thedrifter
03-18-08, 08:25 AM
Article published Mar 18, 2008
Impressions of war, 5 years later
Those closest to war share losses and hopes
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
KevinDuggan@coloradoan.com
Five years and nearly 4,000 American military deaths into the Iraq war, Larimer County and Northern Colorado have suffered few casualties compared with the rest of the state.
But for the families of the fallen, and those who have loved ones still serving in the conflict, the war's burden is still difficult to bear.
"We miss him every minute of every day," said Maggie Walsh, of Fort Collins, referring to her son, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Walsh, who was killed May 26 in Fallujah. "We will never forget him and all that he meant to us."
Colorado has lost 57 residents since the ground war began March 19, 2003, according to Department of Defense records. Front Range cities and towns north of metro Denver have lost seven.
Other parts of the state - particularly Colorado Springs, with 10 deaths - have seen markedly higher numbers. Given the area's heavy military presence, the figures are not surprising, said Karen Linne, spokeswoman for Fort Carson.
Units attached to Fort Carson have lost 233 soldiers in Iraq; the soldiers' hometowns are scattered across the country.
"Any loss has a tremendous impact on our community," she said. "We have a lot of widows and children who have lost parents. They are all part of the Fort Carson family."
Multiple ties
Conflicts in what the military considers a member's hometown of record are common. Sometimes it comes down to a judgment call.
Nick Walsh is the only Iraq casualty whose hometown is listed as Fort Collins by the Department of Defense. But he never lived here.
When not deployed with his unit, he lived at Camp Pendleton, Calif., with his wife and two young sons. Listing his parents' hometown as his own was convenient for handling obligations such as vehicle registrations and tax returns, Maggie Walsh said.
But he was tied to the city through his family, which includes two brothers and a sister. Funeral services with full military honors were held for him at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Old Town.
The only war casualty who lived in Larimer County was Sgt. 1st Class Michael Parrott, a Timnath resident who died Nov. 10, 2005, while serving with a unit from the Pennsylvania National Guard.
His funeral was conducted in Canton, N.C., where he grew up and his mother still lives. A memorial service also was held at Colorado State University, where he worked for 15 years.
His wife of 19 years, Meg Corwin, said she cherishes his memory but has tried to put the sadness of his death behind her.
“I had to let it go,” she said. “I had to move on with my life.”
As director of U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar’s regional office, she devotes part of her time to helping veterans deal with benefit issues.
Corwin said she does not dwell on anniversaries, such as the start of the war, or how they touch her personal life. There are other things to focus on, she said.
She has found a man who shares her enthusiasm for outdoor activities, such as hiking and cycling, and travel.
“I feel really fortunate at having a second chance at happiness,” she said. “Mike would have wanted it that way.”
Points in time
The anniversary of the war’s start always stirs memories for Nicolas Roberts, a longtime resident of Fort Collins. Roberts, 20 years old in 2003, was on the front line with the Marines when the shooting started.
“It reminds me of what we are fighting for and what we’ve done for (the Iraqi people),” he said of the anniversary.
Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, Roberts and his unit had waited 56 days in Kuwait for the order to attack. The Marines lived in holes dug into the desert floor.
When the fighting with the Iraqi army came, it was intense but short-lived. During his second tour in Iraq in 2004, the situation had changed, he said.
Combatants from across the Middle East had moved into the country and holed up in its cities. Roberts was severely wounded by an insurgent sniper and nearly died.
The situation on the ground has changed again, he said.
The surge of troops that started a year ago has worked, he said. Marine buddies serving there for their third or fourth times say they are bored by the lack of action.
Even with the pain that still lingers from his injuries, Roberts said he believes in the mission and what has been accomplished.
“I tell everyone I meet who wants to talk about it that they need to understand we can’t just pull out,” he said. “It would be chaos … if we pull out, they are going to claim victory and bring it here.”
Maggie Walsh has a different take on the significance of the war’s anniversary.
Personal anniversaries — birthdays, holidays, the last time she drove with Nick to the airport — carry more emotional weight than the date of the war’s start, she said.
Memories of her loss come at unexpected moments, she said, such as a recent incident at Denver International Airport when she and her husband watched soldiers coming off a plane and reuniting with their cheering families.
“I know we’ll never have that,” she said.
But war milestones should not be ignored, Walsh said.
“It’s important that people remember that we are still there and that many people are in harm’s way,” she said.
Ellie
Impressions of war, 5 years later
Those closest to war share losses and hopes
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
KevinDuggan@coloradoan.com
Five years and nearly 4,000 American military deaths into the Iraq war, Larimer County and Northern Colorado have suffered few casualties compared with the rest of the state.
But for the families of the fallen, and those who have loved ones still serving in the conflict, the war's burden is still difficult to bear.
"We miss him every minute of every day," said Maggie Walsh, of Fort Collins, referring to her son, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Walsh, who was killed May 26 in Fallujah. "We will never forget him and all that he meant to us."
Colorado has lost 57 residents since the ground war began March 19, 2003, according to Department of Defense records. Front Range cities and towns north of metro Denver have lost seven.
Other parts of the state - particularly Colorado Springs, with 10 deaths - have seen markedly higher numbers. Given the area's heavy military presence, the figures are not surprising, said Karen Linne, spokeswoman for Fort Carson.
Units attached to Fort Carson have lost 233 soldiers in Iraq; the soldiers' hometowns are scattered across the country.
"Any loss has a tremendous impact on our community," she said. "We have a lot of widows and children who have lost parents. They are all part of the Fort Carson family."
Multiple ties
Conflicts in what the military considers a member's hometown of record are common. Sometimes it comes down to a judgment call.
Nick Walsh is the only Iraq casualty whose hometown is listed as Fort Collins by the Department of Defense. But he never lived here.
When not deployed with his unit, he lived at Camp Pendleton, Calif., with his wife and two young sons. Listing his parents' hometown as his own was convenient for handling obligations such as vehicle registrations and tax returns, Maggie Walsh said.
But he was tied to the city through his family, which includes two brothers and a sister. Funeral services with full military honors were held for him at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Old Town.
The only war casualty who lived in Larimer County was Sgt. 1st Class Michael Parrott, a Timnath resident who died Nov. 10, 2005, while serving with a unit from the Pennsylvania National Guard.
His funeral was conducted in Canton, N.C., where he grew up and his mother still lives. A memorial service also was held at Colorado State University, where he worked for 15 years.
His wife of 19 years, Meg Corwin, said she cherishes his memory but has tried to put the sadness of his death behind her.
“I had to let it go,” she said. “I had to move on with my life.”
As director of U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar’s regional office, she devotes part of her time to helping veterans deal with benefit issues.
Corwin said she does not dwell on anniversaries, such as the start of the war, or how they touch her personal life. There are other things to focus on, she said.
She has found a man who shares her enthusiasm for outdoor activities, such as hiking and cycling, and travel.
“I feel really fortunate at having a second chance at happiness,” she said. “Mike would have wanted it that way.”
Points in time
The anniversary of the war’s start always stirs memories for Nicolas Roberts, a longtime resident of Fort Collins. Roberts, 20 years old in 2003, was on the front line with the Marines when the shooting started.
“It reminds me of what we are fighting for and what we’ve done for (the Iraqi people),” he said of the anniversary.
Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, Roberts and his unit had waited 56 days in Kuwait for the order to attack. The Marines lived in holes dug into the desert floor.
When the fighting with the Iraqi army came, it was intense but short-lived. During his second tour in Iraq in 2004, the situation had changed, he said.
Combatants from across the Middle East had moved into the country and holed up in its cities. Roberts was severely wounded by an insurgent sniper and nearly died.
The situation on the ground has changed again, he said.
The surge of troops that started a year ago has worked, he said. Marine buddies serving there for their third or fourth times say they are bored by the lack of action.
Even with the pain that still lingers from his injuries, Roberts said he believes in the mission and what has been accomplished.
“I tell everyone I meet who wants to talk about it that they need to understand we can’t just pull out,” he said. “It would be chaos … if we pull out, they are going to claim victory and bring it here.”
Maggie Walsh has a different take on the significance of the war’s anniversary.
Personal anniversaries — birthdays, holidays, the last time she drove with Nick to the airport — carry more emotional weight than the date of the war’s start, she said.
Memories of her loss come at unexpected moments, she said, such as a recent incident at Denver International Airport when she and her husband watched soldiers coming off a plane and reuniting with their cheering families.
“I know we’ll never have that,” she said.
But war milestones should not be ignored, Walsh said.
“It’s important that people remember that we are still there and that many people are in harm’s way,” she said.
Ellie