By David Zucchino
The Los Angeles Times
Tuesday 25 December 2007
On their own in a strange town, Carletta Davis' husband and sons had been waiting for December 2008, when she'd be coming home from her third Mideast deployment. Now they're not sure what happens next.
Oswego, New York - The three young sons of Staff Sgt. Carletta Davis did not get to say goodbye to her before she shipped off to Iraq in September. Two months later, Carletta was killed by a roadside bomb as her convoy returned from a mission near Kirkuk on Nov. 5.
"Those boys didn't get that last hug and kiss, and that's what they'll crave the rest of their lives," said Lavada Napier, Carletta's mother.
The day Carletta Davis died, the Pentagon reported that the number of American troops killed in Iraq set an unwelcome record as the worst year yet, topping the 849 deaths in 2004. The total so far this year stands at 894.
The record came even though the number of military deaths in Iraq has dropped every month since August, down to 37 in November. But 2007 began badly, with 83 deaths in January and more than 100 deaths per month in April, May and June.
For the Davis family - forever on the move, never quite settled and never really home - the death of Carletta was a particularly devastating blow. Three boys in a strange town have lost a loving mother who was gone for much of their lives. A father who had kept his family together while pursuing a medical career is left to raise his sons in a town where he has few friends. More on the story.
1 comment:
This is a clear example of what Americans mean by Support our Troops. Yes we hear the lip service as thousands of Military Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are come and homeless living in the street. Many families have lost their homes and are living in a car. Their are no jobs for Vets and those in the hospital are left without proper care. Yes many soldiers have killed themselves and others have killed their wives. We watch our President show the menu he and his family are eating while tax paying Americans suffer. Yes there are a few who still have and could care less out those that don't have.
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