Citizen Staff Writer
FROM OUR BLOGS
BILLIE STANTON
Even newspaper people hate some news. The worst reports are the ones about abused children or about soldiers or law officers killed.
Now the war in Afghanistan has claimed another Tucsonan: Army Msgt. David L. Hurt was killed by an improvised explosive device Friday.
Hurt, 36, was a graduate of Santa Rita High School. More important, he was a husband and the father of 11-year-old daughter Avery and 5-year-old son Wyatt.
Incredibly, Hurt was on his fifth deployment when the IED fatally wounded him and Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26.
Like Hurt, my nephew served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C. And my nephew now is serving in Afghanistan as well, as are thousands and thousands of our young men and women – and some not so young.
Recalling President Obama’s vow to end these wars, I’m praying for that end to come quickly rather than slowly.
Let us bring our troops home to safety as soon as we prudently can.
And certainly until then, we should do everything in our power to ensure that no more soldiers ever have to endure a fifth deployment.
Hurt had enlisted in 1992 and in 2000 became a Green Beret. He was serving in 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), so we know he had extraordinarily advanced military skills.
God bless Msgt. Hurt, his widow and young children.
His name now will be added to the long list of Tucson’s fallen soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines, a list that started with the Aug. 30, 2003, death of Army Sgt. Sean Kelly Cataudella in Iraq.
May the list end here and now: May all of our troops be kept safe.
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