Posted on 05/27/2005 10:20:36 PM PDT by STARWISE
ST. PAUL - The son of a Minnesota state senator was killed in Iraq when his helicopter was shot down, officials said. It was the second tour in Iraq for Chief Warrant Officer Matt Lourey, 41, who flew helicopters with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division — though his mother, Sen. Becky Lourey, and other relatives opposed the war and had tried to talk him out of it.
"He didn't want to die, but nonetheless he signed up for military service and he understood what that meant," said his brother, Tony Lourey.
(snip)
Chief Warrant Officer Matt Lourey, 41
(snip)
When he didn't get a chance to fly for the Marines, he got out and trained as a private bush pilot in Ely before joining the Army as an officer. Benzie-Lourey said he had flown Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopters for years in Bosnia and other places before going to Iraq.
"We were just hoping when it was a Kiowa that went down, maybe it wasn't Matt," she said. "He was just really confident and good at what he did."
(snip)
"Obviously our hearts and prayers and sympathy go out to Senator Lourey and her family," he said. "Another tragic example of the price that people pay for the duty and honor of our country's request of them. As a state, our thoughts and prayers are with this family at a very, very trying time."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
God Bless ALL OUR BRAVE AND DECENT TROOPS -- NEVER FORGET!!
Prayers up.......
Truly ... look at Mayor Richard Daley's son ..went in at the bottom when he could have gone in as an officer .. to be an Army Ranger. God works in mysterious ways.
She had 12 kids, eight adopted. I don't care what her politics were. She was and is someone who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, and apparently knows how to raise kids in a positive way (a dozen of them) while juggling a career. I salute her, and can only imagine her grief.
Thank you for your service, Matt. Our country will miss a fine human being like you. Our hearts break. Another brave heart gone.
Prayers for his family.
Just kudos to the troop for his service and ultimate sacrifice. Hopefully his Mom aka the polidiot won't use "his" sacrifice to further "her" political agenda.
But we already know the answer......
Bless those that sacrifice for our nation.
Stay safe WC !
God Bless brave one, Your efforts are not in vain, I pray for your loved ones as you would have wished.
Prayers for them are on the way
It was his second tour. Maybe he volunteered to go back.
Were that you could say the same.
Possibly. . .but having a hard time accepting that. . .unit rotations are on a clear schedule and his unit was there. My nephew has been there twice, with his unit on a scheduled rotation. . .as well as other warriors I know of.
Regardless, it is sad they would denigrate his sacrifice and courage by saying they tried to talk him out of his sense of duty and responsibility.
Our prayers too are up for this dedicated patriot, and for his no less dedicated loved ones. As well as for all the lesser known but equally dedicated, defenders of freedom and justice and their families and friends.
here here well said , thoughts and prayers
She has the right to say what ever she wishes about the war and I doubt it makes her any more or any less patriotic in doing so.
You have a right to your opinion Squantos and we will all defend to the death, your right to express it. Your profile page reveals that you have undeniably earned that right.
On the other hand I am convinced that the Mother who gave birth to and raised this genuine hero, regardless of her political persuasions, has earned enough respect, even from those of us who don't even know her-that it is totally unfair and un-merited that we can even think of her using the death of her son to forward her political agenda.
How does that denigrate his sacrifice? Would it be better to say that the mother had not tried to talk her son out of going back when she had already said she did?
She just said out loud what many mothers (and fathers) feel but don't say.
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