Tragic and So Very, Very Sad

(June 27, 2006)--The U.S. military now says explosives experts had to dismantle three roadside bombs to reach the brutalized bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers.

In a statement, the military says the remains were found tied together with a bomb between one soldier's legs.

A U.S. military official said last week that one and possibly both young men were tortured and beheaded.

Michelle has images and a round up of some links. As someone appears to point out - and it occurs to me, as well, President Bush has been slow to speak out on this ordeal. Were I him, if at all possible, I would consider attending the services for both men.

It's impossible to look at the image at Michelle's site with the young woman, her hand clasped to her mouth, without imaging a tremendously sad and most terrible pain.

May God comfort her and all the friends and family members of both men through these days.

Update: h/t Michelle

The arrival of Menchaca's remains on Monday was especially hard on his family, who had seen him in early May, when he visited Houston and Brownsville while on leave. They have been torn by reports of that insurgents tortured Menchaca and another soldier after reportedly kidnapping them June 16 in an area outside Baghdad known as the ''Triangle of Death."

After the chartered jet arrived at 12:04 p.m. at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, Menchaca's casket was escorted from the plane to a black hearse by a military honor guard from the soldier's unit, the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Ky.

Ten close relatives met the plane. Among them was Menchaca's widow, Christina, 18, of Big Spring, who married the soldier only three weeks before he left for Iraq last year. She sobbed loudly and appeared on the verge of collapse before relatives helped her from the back of the hearse so it could leave the airport runway.

As Menchaca's remains were escorted from the airport to the Brownsville Events Center along a route decorated with yellow ribbons, the U.S. military in Iraq issued more details of the soldier's kidnapping and mutilation.

Comments

[annie]

May those boys rest in peace.

And may the evil barbaric dogs who are responsible for their deaths be found, and that be the end of them.

No ultimate amnesty, which may happen if they are handed over to face trial like Saddam.

I hope whoever catches them acts first and asks questions afterwards!!

[TexasFred]

When you are dealing with rabid animals, this is what you get, and our people go a bit PC crazy if we happen to 'insult' a radical Muslim...

My intent is NOT to insult radical Islam, my intent is to expose radical Islam for the hypocrisy it is and to destroy it before it destroys us...

[TexasFred]

And BTW, I have been meaning to say this and have been negligent in MY duty, THANK YOU Dan, for the link to my site in your side bar...