Death in Afghanistan

"Tonight the flags of Fredericton and the surrounding area are flying at half mast. Not the flags on federal buildings, only those that fly at city halls, rec centers and private businesses. I guess the government that sends men and women off to die, doesn't feel the necessity of mourning their passing in a timely manner.

Again, my daughter knows one of the dead. She also has a friend who knows all six, who's task today was packing up the rooms of two of his comrades who won't be coming back, who don't need the rooms anymore, whose belongings will most likely be sent home to grieving parents to deal with.

This most recent wave of death has shocked the Fredericton area. The commander of the base has said, "the base had been pactising a number of "what if" scenarios, but never expected anything close to what happened."

Excuse me, what fantasy world do these people live in? They are fighting a war and they don't expect more than a couple of dead at a time? It's WAR, what part of that don't these people get? Soldiers die in war, that along with killing others, is as far as I'm concerned, their job. That's what any rational person expects to happen. You can't fight a war without casualties. Oops, I forgot, in this day and time it is civilian casualties one expects, not military. And it doesn't seem to matter how many civilians die as long as our soldiers don't." I whisper.

Are you listening?