Originally Posted by Missileer

This family represents all that is good in America. I believe the two boys are reunited now but I'd much rather we still had them here. We are losing the cream of society but that is always the way it is in time of war. The rats leave the ship and the brave stand and fight.

It's more like the cowards leave the ship ... and the brave stay to protect the innocent. You will find the cowards in Canada and the brave will join their comrades in Valhalla when the horn is next blown.

My heart felt wishes go out to the family and friends of these two young men ... may you remember the good times and may the healing deaden your feelings of loss. Your loss and the loss to our nation has again watered the tree of freedom. The fact that the freedom is the freedom of those you will never meet, doesn't change their sacrifice.

The Lord praised those who fought evil ... should we do less?

well, it seems this story is not so honorable. The 2nd son took his own life

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/03/sec....ap/index.html

This afternoon I read the messages regarding the sad loss of the two Velez family sons.
Yesterday, I was reading the report about the death of a British soldier, Corporal Matthew Cornish, usually stationed in Paderborn/Germany, but serving a third term of duty in Iraq. He too leaves a young wife and two children behind!
I am not a softy, and I am used to seeing the suffering of wounded and smelling the typical odour which surrounds dead bodies. But when I think of all the people who have been and still are being killed, in unnecessary wars around the world, it makes me feel sick to see the grinning faces of the politicians who have sent so many to their deaths!
Had these gentlemen been so competent in carrying out their responsibilities as the soldiers are in theirs, we would not have half as many casualties. It is certainly the duty of the armed forces, in times of danger, to defend their countries. More so however, is it the obligation of statesmen to see that this duty is not necessary.
The words of "we have accomplished the job" should possibly have been, "you have accomplished your job, because we have failed in ours." I feel that would at least have been honest.