Letter from a dead soldier

[Kevin Rector]

Andy Olmert was a blogger and a soldier. He composed his final blog post to be published in the event of his death. He was killed in Iraq. The post is powerful and moving.

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2008/01/andy-olmsted.html

[Mike Wooldridge]

That really puts a human face to the people on the ground who face the ultimate consequence for a political decision.

I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it.

How much thought went into the decision that took this man's life? That's a valid question that's not unpatriotic to ask.