# In which Nott falls apart over a local Marine's war death **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708 "2003-05-16T16:14:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708/1 "2003-05-16T16:14:02Z")
I’ve been feeling bad and worried about the war for several weeks. Mostly, I was keeping my chin up and pretending it didn’t bother me. Then, yesterday, I happened to see a woman I’ve known for 25 years. Her son was killed in a nighttime crash of a Humvee in Iraq. He was driving with night-vision goggles. She was shattered for a few days, and now she’s slogging through the difficulties of burying her dead son and resuming life without him. The USMC has been supportive and courteous. The UAW and the company have cooperated to put together a memorial scholarship. A circle of friends has helped her to make it. Hearing her talk about her ordeal bumped me over the edge. I’ve been rattled and depressed since yesterday. I’ve been bitter and angry about the war since the beginning. Now that I’ve seen the human cost up close, it hits me upside the head with the reality that the war boys don’t care about the opinions of little citizens like me. ☹ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Howard\_Juneau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@Howard\_Juneau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Howard_Juneau)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708/2 "2003-05-16T16:48:12Z")
I hear you, **AskNott**. What do you do with a world that doesn’t make sense? Words fail. The OP made me go and hug my kids. ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708/3 "2003-05-16T18:11:04Z")
I grieve for my fallen brother. Semper Fi ---
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708/4 "2003-05-16T18:45:58Z")
First of all, words are not enough, but I pray for the mother and her son. However, life in the military is inherently dangerous, with or without a war. From [this article](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug1997/n08111997_9708114.html) : > [@](#): > > In 1980, there were 117 noncombat deaths per 100,000 service > members – about 2,390 deaths out of 2.05 million service members. In > 1996, there were 68 noncombat deaths per 100,000 servicemembers – > 1,020 noncombat deaths out of 1.5 million servicemembers. Of those, > 228 service members died in privately owned vehicle accidents and 190 > service members committed suicide. And > [@](#): > > Deaths by auto accident is a fact of life in society as well as > in the military, Bacon said. “We have programs to deal with drunken > driving and driving when people are too tired or driving too fast, but > like the rest of society, we can do more.” So, grieve for the mother, but blaming the boy’s death on the war may be just a touch too much. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-nott-falls-apart-over-a-local-marines-war-death/175708/5 "2003-05-16T20:56:28Z")
What I hope for the most, is that 10 years from now the country of Iraq will the sort of place that is worthy of this sacrifice. It isn’t today. I know it can’t become that sort of place in such a short time, but I hope it will be someday.