Two of the Seven Soliders Critical of the War Have Been Killed in Baghdad

Think Progress reports that two of the seven soldiers who wrote a piece for the NY Times, the War As We Saw It expressing skepticism about the press coverage as portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable have been killed.

The piece said in part:

The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. […]

In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal. […]

We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this

mission through.

Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray died in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad on Monday. General Patraeus was actually questioned yesterday about these soldiers assessment of the situation by Senators Barbara Boxer (D- CA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE). Hagel said prophetically: "By the way, I assume you read the New York Times piece two weeks ago — seven NCOs in Iraq, today, finishing up 15 month commitments. Are we going to dismiss those seven NCOs? Are they ignorant? They laid out a pretty different scenario, General, Ambassador, from what you’re laying out today."

Mora is survived by his wife, Christa, and 5-year-old daughter, Jordan. Gray is survived by his wife, Jessica, and infant daughter, Ava. But, yet somehow in this topsy turvy political world we, the anti-war folk who want to bring our troops home are accused of not supporting the troops. It is in fact, the other way around and Barack Obama's call for an immediate withdrawal of troops is not only necessary it is the right and only respectful thing to do to restore humanity to us all.