2 deaths in Iraq

Brian Bresnahan:

By the time this gets published, the body of an American hero, Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha, United States Marine Corps, will be on its way back to, if not already arrived at, the small town of Clarks, Nebraska. Brent’s body is being escorted by another American hero, his brother, fellow Marine and friend, Corporal Dyrek Zoucha.

Brent left for boot camp on 12 June 2005 and was killed in Iraq on 9 June 2006.

Dyrek, already a veteran of multiple tours in Iraq, served alongside Brent in 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. In fact, Dyrek had requested and been granted a four month extension in the Marine Corps so he could serve with his brother when he learned Brent was headed to his battalion.

Now he’s bringing his little brother home.

The emotions of Brent’s death stand in stark contrast to the emotions I felt when I learned of Abu Musab al Zarqawi’s death the day prior.

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So, I never thought I would ever rejoice in the actual death of anyone, until I heard of Abu Musab al Zarqawi’s. I thought my emotions concerning death were always going to be of the kind I felt when I learned of Brent’s passing. But, I found myself relieved and jubilant about Zarqawi’s demise.

His death brought relief to the anger I had felt when trying to work with Iraqi’s who would no longer visit with me or would send someone in their stead to inform me they couldn’t be seen with American’s because they’d been taken away, threatened, and shown videos of people being “slaughtered.” I don’t remember the Arabic word used, but in our conversations, the word “beheaded” was always interpreted as “slaughtered.”

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There is more.