Feeling the loss; RIP Maj. Andrew Olmsted

If my thoughts are off, if my points have seemed pointless, if I have seemed angry, there is a good reason for this behavior. MAJ Andrew Olmsted was killed in action January 3, 2008, and I just do not have any words to say how sorry I am to his family and friends.

I did not know Andy all that well, and I did not read his blog very often. I have been so busy focused on myself that I am missing out on the best we have here while they walk amongst us. I am angry at myself, the animals who killed him, and just the plain ignorance of us all.

He did leave us one last post which he gave to hilzoy to post in such a case as this. So at least he defeated the grips of death with a final farewell.

An excerpt:

What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.

Please read the whole post. You will also be able read it on his site: Andy Olmsted. You may learn about this man, even now, through his archives. Please also send up a prayer for his family and friends, that God would comfort and strengthen them, and for him...Godspeed.

Other sites who have written about Maj. Andy Olmsted and trackposts of mine:
The Sandbox: FINAL POST.
Blackfive: Godspeed Major Andrew Olmsted.
The Yankee Sailor: Andrew Olmsted, RIP.
Milblogging: Tragic News: Top Military Blogger Dies In Iraq; Read His Final Post.
Blue Star Chronicles: A Blogger is Killed in Iraq.
Confederate Yankee: A Blogger Dies at War.

UPDATE: The dinosaur media finally got around to putting this in print, and they didn't do a bad job either.

MSNBC: 'I DIED DOING A JOB I LOVED' BLOGS US SOLDIER.

These are the trackbacks from Linkfest and others: The Amboy Times: Woman artist gets death threats over gay Muslim photos, Pirate's Cove: TLF: Mr. Great Expectations Not Real Popular With Some Blacks, third world county: Read the FairTax Book, Fred!, The Random Yak: Show and Tell Day, Adam's Blog: Post of the Day for January 8, 2008, Adam's Blog: The Abortion State, Right Truth: Politians Pander on Illegal Immigration and Terrorism - UPDATED, Right Voices: Putting The Cart Before The Horse: Obama Calls Kenya Opposition Leader, The Yankee Sailor: Tuesday Open Post, Outside the Beltway: Hillary Clinton Cries Tears of Unfathomable Sadness, Blue Star Chronicles: US Army Sgt. Gabriel Steel on Patrol, Woman Honor Thyself: Tech Lovers: LooK OuT, Woman Honor Thyself: Guess who’s issuing Death ThreatS Today?, thanks to: Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Trackbacks to this post (most recent tb listed first):
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