Tragedy

The two American soldiers who went missing in Iraq have been found dead. They are Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Army Pfc. Thomas Lowell Tucker, 25, of Madras, Oregon.

The occupation of Iraq was not in their interest, and their murders were not in the interest of the working people of Iraq. To say that they were unfortunate pawns in the quibbles and rituals of the powerful is not to take away their virtues as human beings or soldiers. Indeed, one longs for a world where their heroism and bravery could have been directed in the service of an unambiguously good cause. Such a world is far, far removed from the one that sent them to their tragic and unnecessary deaths.