As of this writing, the U.S. fatalities in Iraq number 3,131. In the weeks, months, and perhaps years to come, more young Americans will pay the ultimate price, mown down like flowers that had barely begun to unfurl. Brian Freeman was one such flower, and the horror and senselessness of his demise is representative of the greater horror and senselessness of the Iraq War. By all means, we should honor the sacrifice and courage and good works of those, like Freeman, who serve and fall. But let us not mistake the men (and women) for the mission. Let us not dishonor these brave soldiers by muting our righteous outrage at the reckless aggression, terrible arrogance, and stunning incompetence that have cost so many so much. Let us not give in to the prideful urge to somehow sanctify their valiant sacrifices by plodding stubbornly on. As Oscar Wilde once wrote: “A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.” The error of this war cannot be undone by expending further effort and lives. Sense cannot be made of that which is inherently senseless.

From the Washington Post:

Quest to Heal Iraqi Boy Became a Final Mission

HILLA, Iraq — Hours before getting killed the way he feared most, Capt. Brian S. Freeman looked up and smiled when Abu Ali dropped by his office.

After nearly six months of overcoming financial and bureaucratic hurdles in a war zone, Freeman told the Iraqi man, there were promising signs that a pair of U.S. visas — the last big step in getting Abu Ali’s 11-year-old son to the United States for lifesaving heart surgery — would be issued soon.

The Iraqi was speechless. He asked an interpreter to express his gratitude to the tall American soldier who had made saving the child’s life an unofficial mission. Then he pulled out his camera, swung his arm around Freeman’s broad shoulders and posed for three photographs.

Hours later, shortly before sunset Jan. 20, armed men in GMC trucks stormed into the government building in Karbala, in southern Iraq. They killed an American soldier, handcuffed Freeman and three other U.S. soldiers, hauled them into the vehicles and drove off. Freeman and the other abducted soldiers were later slain by the attackers.

Freeman, 31, a West Point graduate and Army Reservist, left his young wife and two toddlers in Temecula, Calif., last spring to deploy to Iraq.

He was unenthusiastic about the war, but once his uniform was on, friends said, Freeman embarked on his mission with the optimism and stamina that defined him. [full text]