would not only demand that the question be asked but also that it be answered satisfactorily.