Howling Latina

The Richmond-Times Dispatch has a list with the names of our soldiers killed in Iraq and the Middle East.

As I clicked each name down the heart-rendering list, innocent eyes filled with joy, jitters, bravado, sadness, un-adulterated purity gazed at me; the "me" with a 23-year old son who did not have to face the agony of losing my baby son because of some bullshit war.

And the young men's gaze seemed to whisper, "I never thought my government would let them kill me."

But kill them they did; all 77 of them. No future kind gestures to neighbor; no walks on the beach, picnics in the knolls; no awards for this and that; hugs from wife and kids; weddings and church fairs; nothing but emptiness; and a life zapped by the vagaries of politics and war.

The names of our unwitting heroes are:

Army Capt. James F. Adamoukis, 29, of Springfield; Army Spec Clarence Adams III, 28, of Varina; Arine Cpl. Bradley Thomas Arms, 20, of Charlottesville; Navy Chief Joel Baldwin, 27, of Arlington; Army Command Sgt. Major James Blankenbecler, 40, of Alexandria; Marine Cpl. Jonothan Bowling, 23, of Patrick; Marine Lance Cpl. Demarkus D. Brown, 22, of Martinsville; Marine Cpl. Kyle W. Brown, 22, of Newport News; Army Sgt. Jack "Jay" Bryant, 23, of Dale City; Marine Lance Cpl. Danny Scott R. Bubb, 19, of Grottoes; Marine Pfc. Michael M. Carey, of Prince George; Army Sgt. Kenith Casica, 32, of Virginia Beach; Army 2nd Lt. Leonard M. Cowherd Jr., 23, of Culpepper County; Army Prv. Jason L. Deibler, 20, of Coeburn; Marine Lance Cpl. Tenzin Dengkhim, 19, of Falls Church; Army Spc. Jeremy M. Dimaranan, 29, of Virginia Beach; Army Sgt. Michael E. Dooley, 23, of Pulaski; Air Force Maj. William Downs, 40, of Winchester; Marine Capt. James C. Edge, 31, of Virginia Beach; Army Pfc. Jeremy W. Ehle, 19, of Richmond; Army Staff Sgt. James Earl Estep, 26, of Damascus; Army Staff Sgt. Jason A. Fegler, 24, of Yorktown; Marine Cpl. Orville Gerena 21, of Virginia Beach; Army Command Sgt. Maj. Cornell W. Gilmore, 45, of Stafford County; Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Gray, 32, of Richmond; Marine Lance Cpl. Jourdan L. Grez, 24, of Harrisonburg; Marine Staff Sgt. John R. Howard, 26, of Covington; Marine Lance Cpl. Tavon L. Hubbard, 24, of Reston; Army Lt. Joshua C. Hurley, 24, of Clifton; Army Pfc. Leslie Denise Jackson, 18, of Richmond; Army 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Joseph Kaylor, 24, of Clifton; Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan, 27, of Bristow; Army Cpl. Jared Kubasak, 25, of Rocky Mount; Marine Sgt. Michael Vernon Lalush, 23, of Troutville; Army Cpl. Binh Le, 20, of Alexandria; Army Pfc. Lee Lewis Jr., 28, of Norfolk; Marine Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20, of Midlothian; Marine Cpl. Brett L. Lundstrom, 22, of Stafford; Army Pfc. George A. Lutz II, 25, of Virginia Beach; Marine Capt. Michael D. Martino, 32, of Fairfax; Marine Gunnery Sgt. Justin R. Martone, 31, of Bedford; Army Spc. Nicholas C. Mason, 20, of King George; Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr., 31, of Richmond; Marine 2nd Lt. Donald Ryan McGlothlin, 26 (no home city); Marine Lance Cpl. Brian A. Medina, 20, of Woodbridge; Marine Sgt. Sean H. Miles, 28, of Midlothian; Army Pfc. Dillon Miles Jutras , 20, of Fairfax Station; Marine Sgt. Krisna Nachampassak, 27, of Burke; Army Staff Sgt. Nathaniel J. Nyren, 31, of Reston; Army Sgt. Maj. Robert D. O'Dell, 38, of Manassas; Marine Lance Cpl. David Edward Owens Jr., 20, of Winchester; Marine Sgt. Jayton D. Patterson, 26, of Wakefield; Marine Gunnery Sgt. Javier Obleas-Prado Pena, 36, of Falls Church; Army Staff Sgt. Gregory V. Pennington, 36, of Konnarock in Washington County; Army Capt. Christopher P. Petty, 33, of Vienna; Marine Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips, 27, of Chesapeake; Army Lt. Timothy Price, 25, of Midlothian; Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Redifer, 19, of Stuarts Draft; Army Spc. Frank K. Rivers Jr., 23, of Woodbridge; Army Sgt. David Ruhren, 20, of North Stafford; Army Pfc. Jason D. Scheuerman, 20, of Lynchburg; Marine Lance Cpl. Darrell Schumann, 25, of Hampton; Army Staff Sgt. Kristopher L. Shepherd, 26, of Lynchburg; Army Capt. Mark N. Stubenhofer, 30, of Springfield; Army Chief Warrant Officer Sharon T. Swartworth, 43, of Fairfax County; Army Staff Sgt. Ayman A. Taha, 31, of Vienna; Army Capt. John Robert "J.R." Teal, 31, of Mechanicsville; Army Sgt. Tromaine K. Toy Sr., 24, of Eastville; Army Pfc. Andrew L. Tuazon, 21, of Chesapeake; Army Spc. Felipe J. Garcia Villareal, 26, of Burke; Air Force Maj. William R. Watkins III, 37, of Danville; Marine Cpl. Christopher L. Weaver, 24, of Fredericksburg; Marine 1st Lt. Alexander E. Wetherbee, 27, of Fairfax County; Army Lt. Col. Thomas A. Wren, 44, of Lorton; and Robert J. Zangas, age unavailable, of Prince William County.

Thomas M. Thomas, 29, formerly of Chester, a security specialist working for Cochise Consultancy, Inc. and security contractor Gregory R. Wright Jr., 32, of Virginia Beach were also killed in the Middle East.