Father volunteer after son killed in battle

• Dr Who

  12 Jul 08, 23:04

  FORT WORTH — In a few days, Francisco Martinez will land in Iraq.

  When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.

  This deployment — in fact, his entire enlistment — is completely his doing. Nobody forced this on Martinez, except maybe the sniper who put one well-placed bullet in his son Spc. Francisco G. Martinez on March 20, 2005, in Ramadi.

  Joining the Air Force Reserve, after a 17-year break in his military service, was Martinez’s way of making sense of and coping with his son’s death, a way to remember him by being around young men his age serving their nation.

  Protecting others

  Martinez leaves for Iraq with all the usuals — rifle, night-vision goggles, cold-weather gear, a sleeping bag, in all hundreds of pounds of gear issued by the U.S. government.

  Martinez is old enough — 44 years — to be the father of many of the men he will share a trailer with in northern Iraq.

  A computer programmer and systems analyst accustomed to a six-figure salary, Martinez now wears the stripes of a staff sergeant, the equivalent of a buck sergeant in the Army, pulling down half (about $4,400 a month) of what he used to earn.

  He will be deployed for six months

  

  http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/753969.htm

  Will this happen amongst Singporean parents?

• Master -_-

  12 Jul 08, 23:31

  reminds me of this...

  

   

• Dr Who

  13 Jul 08, 00:03

   

  Will younger brother also sign on to avenge death of older brother ?

  On the Iraqi side... the same is happening....

  The USA should have left Sadaam Hussein alone. Let him handle the Iranians....

  Stupid Bush

  

   

   

• niffoc

  13 Jul 08, 00:06

  Sense of duty to take over his son's role

  or

  vengeance for his son

  only he will know

• sand king

  13 Jul 08, 00:08

  RIP to his son

• Rejected

  13 Jul 08, 02:35

  rip.

• gaoxingdcf07

  13 Jul 08, 20:00

  RIP...

   

• TVaddict

  15 Jul 08, 22:16

  Originally posted by Master -_-:

  reminds me of this...

  

   

  powerful pictures... they speaks a thousand words indeed

  fucking bush... leader of the biggest polluter on our planet. yet refused to ratify the kyoto protocol, refused to ratify the basel convention.. started this war that leads to nowhere