The loss of a good person and a true patriot

[denise]

Lt. Col. Todd J. Clark, 40, of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, was one of three Americans, two soldiers and one civilian contractor, killed Saturday when an Afghan soldier the Americans were training turned his weapon on them.


www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130611/NEWS03/706119901


I had the honor and pleasure of speaking to Lt Col Clark on several occasions. He truly was a very nice family man and a dedicated soldier. He talked to me at length regarding his injury in Iraq that almost killed him and the time he spent at Walter Reed recovering. He just wanted to keep on keeping on. He was a man with plan. I feel such sorrow for his family.

[dave]

Denise, I am so sorry for his family and for you, his friend. It is an absolutely awful way to die, by the hand of a coward. I hope the bastard fries in hell and I'm sorry to have to say that, but that's the way I feel.

I wish we would get out of that place and leave what is no more than a shithole ... made that way by the people who inhabit it. Let them visit their hate and revenge on themselves and not on good and brave men who came to serve.

Dave

[denise]

Thanks, Dave. The news sincerely did rock my world. I meet a lot of soldiers. Lt Col Clark was exceptionally noteworthy.

Here is a follow-up article. I did not know Major Leonard but must have encountered her in passing. Just terrible news that these individuals, which included a civilian contractor, were murdered by a person who was in their charge for training. No doubt there will no justice coming from the Afghan government. They just hoot and holler when the shoe is on the other foot.


www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130611/NEWS09/706119769

Not a fan of the official photos. I knew Lt Col Clark to be a happy, jovial person.

[Clipper]

I have to agree with Dave. It is time to let the hateful and cowardly bastards kill EACH OTHER and bring our brave soldiers home to their families. I find it a travesty to allow our military to continually be gunned down by those that they are assigned to train. We should train some Afghan trainers and then get the hell out of there and let those Afghan trainers carry the load. If they want a trained army, they can damn sure perform their own training once we have fielded a few well trained Afghans prepared to carry out the job of training others.

May the families of those killed be comforted by the realization that their loved one's died with honor serving OUR country, however controversial and conflicted the Afghan war may be. May those brave warriors rest in peace.

[dave]

Here's a better photo of Clark from a Times Union article at the url below.




www.timesunion.com/local/article/Add-two-local-names-to-war-s-casualties-4590880.php#photo-4760919

[denise]

Much better.

I feel such sorrow for his family. He survived Iraq. He should have survived Afghanistan as well.