Sunday, October 03, 2004

Personal Note

The war got very, very personal today. No, no one I know was killed, or injured. At least not yet.

But my cousin, my 43 year old cousin, is 3 weeks into his tour just north of Baghdad, and I got my first email from him today. While I've known he's been there, and I know other people with children in Iraq, the email made it much more real than the more abstract discussions I've been constantly in for the last 16 months since we invaded.

Part of the message talked about their convoy getting broken down in "RPG alley", a high risk ambush area, and he and his men (he's a reserve sergeant) "doing security" while the Humvee issue was resolved.....

I couldn't help but think of my little cousin, the guy I used to play cops and robbers with, playing, no not playing, war for real. Of this wonderful, bright, optimistic, good guy lying by a roadside pointing his weapon at an unseen enemy. At 43.

For what? Why? Can someone tell me?

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