Blogger Andrew Olmsted, an army major who for years blogged eloquently from Iraq, was killed on January 3 in the course of combat. This past summer Olmsted gave fellow blogger “hilzoy” a letter to be posted at Obsidian Wings in the event of his death. He was 37 when he died.
He asked that his letter—and his death, if it should come—not be used as political fodder, either for or against the war. Out of respect for his wishes, I’m posting this notice with sadness but without comment.
You’ll find the link to the letter here.
(NOTE: It was WLA commenter Woody who first alerted me to this distressing news.)
Funny, but until his death I wasn’t aware of this guy. But all the memorials on the web from other blogs made me realize what I had missed and now will never get to read again!
I know I shouldn’t rant like this. But one more precious life wasted by a conflict that we were led into by outright lies.
I am most profoundly saddened by the Majors death, but I am more saddened for our Country. When RMN fled DC in disgrace, I never thought we would have such a corrupt, morally bankrupt leader.
I was wrong. And the Major was not even in grammar school yet. He was probably just innocently playing with his brother (or sister) or maybe just gazing at a Fire engine racing down the street. Or maybe he was wowed by an Army soldier…RIP Major. Sorry we let you down.
Most of us probably forget about the daily dangers the soldiers in Iraq face, but Major Andrew Olmsted obviously did not. What a powerful letter left behind by the Army Major. This news has been picked up by many news sources, including the New York Times.