The Names They Still Won't Mention
11 November 2003, Jimmy Breslin
Your government would prefer that night falls and the dead are buried in darkness. We must keep them remote, names on a list, and concentrate on things like patriotism, exporting democracy and shipping freedom -- all those big words that Joyce said make us so unhappy.
On this list of our dead is a name that shakes the insides. It is Staff Sgt. Morgan D. Kennon, age 23. He is from Memphis, Tenn. "Kennon was guarding a bank in Mosul, Iraq, when his position came under rocket-propelled grenade attack." He was from the 101st Airborne in Fort Campbell, Ky. He never had a job. He went from Central High in Memphis to the Airborne. He picked a spot as rough as he could find. Then they sent him to war, proud and strong, and put him in front of a bank like a retired broken-down cop.
This is called nation building in Iraq. Repairing the infrastructure. Putting freedom into the country. Fighting terrorism. Stand in front of a bank and get shot like he's guarding an ATM in Brooklyn.
November 7, 2003
