Then interestingly, one of them came back to my mind today. It appears I now know "his name."
V
This is a poem I wrote after I learned of the first American casualty
during Desert Storm. I found it amazing that the name wasn't included in the
article.
V
(On January 17, 1991)
There is a man I know not of
Yet his death is everything.
To war he went
And great pride did bring.
There is a man I heard of
His death nothing yet everything.
To war he went
To America he did sing.
There is a man the world now knows
Following only the orders of the game.
To war he went
Yet I don't even know his name.
Today while watching Fox News, it appears that his name may be Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher. The article is here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536170,00.html. His info can be found simply on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Speicher.
I am somehow unburdened by knowing his name. It seemed to weigh on me, now that I know the answer. I remember writing the poem, as bad as it is, yet with full heart on the bravery and sacrifice of this man. Whatever article I read when I wrote it, I thought somehow it was horrible that the name wasn't there. It seemed the first of many unnamed casulaties, which made it even worse. I mean, even now, we don't know the names of the men and women who die for our freedom. Who was the second to die in the first Gulf War? Does dying second diminish the sacrifice (a resounding "NO!" screams in my head).
In January 1991, I was turning 18 in my senior year of high school. Talk of a draft circulated. My mother even said how I wouldn't go. And I remember thinking to myself that I would go if my number were called.
Now I know his name. It hit me back then and it hits me today. This guy was a hero. I am glad that knowledge has burdened me because it has always made me remember the sacrifice.
Rest in peace. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
