As others see it: Honor our fallen

• Spc. James Wertish

Spc. James Wertish

Talk about it

Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. Walter Cronkite.

Daniel Drevnick. James Wertish. Carlos Wilcox. Ben Kopp. Thomas Gramith.

Most Minnesotans probably recognize the first set of names — famous Americans who have died this summer.

But what about the second set?

If you don’t know, they are five Minnesota soldiers who in the past few weeks have died in service to their country.

Drevnick, Wertish and Wilcox were killed in a missile attack in Iraq. All three National Guard specialists were members of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. Kopp died Saturday of wounds received July 10 in Afghanistan. Gramith was killed when his fighter jet crashed last weekend.

Their deaths are a sad and stark reminder to all Americans that this nation remains engaged in two very dangerous and deadly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And in our book, their im-mensely heroic contributions — and those of scores of their peers still on the front lines — far outweigh what any celebrity has done, in death or in life.

Sadly, though, the deaths of these soldiers hold a slim chance (if even that) of capturing the attention of America and focusing it on Iraq and Afghanistan. But it’s that national attention that will spark domestic debate and discussions about what it will take to get America’s best and bravest home.

Perhaps what’s even sadder is that this is not a new revelation. ...

Having five Minnesotans die in war zones within in one month is as shocking as it is sad. We honor their sacrifices. We also urge you to act so that more soldiers don’t face a similar fate.

Tags: minnesota national guard, opinion, editorials, iraq, afghanistan, minnesota