She was 52 when Afghan bomb struck

[MADem]

Merideth Howard, the oldest known woman to die in combat, was behind the gun of a Humvee
By Kim Barker and James Janega, Tribune staff reporters. Kim Barker reported from Mehtarlam and James Janega from Waukesha

September 24, 2006

MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan -- The older soldiers called themselves the Gray Brigade, but Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard never talked about her age. Soon, no one asked.

In training, the Waukesha, Wis., resident ran as hard as men much younger. She became a gunner on a Humvee at this small military base, building a wooden box to stand on so she could see over the turret.

Her last night here, Howard and Staff Sgt. Robert Paul sat on the back stoop of their barracks with the base cook, as usual.

"We started talking about the time she got shot at," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Marlin McDaniel, 42, the cook. "I said I'd probably duck. I wouldn't know what to do. But they both basically said at the same time, `When it's your time to go, it's your time to go.'"

The next day, Howard and Paul made a supply run to a U.S. military base near the Afghan capital. They never made it back, dying in a fiery suicide bombing in Kabul on Sept. 8.

At 52, Howard, who had gray hair and an infectious smile, became the oldest known American woman to die in combat.

The fact that she was even here, serving as a gunner on a Humvee, shows the drain that two wars have put on an all-volunteer military. She was the new face of the military's civil affairs units, which do reconstruction and relief work. Constant deployments have tapped out the regular Army Reservists who most often filled those jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan.......

Free reg req (worth it): http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609240356sep24,1,3120595,print.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[lonestarnot]

1. This sucks on so many fucking levels.

[MADem]

2. It sure does. And I see it getting worse, rather than better, in the near

term. You have to wonder how many grammas and grampas have to die before people will finally get even slightly annoyed?

The slaughter of the youngsters isn't moving anyone yet, either.

[lonestarnot]

4. Oh yes it is moving many! I am one it has moved! But the powers

that be intend to marginalize those voices as long as the war profiteers are increasing their bottom line.

[MADem]

5. Those of us who hate this shit always have been moved.

It's the ones who don't think about it, who don't seem to want to, even when it's on their tv's and in their papers--they just are not yet moved. Those are the ones who just keep turning away, as if by ignoring it they can make it disappear. They don't support the wars, they don't hate the wars, they just pretend there are no wars.

The war profiteers are just bastards, OTOH. They're probably delighted that the woman didn't live to lean on the VA budget for rehab, lean on the government for disability pay, and tap Social Security when her time came. That's how they approach it--it's all about the numbers.

[lonestarnot]

I'm afraid you are right. I wonder what makes these fuckers tick.

Bloodlust? Power, no because they are powerless in their isolated dwellings watching the faux snooze. They are untouched and should be drafted. Doesn't matter what age, they should go first. Tee hee.

[lonestarnot]

6. I'm afraid you are right. I wonder what makes these fuckers tick.

Bloodlust? Power, no because they are powerless in their isolated dwellings watching the faux snooze. They are untouched and should be drafted. Doesn't matter what age, they should go first. Tee hee.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Second that n/t