It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Private Luke Daniel Simpson, from the 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, in southern Iraq on Friday 9 February 2007.
and
The Department of Defense announced today the death of one soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. 1st Lt. Kenneth Michael Ballard, 26, of Mountain View, Calif., died May 30 in Najaf, Iraq, during a firefight with insurgents. 1st Lt. Ballard was assigned to the Armys 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, from Friedburg, Germany. The
incident is under investigation.
The US version of the announcement is a press release from the Department of Defense; short and to the point. The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom announcement is somber and gives their readers a flavor of who Private Luke Simpson was; with comments from friends, colleagues, and his commanding officer.
The Brits end their announcement with this Please note that Pte Simpson's family have requested privacy at this difficult time as they come to terms with their loss. We are grateful for the assistance of the media in this matter.
We know Bush has no regrets; he's said so much. "The invasion of Iraq, which ousted Saddam Hussein and has cost the lives of U.S. military personnel and billions of dollars, was 'absolutely' worth it, despite the absence of any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
Two countries, two styles....
3 comments:
It is my prayer that when the likely new Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown, comes in, he will convene an international conference in the Middle East with all main Middle East countries (including Iran & Syria)and European countries, Japan, China, So. America, Africa, etc, and say, "Look, folk, this is the time in history to work all this out step by step without bloodshed because it is too costly at every level for a world that has to get about tending itself (global warming) and its inhabitants."
The United States would be invited, but if it refused, the rest of the world would get after it anyway. The world must not remain paralyzed by the awful U.S. war in Iraq.
So we can stop the chilling & heartbreaking announcements as soon as is possible. No more names on that future Iraq Memorial.
This isn't the end of Veterans' Administration scandals. It's badly underfunded for what it's supposed to do right now..
Chance-
You brought up a really good point. What *is* the VA supposed to do? What is their mission? Again, this administration seems to be using a different dictionary than the rest of us. The Veterans Administration should be adminstering to the needs of the Veteran's. The men & woman who served their country only ask for their commitment to be returned. Cost cannot be a consideration when it comes to care.
Taking good care of the veteran's when they return is also part of the cost of war.
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