In Memoriam

The Ultimate War Sacrifice

Sgt. Nicholas R. Walsh loved being a U.S. Marine.

Nick wasn't just any Marine, either, but a team leader with Charlie Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Marine Division, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. He led a group of Marines on special ops missions in Fallujah, one of the most dangerous assignments in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq.

 

It's always been difficult for me to see Nick as a Marine. I knew him when he was just a kid at John Carroll Catholic High School. His parents, Maggie and Jerry Walsh, lived in Birmingham; Maggie, a former colleague here at The News, is one of the best reporters I've ever worked with. Jerry was a special agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, a gentle, courageous man once held hostage for nine days during an inmate uprising at the federal prison in Talladega.

A few years ago, the family settled in Fort Collins, Colo., after Jerry retired from INS and Maggie landed a job at the newspaper there. By that time, Nick was a seasoned Marine, doing more than his share in the war on terror.

Another tour:

 

This spring, Nick started a second tour in Iraq. Before he and his recon team left, Maggie wrote to family and friends, asking for donations so Nick and "my boys," as Nick called his team members, could buy equipment that would make their tour more physically tolerable.

Nick always said the government did a fine job equipping the Marines, and he never complained. But there were a few items the Marines could buy for themselves that would make them more comfortable in the field - medium-sized backpacks for several days on patrol; Underarmour shirts to help keep them cool in 120-degree heat; Strider knives, the "best combat knives on the market," Nick said, used for "cutting wire, digging up mines ... and probably the best fighting knife there is, just in case you are stuck in a really bad situation."

One of the problems I have with this war in Iraq is pretty basic. We're told by President Bush that this is "a war that will set the course for this new century" and a fight "to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations."

Yet, most Americans aren't being asked to sacrifice anything to help. There is no rationing of fuel or food or any other resources; no war tax to pay; no big advertising campaign to encourage patriotic Americans to buy war-on-terror bonds, which, in fact, do exist. We're not being asked to collect scrap metal or discarded plastics to recycle into weapons and armor and other materials to help in a war the president calls a "struggle for civilization."

Oh, there are thousands of American families making the ultimate sacrifices - the lives and physical well-being of their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives. In four-plus years of war in Iraq, about 3,500 Americans have been killed, and another 25,000-plus have been wounded.

Those are the real sacrifices in this war. In any war. It seems the rest of us could be asked to do something. Well, Nick's mom and dad were asking, and the donations came in.

People, whatever their thoughts about the war, were happy to give. Besides, this was about Nick and his "boys," not about President Bush and the "struggle for civilization."

Taking leave:

 

Nick Walsh, 26 years old, was killed by an enemy sniper two days before Memorial Day. He was shot in the neck and died quickly. Nick left a wife, Julie, and two sons, 4-year-old Triston and 4-month-old Tanner. He left parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends. His funeral, at Fort Collins on Saturday, was well-attended. Nick received full military honors. The Patriot Guard Riders and ordinary people were there to shield Nick's family from war protesters who were thought to be nearby.

Shortly after he returned to Iraq in April, Nick sent out a thank-you note by e-mail:

"The fact that you have all donated to us warms my heart, and you all have no idea how much you've not only made our lives a little more comfortable ... but you've also confirmed that despite all the political differences (yes you, all of you reporters), there is still a lot of support for everyone over here and we all appreciate it.

"As reconnaissance Marines, we have a unique job that puts us in danger on a daily basis. My boys and I all want to extend to you all of the thanks that we have from the bottom of our hearts."

So typical, Nick thanking us. We need to be thanking him, and so many others, who make the real sacrifices in this war. An education fund has been established for Nick's children. Donations may be sent to: Sgt. Nicholas Walsh's Children's Fund, c/o First National Bank, 205 W. Oak St., Fort Collins, CO 80521. Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is an editorial writer and editor of the Sunday Commentary section for The News. E-mail: jkennedy@bhamnews.com.