March 21, 2007 -
When compiling the daily news for GamePolitics, GP relies in part on an extensive set of automated Google News searches. Based on certain keywords, our Google searches occasionally turn up news of a soldier or Marine killed in Iraq.That's not really the type of news that fits with GamePolitics' journalistic mission, so it doesn't normally appear here. But in reading such stories, we do note the frequency with which friends and relatives of deceased military personnel mention that their loved one enjoyed video games. Not too surprising, really, given the relatively youthful demographics of soldiers and gamers alike.
A poignant story we read yesterday in the Detroit News caught our eye, however. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the Iraq war just passed its four-year anniversary. More likely it was the fact that Army Pfc. William "Billy" Davis, killed by a roadside bomb last weekend, was simply a hardcore gamer. From the newspaper account:
A video game enthusiast, Davis... met his wife after high school. The couple named their daughter (Aeris) after a character in the videogame "Final Fantasy VII."
"He liked to play a lot of video games," his mother said.
UPDATE 3/23/07: The Connecticut Post reports on the death of PFC Stephen Ron O'Neil Karl Richardson, killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb:
A personal profile attributed to Richardson and posted on the Internet site, myspace.com, states that he "is a proud new daddy to my daughter, Iyana.
"I'm still just a kid at heart. I like to watch cartoons and play video games," he wrote.
Comments
aahhh apathy,I hope in time its returned to you 10 fold.
Wow, how you've openened my eyes! [please note: THICK sarcasm] I never realized that my relatives who died in WW2 got drafted of their own free will. And absolutely, why should I honor the VOLUNTEERS who signed up to keep hitler from killing innocent people. After all, it was their decision to fight for us who weren't brave enough to stand up and die, it was their decision to sacrifice everything they had, so that I could still keep what I have, and of course, the usual point, these men are the only reason that you are allowed to be a complete jerk.
You may argue, that this isn't WW2, but the fact is, when these men enlisted, they had no idea what they would be doing. It could have been a war with anyone, over anything, or it could have been a war with ourselves. They just knew that there was a job for them, and they were fit to do it.
So, because Brer/\ already put it so elequently and rationally, I feel the need for sarcasm and to be a voice that says screw you.
Oh, and I'm sorry about your friend referred to as mike, maybe if he knew some people who cared he wouldn't have made a mistake. But then, assuming he wasn't just an example, if he surrounds people like you, not that many people cared enough about him when he lived to care when he died.
@Diceman - while I do agree with you that we (teh soldiers) know what we are getting into, it's not always that we had a very good choice. The choice between having to sell your blood plasma to have enough ramen noodles to heat up via the little electric coffe mug in your car for the week, and enlisting for an ideal you don't believe in just to have a steady paycheck and a roof over your head...sometimes it's a lot less cut-and-dried than you think it is.
And as for your friend with the bungee cord - yeah, he knew what he was getting into, but is it not still a sad event? What the hell is wrong with you? I hope you develop terminal syphillis, so everyone can say, "Well, when he nailed that (insert pronoun referring to chosen gender here), he knew what he was doing, and he knew the potential consequences." Maybe then you'll have a little bit of perpective.
@ all the rest of youse - Keep on truckin. This looks to be a forum I'll be keeping up with, I just found it through random WILFing at work.
Hail Eris!
~KiltedFox~
"When in doubt, fuck it. When not in doubt - get in doubt!"
- Discordian Catma -