Senator's Nephew Mourned by Hundreds

[Rose Siding]

WOLF CREEK, Mont. -- A nephew of U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who was killed in combat in Iraq was remembered as an outstanding man, soldier and husband Sunday in a funeral at his family's ranch.

Hundreds of people gathered in remembrance of Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, including Republican Sen. Conrad Burns and Burns' Democratic challenger, Jon Tester. The Democratic senator's nephew died July 29.
...
Max Baucus told of taking his wife, Wanda, to the ranch for the first time and said his nephew greeted her with a wildflower....Wanda Baucus slipped a wildflower beneath the flag atop his casket after his body arrived last week at Delaware's Dover Air Force Base, the five-term senator said.
...
Max Baucus voted to authorize war in Iraq in 2002. This summer, he joined other Democrats in voting to begin a phased withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country by year's end.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/06/AR2006080601018.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Well Max...you sent your nephew to his useless death with your vote

to invade and occupy -against the vast majority of world opinion- a nation that had been doing nothing whatsoever to anyone.

I KNEW it was all bullshit. You MUST have known.

And your nephew's blood is on YOUR hands.

[brer cat]

2. I appreciate your feelings, and I have them too, but

my sympathy with family in their loss.

[LynnTheDem]

3. My sympathy is with the young man who was blown apart and

bled to death into the sands scared and alone for a pack of absolute bullshit.

Just as my sympathies lie with all my friends who bled to death on those same sands for the same pack of absolute bullshit, and for my husband still Iraqmired.

[Breeze54]

4. My condolences to the family....

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/08/07/helena_top/01ht20060806231.txt

Fallen Marine laid to rest

By MARTIN J. KIDSTON, IR Staff Writer - 08/06/2006

SIEBEN RANCH —

Under a grove of willow trees planted by a Baucus family forefather more than a century ago,'
Cpl. Phillip Baucus, a 28-year-old Marine killed last week in Iraq, was laid to rest in a
powerful ceremony that included a 21-gun salute and the release of 12 white doves.

The ceremony, which lasted nearly two hours, saw speakers remember Baucus as a brave Marine,
a dedicated husband and a caring member of a proud family with deep Montana roots.

Snip-->

John Baucus, Phillip Baucus’ only brother, sat with family in the front row.
He stood slowly and made his way to the podium where he remembered
the morning that he learned of his brother’s death.
“The day I found out about Phillip’s passing, I was devastated,” he said.
“We got along well. We saw eye to eye.” After he received the news,
it was his wife who suggested that he take a walk and think things over.
He made his way down to the ranch house and this very grove of giant willows,
which cast a pool of deep, grassy shade across the yard.
The two brothers played here as boys building tree houses in the sturdy limbs
and engaging here in water fights with squirt guns.
As John walked that day, he carried a tune in his head — a jingle from a cartoon
about super heroes. The meaning, while elusive at first, caught up to him when
he reached the grove of willows.
“It made perfect sense to me why I had that song in my head,” John said.
“I thought of my brother. He was one of my four personal heroes.
He was a hero of a different kind. He had the power of courage, honor and commitment.”
John gave thanks that he had the opportunity to tell his brother how he felt before
he deployed to Iraq for his second and fatal tour of duty.
He then called himself lucky and thanked his brother’s fellow Marines,
who stood in formation off to the side at parade rest.

John pursed his lips and paused. He turned to the coffin, which sat fully in the sun.
“To my brother, I’m going to miss you,” he said. “You’re an excellent man.
An excellent soldier. An excellent husband to a great lady.
I never saluted my brother. I’m saluting my brother and my friend.”

Cpl. Chris Charles, who served as Baucus’ fire-team leader during their first tour in Iraq,
remembered his best friend. “When I heard the news I cried a lot, and I still do cry,”
said Charles. “Phillip was my brother and I considered him part of my family.” <--Snip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The irony here is just mind blowing.... :cry:

[Raster]

5. War is a great business. Invest a child.