Two of Seven Soldiers Who Wrote ‘NYT’ Op-Ed Die in Iraq

[marmar]

from E&P, via CommonDreams:



Published on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 by Editor & Publisher
Two of Seven Soldiers Who Wrote ‘NYT’ Op-Ed Die in Iraq
by Greg Mitchell


NEW YORK — The Op-Ed by seven active duty U.S. soldiers in Iraq questioning the war drew international attention just three weeks ago. Now two of the seven are dead.

Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray died Monday in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, two of seven U.S. troops killed in the incident which was reported just as Gen. David Petraeus was about to report to Congress on progress in the “surge.” The names have just been released.

Gen. Petraeus was questioned about the message of the op-ed in testimony before a Senate committee yesterday.

The controversial Times column on Aug. 19 was called “The War As We Saw It,” and expressed skepticism about American gains in Iraq. “To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched,” the group wrote.

It closed: “We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.”

Mora, 28, hailed from Texas City, Texas, and was a native of Ecuador, who had just become a U.S. citizen. He was due to leave Iraq in November and leaves behind a wife and daughter. Gray, 26, had lived in Ismay, Montana, and is also survived by a wife and infant daughter.

The accident in Iraq occurred when a cargo truck the men were riding in overturned.

The Daily News in Galveston interviewed Mora’s mother, who confirmed his death and that he was one of the co-authors of the Times piece. The article today relates: “Olga Capetillo said that by the time Mora submitted the editorial, he had grown increasingly depressed. ‘I told him God is going to take care of him and take him home,’ she said. ‘But yesterday is the darkest day for me.’” ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/12/3800/

[Rydz777]

1. This is very, very sad - but no more sad than the loss of lives -

some 30 this months - of more anonymous soldiers, all sacrificed for the "surge."

[midnight]

2. I'm so saddened to hear this that I can hardly respond......

It did not help to read the responses at Common Dreams about those who said that it was going to be a matter of time before the conspiracy theorists blamed bush. But how can you not blame that on him. He was an agressor for this war that according to the testimony by Senator Feingold yesterday was a complete distration from addressing the alcada threat.