This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of five service members in Afghanistan.
US Army SPC Daniel L Carlson, 21, Running Springs, CA
US Army SSG Kenneth W Bennett, 26, Glendora, CA
US Army CPT James D Nehl, 37, Gardiner, OR
US Army SGT Matthew H Stiltz, 26, Spokane, WA
US Army SSG Rayvon Battle Jr, 25, Rocky Mount, NC
According to iCasualties, the total number of allied service members killed in Afghanistan is now 3,229.
In addition, the following notable names passed away this week:
Michigan state politician Hal Ziegler, poet Jack Gilbert, film historian and 3D innovator Ray Zone, Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari and announcer Jefferson Kaye.
I also wanted to add a personal note to ABC's choice to add the viewer question at the end of the In Memoriam segment, where guest host Martha Raddatz bemoaned the general Americans' lack of interest in our ongoing presence in Afghanistan. Simply put, that's exactly the way the traditional media (especially those owned by conglomerations that count defense contractors as part of their interests) wants it. We have made warfare sanitized and removed from the average American's consciousness. But there are people like me and C&Lers who make sure each and every week that we never forget that sacrifice, almost entirely borne on the backs of those disadvantaged on a socio-economic level. We do not shy away from the horrors of warfare nor do we ever forget those 70,000 troops that remain.
It is entirely the choice of the tradmed to enable Americans to forget it.
