Mr. Oatmeal's Oratories: One year into sharing the names of those who died

It was last Veterans Day that I decided to start posting a picture and small bio of each fallen hero from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. That has been tough for me at time, so much loss and for what? Since I started I have written and posted on Facebook 513 deaths, mini eulogies is how I see them. When I started I warned people that I was doing it and if they need to unfriend me that was fine. I do not know if anyone did but I have received feedback from one end of the spectrum because of it. Most are appreciative that someone is bringing it to their attention, since the media does not do a very good job of it.

One group of deaths have affected me and heightened my anger at our Government. That was the deaths of a lot of seal team 6 in a helicopter crash. I have not been able to find it now but when that accident first happened I remember reading that it was Seal Team Six on that chopper. Since that time I have not been able to find one reference anywhere to Seal Team Six in relationship to that crash. Since then the ones killed were described as being in an East Coast-based SEAL team. I found my conspiracy minded brain kicking into overdrive. I believe these are the men how got Osama Bin Laden and the fact that we don’t know – scares me. I can understand not wanting the public to know that Al-Qaeda might have gotten the men who Got Osama. Each of their pictures are below, they look just like any of our friends might look, smiling like we were cooking out and telling stories or something. It makes me sad that on August 6^th these 31 hero’s all lost their lives in a helicopter crash.

So, since I have been writing (a lot of copy and pasting) and posting them on Facebook I have seen many reactions and many comments. Some comments anger me and others have made me cry. Some have made me laugh and others made me sit in quiet contemplation. I want to thank everyone for all the feedback, it is what has made this self-assigned task do-able. I just can’t understand how it is that we (as a Country) can continue to justify, to ourselves, our involvement in these faraway places. Don’t be mistaken, that we are convincing or justifying this for other countries, we don’t really give a shit about other countries or their culture, unless of course it affects our lifestyles. Why have we not called for the removal of the troops from Afghanistan and Iraq? Make no mistake, congress (the ones working for us) have it within their power to end the funding for this insanity. They also have the ability, and are the ONLY ones who have the ability to balance the budget so when they get up and talk about not being able or blaming the President or anyone else – remember back to your school days and remember it is congress who creates the budget.

I was not sure where I was going to go when I started writing this, I did not think I would wind up here though. Funny how that happens, sometimes I just start writing and I wander around where ever my mind takes me. Anyway, I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the folks who have or are serving or is the Mother, Brother, Husband, Father, Sister, Aunt, Son, Uncle, grandson or Sister of someone serving.

Here are the pictures of the 31 men who died on August 6^th of this year in a helicopter crash, the men I believe to be the Men who “got” bin Laden. Even if they did not, they still made the ultimate sacrifice in our war on Terror, please honor them and the other 482 Military folks who gave their lives for the cause this last year.