Two Soldiers Found...

Good afternoon,

In some sad news, it seems that the two U.S. soldiers who were taken during an ambush were found dead, apparently from torture. I was watching the news today, they showed an animated sequence to demonstrate the events as they unfolded, it was a coordinated attack. As a person from a family with a longstanding military background, I mourn their losses along with the other 2500 of our brave troops who have fallen in battle. As members of one of the army's most elite units, they wore the patch with our country's most revered symbol (the eagle), upon their sleeves, carrying a little bit of all of us into battle with them. They trained hard to be able to fight hard, and I'm certain they didn't go into captivity easily nor quietly. If I could say a few words to their families, I'd thank them for raising their sons to be such stand-up guys, for it was they who answered this nation's call to war, going with pride, and heads held high. They died as heroes in the service of their country, I believe that though it is hard to look at the words as I type them here on this page.

I keep trying to fight the urge to point a finger of blame at those who sent our soldiers to fight in such a miserable war, but this just doesn't seem to be the time, nor would I want to say anything to take away from honoring their names, Kristian Menchaka 23 years old, and Thomas Tucker 25 years old. Gone too soon.

However, there are questions to be asked, and I have nothing against those who step up to ask them, for it is the foundation upon our very lives in this great democracy are based, our freedom to ask questions of those elected to lead. I believe that is what those two brave men were fighting for, for country, honor, and for each other.

Here's a little bit of info that each man who serves in the 101st Airborne is most likely instructed to learn, of all the writings about the famed division, it says the most about them and what it is they stand for:

General Order #6: Formation of the 101st Airborne Division:

The 101^st Airborne Division, activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny. Like the early American pioneers whose invincible courage was the foundation stone of this nation, we have broken with the past and its traditions in order to establish our claim to the future.

Due to the nature of our armament, and the tactics in which we shall perfect ourselves, we shall be called upon to carry out operations of far-reaching military importance and we shall habitually go into action when the need is immediate and extreme.

Let me call your attention to the fact that our badge is the great American eagle. This is a fitting emblem for a division that will crush its enemies by falling upon them like a thunderbolt from the skies.

The history we shall make, the record of high achievement we hope to write in the annals of the American Army and the American people, depends wholly and completely on the men of this division. Each individual, each officer and each enlisted man, must therefore regard himself as a necessary part of a complex and powerful instrument for the overcoming of the enemies of the nation. Each, in his own job, must realize that he is not only a means, but an indispensable means for obtaining the goal of victory. It is, therefore, not too much to say that the future itself, in whose molding we expect to have our share, is in the hands of the soldiers of the 101^st Airborne Division.

They truly were part of something great, a distinguished army division made greater by their participation. May God speed them to his open arms, where they may find peace, and serenity.... forever.

With everything in my heart, I wish no more of our soldiers would have to fall during this war, and I wish they could all come home to those who love them, and those who respect the sacrifices they made in the name of our country and honor.