Texas Family Loses Both Sons to War

[rainbow4321]

http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2006/07/26/442659.html&cvqh=itn_war

Less than two years ago, Roy Velez got the worst news a father could get: His oldest son was dead, killed during combat in Iraq. This week, his pain only deepened with news that his youngest son had died in Afghanistan.

Military officials notified the Velez family Tuesday of the death of Army Spc. Andrew Velez, 22. His brother, Army Cpl. Jose A. Velez, 23, died in November 2004 in Fallujah when his unit came under fire while clearing an enemy stronghold.


After his brother's death, the military gave Andrew Velez the option of not returning to combat, Roy Velez said. But Andrew Velez told his father he wanted to return to fight, his father said.

<snip>

Roy Velez last talked to Andrew Velez on the phone Saturday. His son told him he'd had "six close calls" as they tracked Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and that he was tired.

[Divernan]

1. This 22 yr. old father of 3 COULD have avoided combat.

The Army is so good at exploiting the "macho" aspect of hispanic culture. According to the time frame in the news report, this young man was one of those who joined the Army even BEFORE he finished high school. He also fathered his first child before he finished high school.

After his brother was killed during the attack on Fallujah (a battle which history will one day condemn as a particularly vicious -because of the white phosphorus- slaughter of civilians), this young man was offered the opportunity to be assigned to a non-combat slot. He refused, saying he wanted to keep fighting to support his buddies. After "six close calls", a responsible father would have jumped at the chance to get out of combat.

I cannot begin to imagine the level of pain which the parents of this young man feel, not to mention his widow. I expect their only chance at handling all that pain is to convince themselves for the rest of their lives that he died for some noble purpose - not as cannon fodder in the Bush/Cheney war machine grinding out bloody profits for Haliburton.