As of today, over 1,800 young men and women of our armed forces have been killed in Afghanistan. Just to keep it real, here is a listing of the latest dead:
–Spc. Gerardo Campos, 23, of Miami, Fla.; died June 2 in Maiwand, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire; assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
–Staff Sgt. Alexander G. Povilaitis, 47, of Dawsonville, Ga.; died May 31 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when the enemy attacked with an improvised explosive device; assigned to 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
–Lance Cpl. Joshua E. Witsman, 23, of Covington, Ind.; died May 30 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
–Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean E. Brazas, of Greensboro, N.C.; died May 30 while conducting combat operations in Panjwa’l, Afghanistan; assigned to Naval Base Kitsap Security Detachment in Bremerton, Wash.
–Cpl. Nicholas H. Olivas, 20, of Fairfield, Ohio; died May 30 in Zharay, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device; assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
–Sgt. Julian C. Chase, 22, of Edgewater, Md.; died May 28 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
–Two soldiers died May 28, in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their helicopter crashed; they were assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Ansbach-Katterbach, Germany; killed were: Capt. John R. Brainard, 26, of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine; and Chief Warrant Officer Five John C. Pratt, 51, of Springfield, Va.
–Spc. Tofiga J. Tautolo, 23, of Wilmington, Calif.; died May 27 in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
–Two soldiers died May 27 in Chak-E Wardak District, Afghanistan, when their unit was attacked by enemy forces; killed were: Spc. Kedith L. Jacobs, 21, of Denver, Colo.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; and Pfc. Leroy Deronde III, 22, of Jersey City, N.J.; assigned to F Company, 125th Brigade Support Battalion attached to 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
–Lance Cpl. Steven G. Sutton, 24, of Leesburg, Ga.; died May 26 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
–Staff Sgt. Roberto Loeza, 28, of El Paso, Texas; died May 25 in Logar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
20 years old. 21 years old. 22 years old. 23 years old. 24 years old. Shot. Blown up. Knocked out of the sky. Just kids. Dead. For what? For whom?
Remember when kings used to ride out and fight their own battles? I think it’s high time we return to that way of waging war. Can you imagine our elected officials being told they had to put on fatigues?
It’s something to keep in mind as the election draws nearer.
The Outside Lane 