Jack Kelly: The rest of the story

Pittsburg Post-Gazette ^ | 4 Dec 05 | Jack Kelly

[LSUfan]

In his speech at the Naval Academy Wednesday outlining U.S. strategy in Iraq, President Bush paid tribute to Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr, killed in a fire fight in Ramadi on April 30. He was 22, on his third tour in Iraq.

A letter to his girlfriend was found on Cpl. Starr's laptop computer:

"If you're reading this, then I've died in Iraq," Cpl. Starr wrote. "I don't regret going. Everybody dies but a few get to do it for something as important as freedom.

"It may seem confusing why we're in Iraq; it's not to me. I'm here helping these people so they can live the way we live, not to have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. Others have died for my freedom; now this is my mark."

In a mammoth article in October taking note of the 2,000th U.S. death in Iraq, The New York Times mentioned Cpl. Starr and his letter, but didn't quote the passages above.

[Gordongekko909]

The Sheehan Left simply cannot allow themselves to acknowledge that the troops support the mission. It doesn't fit their template. They must portray the troops as either low-morale, heroin-addicted, Vietnam-era, peace-symbol-wearing, only-there-because-I-was-drafted John Kerrys, or as bloodthirsty, baby-killing, teenager-raping, psychos. Farenheit 911, of course, displays all American troops in Iraq as either one or ther other. But to even entertain the possibility that the troops actually support the mission and think that MSM coverage of the war is ridiculous undermines their entire position. Therefore, they cannot report the war like that.

[tet68]

We are so blessed to have Americans like this!!!


Well done, MARINE!

[freema]

Reporter reporting on reporters.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooood.

[bybybill]

HELP
What does the term "insurgent" mean? I studied a lot of wars and never heard it used before. Is it the Rat way of saying suicide bomber? Where did it come from?
I do know what a terrorist is and to me, what is going on in Iraq is pure terrorism, which also why it will fail.

[Terpfen]

Isn't Jack Kelly the guy who was fired from USA Today?

[VadeRetro]

Oh, no. He was Bart Maverick.

[Churchillspirit]

Later he became mayor of Huntington Beach, CA. What a joke, he was hitting the bottle pretty hard and we always seemed to have a mayor pro temp If he did show up for council meetings, he invariably wore a tracksuit and was in and out of the council chamber throughout the meeting.

What a sad end to his life.

[VadeRetro]

Didn't know that part of his bio. Yes, that's sad. He was never anyone's favorite Maverick but he was a decent actor and had more of a comic touch than people remember.