Godspeed Major Andrew Olmsted
Friday, January 04, 2008
Just a month ago, I was interviewed by Chicago Magazine where the reporter asked me what blogs I read - I gave her Mudville, Mike Yon, Acute Politics and Andrew Olmsted.
I just found out that, yesterday, Andrew Olmsted's unit was ambushed. Andrew was killed.
I will put something up later. But right now I need to work through my grief. I know that you're pissed about that, Andy, I'll try harder. I just have no words right now...
He has a last post up at his blog and you must go and read it.
...Soldiers cannot have the option of opting out of missions because they don't agree with them: that violates the social contract. The duly-elected American government decided to go to war in Iraq. (Even if you maintain President Bush was not properly elected, Congress voted for war as well.) As a soldier, I have a duty to obey the orders of the President of the United States as long as they are Constitutional. I can no more opt out of missions I disagree with than I can ignore laws I think are improper. I do not consider it a violation of my individual rights to have gone to Iraq on orders because I raised my right hand and volunteered to join the army. Whether or not this mission was a good one, my participation in it was an affirmation of something I consider quite necessary to society. So if nothing else, I gave my life for a pretty important principle; I can (if you'll pardon the pun) live with that...
Goodbye, my friend, and Godspeed. I miss you already...
[I'm turning off the comments here. You can go to Obsidian Wings and leave a Comment of condolence and support for his wife and family. Andy does not want his death to be a political point so don't make one.]
Update: The Rocky Mountain News report, written by David Montero, has done an outstanding job of trying to sum up Andy in a few hundred words...impossible, yet nicely on target.