"One way to honor the troops is to stop spreading the idea that they died for a mistake or that they were 'wrongly sent to Iraq.'... The loss of every life in Iraq is heartbreaking. But the number 2,000 is not, as Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said, 'a milestone.' Frustrated by the media's anticipation of the 2,000th casualty and the planning of anti-war protests to commemorate it, Boylan called it what it is—an 'artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives.' What is truly worth noting is the number of young men and women who are willing to serve their country in an age of such cynicism." --- Oliver North

by Pfc. Laura M. Bigenho

October 31, 2005

Staff Sgt. Stacy Bruno, from the 42nd Military Police Brigade, shares stuffed animals with 12-year-old Rihad. The brigade distributed stuffed animals, school supplies, shoes and other items (all donated by Soldiers and Army civilians in Iraq) to children in Baghdad. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.