Taunton mourns soldier's death

[unhappycamper]

Shane Duffy walked of the field last month after being honored for his service to the country.


Taunton mourns soldier's death
By Brian R. Ballou
Globe Staff / June 6, 2008

TAUNTON - His hands shaking and his blue eyes full of tears, Keavin Duffy pulled his wallet out of his back pocket yesterday morning and took out a photograph of his infant granddaughter. Standing on his expansive front lawn, with a bevy of small family dogs running large circles around him, Duffy cupped the photograph in his hand.

"This is my son's daughter," said Duffy, a veteran town firefighter, his voice trembling. "She lost her father."

He looked somberly off toward his winding dirt driveway, where his daughter, Shannon, had just pulled up. His older son, also named Keavin, stood next to him, gazing at the picture and appearing to hold back tears. Then, he walked into his house to wait for a US Army official to arrive and provide details about the event that claimed the life of his youngest son, Shane Duffy.

Duffy, a 24-year-old Army sergeant, was killed in Iraq this week, just after returning to duty from a visit to his hometown.

The news shocked Taunton. Duffy was the first soldier of this community to die in combat in the Iraq war. He had visited his hometown only weeks before, watching his sister make the game-winning hit in a high school softball game on May 23. Duffy was honored before the game for his service to the country, and then he took in the game with his daughter sitting on his lap.


Rest of article at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/06/taunton_mourns_soldiers_death/

[Fearless]

1. Have I mentioned yet that Bush is an asshole?

[Kat45]

2. Wow!

This is so sad and unnecessary. We all know that. But it's so much sadder--and much more real--when a face and family story accompanies the news.