Gold Star mother mourns 2,000th casualty in Afghan war
The 2,000th death in the Afghanistan war prompts a Gold Star mother to contemplate her son's earlier sacrifice and bitterly wonders what has been accomplished.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Daniel Riley, 21, medically retired this summer, navigates the steps last week outside his San Diego apartment. Riley lost both legs to an IED in Afghanistan. LENNY IGNELZI / AP
Editor's note: On the 11th anniversary of the Afghan war, a look at its impact.
Originally published October 6, 2012 at 5:36 PM | Page modified October 6, 2012 at 10:18 PM
By ALLEN G. BREED
The Associated Press
Lisa Freeman was cradling her 6-day-old grandson in her left arm and watching the news on her iPad while her daughter and son-in-law caught some much needed sleep. The retired teacher was taking notes with her free hand when she heard the news: The nation had suffered its 2,000th casualty in the Afghan war.
On Sept. 29, Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Metcalfe was on patrol in the country's rugged Wardak province when his unit came under small-arms fire.
As the announcer droned on, all Freeman could do was shake her head and stare at little Matthew — named for an uncle he would never know. Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman fell to a sniper's bullet on Aug. 7, 2009, northeast of Kabul, not far from where Metcalfe died.
It is almost certain that Metcalfe and Freeman — both 29 when they died — never met. Freeman grew up in the Savannah suburb of Richmond Hill, Ga.; Metcalfe was from the village of Liverpool, N.Y., population about 2,400, a few miles north of Syracuse.
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019363191_longestwar07.html?prmid=4939
The U.S. War in Afghanistan, October 7, 2001 - ?
Cpl. Riley was 10 when it began and in fifth grade.
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