Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Boston Globe
May 16, 2007
Served in Iraq despite asthma
Asthma forced Andrew J. Bacevich of Walpole to leave ROTC at Boston University, but the resolute young man would not let the childhood ailment stop him from joining the Army, where his father served in two wars.
"Andy was a born-leader, who felt called to serve his country," his family said in a statement yesterday. "His determination is exemplified by his struggle to become a soldier."
Bacevich, who persevered after graduation and enlisted in 2005, was killed Sunday by a bomb in Balad. He was 27.
His father -- Boston University professor Andrew J. Bacevich, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars, has been a vocal critic of the Iraq war.
The family described the younger Bacevich, a first lieutenant, as a charismatic storyteller whose charm and handsome looks drew people to him.
Before joining the military, Bacevich dabbled in politics, working for US Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and state Senator Jo Ann Sprague of Walpole. In 2004, he served as an aide to Governor Mitt Romney.
"I got to know Andrew as a legislative aide in my office, and before he left we met and talked about his plans," Romney said in a statement. "He was driven by a desire to serve, first as part of our team and then as a member of the military. His loss is a deep personal loss for me and for all of those who knew him."
--ANDREW RYAN
May 16, 2007
Served in Iraq despite asthma
Asthma forced Andrew J. Bacevich of Walpole to leave ROTC at Boston University, but the resolute young man would not let the childhood ailment stop him from joining the Army, where his father served in two wars.
"Andy was a born-leader, who felt called to serve his country," his family said in a statement yesterday. "His determination is exemplified by his struggle to become a soldier."
Bacevich, who persevered after graduation and enlisted in 2005, was killed Sunday by a bomb in Balad. He was 27.
His father -- Boston University professor Andrew J. Bacevich, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars, has been a vocal critic of the Iraq war.
The family described the younger Bacevich, a first lieutenant, as a charismatic storyteller whose charm and handsome looks drew people to him.
Before joining the military, Bacevich dabbled in politics, working for US Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and state Senator Jo Ann Sprague of Walpole. In 2004, he served as an aide to Governor Mitt Romney.
"I got to know Andrew as a legislative aide in my office, and before he left we met and talked about his plans," Romney said in a statement. "He was driven by a desire to serve, first as part of our team and then as a member of the military. His loss is a deep personal loss for me and for all of those who knew him."
--ANDREW RYAN