Something is Wrong

Opinion: Something is Wrong –

By Wayne Halm –

This is personal – and I’m going to ask a favor.

(I direct this to my American friends, but others might also feel the problem.)

Today I learned that Marine Staff Sergeant Louis F. Cardin was killed by rocket fire in Ninawa Province, Iraq.  This happened back on March 19^th.  It took a while for me to find out – and that disturbs me deeply.

Admittedly, I do live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the news is slow to arrive.  Yet, I’ve heard in detail about the death of a rock singer, and the news services somehow overlooked the Sergeant’s death.  I feel something is wrong.

But wrong with what?  The news services?  The American people?   Or maybe that I care indicates there is something wrong with me.

I didn’t know Louis, however I would have liked to.  A lot of years flowed between, but he and I walked in some of the same boots.  The Sergeant had the courage and conviction to lace up combat boots, I got to take mine off again – he did not.   If that is not enough to garner the same attention as a singer, then something is wrong.

The death of this Marine was not a secret, it just wasn’t announced very loudly.  Help to mitigate that wrong.  Call or email your local news stations and ask them to report in depth on every US combat death.  We need to know about them – and  they deserve at least that. 

Call … it will make me feel better … and perhaps you too.