Dying in Increments
Body counts in groups Of twos, and threes, and fours, and Pieces put together to make a whole one, Are reported by the news with casualness As informal as saying today's date: "Three soldiers were killed in Iraq today." "A car bomb killed two marines." "An explosion took the lives of four Americans in Baghdad… …Next, in case you missed the Tonight Show, here is what Jay Leno had to say!" …Next, coming up, David Letterman's top ten …" Unnoticed: One plus two plus three … add up to thousands. Unnoticed: There are dead Americans returning from Iraq. Many of them are eighteen- and nineteen-year olds. Unnoticed: Most of us never see the quiet Hearst and silent funeral processions of our Fallen Heroes. Unnoticed: Most of us never hear the cries of the families who have lost their love ones. Unnoticed: We are creating a growing number of very young widows with small children. Unnoticed: The number of children who are losing their parents in combat is...