I got a reply to my email. The writer said she doesn't write the headlines, and the word was in quotation marks because it was part of a quote (from the mom and the pilot, as I suspected). She's very nice, and is concerned that only the headline was excerpted. I explained, briefly, the rules here at FR about excerpting. She didn't understand how anyone could be offended.
In my first email, I apologized in advance for any snarky emails she may get from us. [Putting on teacher's INSIDE voice here] So, class, the moral of the story is: When you see something that dings your pi**-off meter, READ THE WHOLE STORY FIRST. Sometimes we go off half-cocked. Having done that more times than I care to admit, I've learned my lesson.
Your homework is to show me where to find a list of fatalities, by state, for the war. I've a little project in mind.
Class dismissed...be careful out there! And remember, RTFS!