'I'm hurting right now, mom' - For the hawks here and elsewhere [View All]

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http://www.app.com/app2001/story/0,21133,765265,00.html

By MICHAEL AMSEL
STAFF WRITER
Spc. Shaun Cunningham always prided himself on his mental toughness. As a chemical operations specialist with an Army field hospital near Baghdad, Cunningham saw the horrific realities of the war, helping retrieve bodies of fallen comrades from the field, shooting several enemy fighters in gunbattles, trying his best not to be shocked at the level of violence he witnessed.

But this was too much to bear.

At his feet were three U.S. soldiers who had been killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the Tigris River. One body was nearly decapitated. It was Cunningham's job to clean them up and put them in body bags so they could be shipped back to the United States for proper funerals.

As Cunningham searched their pockets, looking for IDs, he realized he'd met the men; they were flight medics he had helped outfit with protective gear. A knot formed in his throat. Then, he came upon pictures of their children and tears welled in his eyes.

"That's when the war really hit home with him," said his father, Richard Cunningham.

As the war fades from our collective consciousness, families like the Cunninghams of Toms River wait and worry, hoping their sons and daughters will return home safely, and the nightmare will end. Each day, the pain and longing gets more excruciating. snip

In it, Shaun wrote: "Mom, I'm telling you right now that if something should happen to me, know that you and daddy are the best and I love my family a lot. People are getting killed every day, and the look on their faces will stay with me forever. I'm sure that you will hear about this (helicopter) crash before this letter gets to you. Know that we acted honorably and the doctors did everything they could to bring the men back to life. Say a prayer for them and tell the church to also pray. Good soldiers, good men, now with God."


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