And The News Only Gets Worse

I keep looking for any little snippet of news on the suicide bombing that is purported to have killed three female Marines. Now the news is slowly trickling out. Eleven of the thirteen wounded were women. This convoy of women, targeted for ambush.

And what were these women doing? They were being sent to checkpoints to provide the service of being "culturally sensitive" to the local Iraqi population; a culture that demands a woman not be searched by a male counterpart.

I just ate dinner. Unfortunately, I am now physically ill. Really. If you have not read the blog on "Scholars and Peasants" regarding suicide bombing, please do so.

This is pain on the page now. We take the oath, we take the risk. I will move out tomorrow on orders if the call comes. The Navy will not have to track me down in Canada. But I believe we retain greater honor. Our troops, do not target convoys of women. A man who kills women, a coward don't you think?

Do we really stop and think? Make yourself stop and think. Think about our troops. Think about the women who will come home as cargo in flag-draped coffins. They left the soil they love because of an oath. They return to the soil, for the same reason. The price is very high. The price, paid in blood.

The uniform we wear, a target for every cut-throat terrorist who would really like to get his hands on you. We become the magnet, so that you can be safe.

Pray for the families that will be receiving this news. This is a sad day for America.

LCDR Tammy Swofford