US Soldier Killed felt "total abandonment" from government

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 8:27 AM on January 26, 2007.

A special thanks to reader Thomas Vernier for the tip.

On the one hand you have the Defense Department's official death notice:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Ryan J. Hill, 20, of Keizer, Ore., died January 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee.

Hill was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

For further information on this soldier, contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 011-49-611-705-4859.

But Ryan J. Hill was also a man, a desperate 20-year-old who recorded his thoughts, music and photos on a MySpace profile.

When you click on his MySpace page, still up as of this writing, The Game's "Let's Ride" plays over a purple page of fast cars and somber tributes to soldiers who fell before him.

My name is ryan. I grew up with just my mom at times i wasn't the best son but she did the a great job with me i love her to death. I went through school not knowing what i want to do with my life so i joined the army.

The Oregonian noted this passage, for its raw criticism of our government and those who support its continuation:

"It is walking on that thin line between sanity and insanity. That feeling of total abandonment by a government and a country you used to love because politics are fighting the war . . . and it's a losing battle . . . and we're the ones ultimately paying the price."

Honestly, I don't know what else to add. I get sick.

Tagged as: iraq, killed, soldier

Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs.