U.S. Troops in Iraq mourn slain female soldier

Sign On San Diego ^ | 10/03/03 | Reuters

[milemark]

U.S. troops in Iraq mourn slain female soldier

REUTERS

6:20 a.m. October 3, 2003

TIKRIT, Iraq

Hundreds of U.S. troops held a memorial service Friday at their base in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces in Iraq to mourn a female soldier killed by a roadside bomb.

Private Analaura Esparzo-Gutierrez, 21, was killed on Wednesday when the blast hit the Humvee vehicle she was driving outside the base in Tikrit, Saddam's home town. Three other soldiers were wounded.

A U.S. Army spokeswoman said Esparzo-Gutierrez was the fourth female U.S. soldier to die in combat operations since the start of the war and the first killed in action since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

Esparzo-Gutierrez, from Houston, Texas, had arrived in Iraq on April 5 for a one-year tour.

Colleagues said she joined the army in 2002 and was engaged to a fellow soldier who had left Iraq on leave just a month ago.

The pair had planned to finish their one-year tour and then marry on their return to the United States where Esparzo-Gutierrez hoped to study to become a doctor.

"You were a friend to all," Sgt. Kendrick Morgan said in a poem he read at the service. "I know you made your parents proud."

[milemark]

The fourth woman to die in the war. When will this insanity end?

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[Leatherneck_MT]

It will end when we wake up and stop sending our Daughters into the line of fire just to appease the Lesbian Liberals in this country.

Not one day before

[First_Salute]

Clearly, the operators of this forum have little taste.

If you had any class at all, you'd never come begging on this page, nor would you have picked the image above, on this sad occasion.

May I add, you are a jerk, whether male, female, black, white, whatever.

[cookcounty]

Not to diminishthe loss of this precious one, but the numbers show a definite reduction in casualties over the last 60 days.

I thought I would mention this, as ABC, NBC,CNN,CBS,PBS,NPR have elected to withhold this information from their listeners.

[milemark]

It's probably placed by a script which inserts the post automatically.

[milemark]

ABC, NBC,CNN,CBS,PBS,NPR ...

Does anyone still watch those?

[milemark]

How fearsome are the Lesbian Liberals that we must appease them and are afraid to stand up to them?

[dandelion]

As the mother of an Airman - who happens to be female - I find this endless drivel about "lesbians" and "liberals" being tied to our military womento be absolutely horrific. A soldier died in defense of our country, and they can only smear her.

My daughter is a Freeper: when she joined up, I imagined that she would be praised for her patriotism and bravery. She could have gone to college on scholarship, as an opera major; instead she chose to serve her country. These bastards keep showing up and humiliating, smearing, lambasting those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coasties who just so happen to be female every time a tragedy like this happens. I came here to express my condolences for the family and I find this sh*t.

I am proud of my Airman, and I love her. If she gives her life for her country, I damn well won't post it here... I won't have her beautiful memory smeared by these hypocrites.

God bless this good young woman, God bless her family, and God bless those who understand the sacrifice she made. The rest of you can go to hell.

[Proud to Be a McCarthyist]

Way to go, Gloria! Lower military standards so more women can die! What a boon for women's rights! Seriously, I'm of the opinion that if a woman can pass the same standards men are held to, she can join. Of course, gender segregated barracks and regiments are in order. And...military service or the attempt to join it might teach American women in general a little more respect for American men. Men are SO undervalued today.

[metalcor]

As the father of a 20 year old daughter about to be inducted into the Army I second and say amen.

[Spruce]

Amen! I am the proud father of a FEMALE Airman. Wild horses could not have stopped her from doing what she felt was right and that was to serve her country.

The loss of any of our kids is a tragedy. Prayers to the families.

[Prodigal Son]

It will end when we wake up and stop sending our Daughters into the line of fire just to appease the Lesbian Liberals in this country.

It will also end when more men go down to the recruiter's office and sign up for those jobs.

[Prodigal Son]

When will this insanity end?

What the war? As soon as we subdue the opposition, get an Iraqi led, democratic form of gov't set up and running and can leave the country without fear of it becoming the next Taliban run Afghanistan.

I wouldn't hold my breath. We will succeed but it won't be as quick as everyone would like.

[SouthernFreebird]

AMEN.... I don't care what sex you are or who you have it with, if you lay your life on the line for me and my family you deserve respect and honor. Most of us Americans appreciate our soldiers and the sacrifices they make and know that they do it out of love for fellow man and Country.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Agreed

[Leatherneck_MT]

They aren't to most of us rank and file. But they scare the hell out of the Politicians.

Of course my 9 year old with a .22 scares the hell out of politicians :P

[ought-six]

"The fourth woman to die in the war. When will this insanity end?"

Ummm, it's called war, and hopefully it won't end until the mission is successfully completed. Better to have minimum casualties now than massive casualties later. But I'm just a veteran; what do I know!

[flyer182]

You are correct.

[TADSLOS]

When will this insanity end?

When there are no more Islamic terrorists standing. They don't discriminate against Christians and Jews by sex, age or race. They're equal opportunity killers and consider all infidels legitimate targets, including the thousands of females killed in the WTC and Pentagon attacks.