Soldier ‘did what she had to do’

[saigon68]

(Its finally coming out---So Tragic---NEEDLESS)

Mortar attack kills woman from Waupun (Wisconsin--from the Green Bay Press Gazette)

The Associated Press Posted Oct. 29, 2003



WAUPUN — A teenager who was the first woman soldier from Wisconsin to die in Iraq had narrowly escaped death in a fiery ambush a month ago.
Pfc. Rachel Bosveld, 19, of Waupun, was a member of the 527th Military Police based in Giessen, Germany, said her father, Marvin Bosveld. She was killed Sunday during a mortar attack on a Baghdad police station, he said Tuesday.

“My swee’pea,” Marvin Bosveld said, his eyes wet. “I can’t protect her from that.” She was the fifth Wisconsin soldier to die in Iraq since the United States invaded the country in March. Pentagon officials haven’t released any details of the incident.


http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/news/archive/local_12963651.shtml

Marvin Bosveld said he supported the invasion at first but now wonders if the United States is doing the right thing. “That war killed her,” he said. “I’m not so sure what I’ll support now.”



Until Sept. 12. That was the day a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Humvee she was driving. Craig Bosveld said the Humvee burned up from the inside. His sister dislocated her shoulder while trying to open the door. When she did free herself, her unit started taking small-arms fire until another Humvee arrived to help. From then on, her father said, her letters counted the days until she could leave. One focused on all the dead and abused horses she saw in Baghdad. Another talked about anti-American riots.

“More and more people want us to go home,” one letter said. “Believe me, we want to go home.”


"BRING EM ON", cried the AWOL Chimpanzee

and Bring em on they did.

RIP Rachel

[Punkingal]

1. We don't hear enough of these stories.....

we should hear about every single soldier who dies over there. It just makes me so sad!

[NJCher]

2. not in their totality

But we all see them in our local papers. I always look at the headlines as I pass the newstand and so many times I see a big picture of a coffin and a weeping relative next to it. And every time I see it, it makes me loathe this regime more and more.


Cher

[Dude_CalmDown]

15. We should hear of every injury as well

War injuries never really heal.

[xJlM]

19. I don't think we need to

The American people as a whole need to hear more of these stories. As far as I am concerned, I've heard enough of them to last me a lifetime. It's pretty much what all the protestors forecasted before the war.

[gauguin57]

18. sunday morning ...

I think George Snuffalupagus names all the soldiers killed during the week near the end of "This Week" on ABC on Sunday morning. They review the famous people who died, then they list the names of soldiers who have died in Iraq.

[okieinpain]

34. oh please honey, don't you know everything is just peachy king

in iraq. nothing but us whinnnnning liberals, is keeping the iraq people from reaching that dream of democracy. hell what's a few soldiers in the big picture of getting the * reelected.

[qwertyMike]

3. Tragic

Damned Masters of War.

RIP girl

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Humvee: Coffins on wheels.

Does anybody know if the casualty rates with the old jeeps were as bad as they seem to be in the Humvees?

[0007]

9. Jerry Falwell has a hummer

Could someone get a photo of this pig driving his humvee?

[Frangible]

27. Hummers are pretty tough

But usually only the command vehicles have the armor. If the armor were installed on all of them the casulties would probably drop off quite a bit.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I heard

that Bush has yet to attend even one funeral for one of these poor souls. One wonders if he even cares, or if he sees them as merely pawns in his grab for world domination.

[soothsayer]

7. he can't afford the negative photo op during the campaign

Much more important than doing the right thing, dontcha know.

[Jivenwail]

8. Before the illegal invasion

He was giving an interview, I think it was to Walters, where he clearly stated that he would be giving the hugs to the widows and orhans and that he was the only one who could - something along those lines. Just another whistle ass lie. I don't know how he - or anyone in his misadministration - can live with themselves. I cry continuously over these needless and wreckless deaths of our military and Iraqi civilians. It's horrific what these warmongers have unleashed. Horrific.

Rest in peace, Rachel. You will not be forgotten.

[Tansy_Gold]

22. the quote

"There's only one person who is responsible for making that decision , and that's me. And there's only one person who hugs the mothers and the widows, the wives and the kids on the death of their loved ones. Others hug, but having committed the troops, I've got an additional responsibility to hug, and that's me, and I know what it's like." -- GWB to Barbara Walters, ABC "20/20," 12/13/02.



taken from a Buzzflash interview with Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon.

[jonoboy]

6. it's desperately sad

hearing these tales and we should hear more of them.

Those that waged this war are pyschopaths..they have no feelings at all.

[JeebusH]

10. its sad that it took the death of his daughter for Marvin Bosveld to ...

now question the war in Iraq ... this is the problem with America, until it effects them personally, most people don't question

[teryang]

11. He can't attend funerals, there are a couple of problems

First, he would draw attention to the casualties and their humanity.

Second, if he attended one, the question would arise, what about the others? If you can't attend, who is attending? Then the issue of media coverage would be raised to focus the nation's "respect" and attention to the dead.

Then the issue would become why there is one or more funerals every day. Then the focus would expand to, what of the wounded? What of the psychologically impaired, the PTSD cases, then they are getting into several thousand casualties. That's a slippery slope with political consequences the "adults" can't face.

[DarkPhenyx]

12. Tragic and sad, yes but....

...who CARES! if she was the first female soldier from Wisconsin to die in Iraq. JESUS CHRIST! Her gender dosen't make one iota of difference adn is NOT! a news worthy item.

[catmandu57]

13. There have been many women killed

in this crazed quest. Maybe that would get people to look up, I don't know.

There was a soldier from Missouri killed the other day and in an interview with friends of the soldiers the same sentiment was echoed. People said they supported the war when we invaded, now, they shake their heads and ask "for what".

[DarkPhenyx]

14. Why should it?

Male of female they are just soldiers. Her death is no more tragic or senseless because she was a woman.

[catmandu57]

20. You know that, I know that

but to get john q. to open their eyes to what is going on they need to be shocked, and the majority of just plain people are going to be shocked at the number of women killed.

I was thinking of a post I read yesterday talking about Kosovo and the rightwing line of "There better not be any women in those bodybags". It goes to show the level of hypocracy of the right, they scream about our involvement stopping genocide, citing female deaths as a reason to be morally outraged. Then stand silent when the furher has women coming home in bodybags.

[criticalmass]

26. Exactly - Jolt them out of complacency

Lots of parents have daughters named Lori or Rachel or Kristin, just like the young women killed in Iraq. Just about the same age, too. This kind of news could be startling enough to wake up John Q and make him take a closer look at all kinds of things.

Here are the names of the six women who have died over there. I posted them yesterday, but nobody (except leetrisck) seemed to give a crap:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=606161

In a politically-correct world, a woman's death in war should be no more or less shocking than a man's death, but you can should in one hand and spit in the other and see what you get a handful of.

American culture is what it is, and there are still a good many citizens out there who would flip smooth out if they heard this particular body count.

[saigon68]

29. I didn't see it--- sorry

There were 8 women killed in Viet-Nam, mostly nurses. A lot more women wounded, spiritually and physically. Many nurses from Viet-Nam are suffering from PTSD in one form or another.

A lot are still being denied benefits. We, as a country apparently learned little from Viet-Nam!!!!

The PTSD toll from this clusterfuck (Iraq-Nam) is going to be horrendous.

[criticalmass]

30. 38 Women Pilots Died during WWII

WASPs were considered expendable. I've read some harrowing stories from these women.

WASP Memorial Page

Another bit of under-reported history.

[belle]

31. Nineteen years old. Not a woman, a girl.

[northzax]

32. ahh, but there is a difference, actually

Female soldiers are not supposed to be in Combat roles. The fact that thia particular soldier was killed demonstrates a: the absurdity of thie rule in mordern war, and b: the fact that is is serious, these are not front line soldiers who are dying, but support staff, which shows how bad the situation really is, and how bad the security for US troops is, in reality.

[progressiverealist]

16. Rest in peace, Wisconsin daughter.

A special prayer goes out for one of Wisconsin's own.

All of these losses are so tragic. Every one somebody's daughter or son. Every one leaving holes in the hearts of families and friends.


Please, please, let these people come home and have their lives.

[RetroLounge]

17. Just so, so sad...

sigh...

[gauguin57]

21. i hope no one is killed today ...

or we'll NEVER know their names. After all, Scott Peterson's satanic-cult preliminary hearing is coming up, and Kobe and Shaq are fueding. So anything that happens in Iraq will be INCIDENTAL to those momentous newsmakers (in the eyes of the cable news channels, at least).

[saigon68]

23. 2 Killed today--Tank Ambushed Oct 29 2003

Sorry to burst the Bubble.

It looks like every day

They are 'BRINGING EM ON"

[caysalbanks]

24. everone needs to come home

history will not be kind to those that have done this to us.

[saigon68]

25. Welcome to DU

Thanks for your comment and Welcome!!!:-)

History will not be kind to these War Criminals

[ElementaryPenguin]

28. This sad story is making me physically ill. This war is so senseless!

And BushCo is nothing but a congregation of war criminals!

[truthisfreedom]

33. anyone but bush

just remember next year.

[Nottingham]

35. So sad

:(

[Kusala]

36. Would you liberals quit whining?

I heard a school just re-opened! Where's the good news like that!?

Er..wait..they just closed it again...