A photo taken of the South Carolina native (Capt. Kimberly Hampton, the first woman pilot killed in Iraq) as she sat in the cockpit of her helicopter communicated a good-natured openness and self-assurance. Her father said she "enjoyed the fact she was making a difference over there trying to help the Iraqi people and protect our freedoms in this country. She was very much a patriot." Hampton undoubtedly was a patriot, and she was making a difference for the Iraqi people. Americans should be very proud of her and all the troops in Iraq. No doubt she truly believed she was protecting "our freedoms in this country." She believed that and answered the call because that is what her commander in chief told her. But the most sacred duty civilians have to their armed forces is to ensure they are never called to sacrifice their lives unless this nation faces a real threat. Bush must be held accountable for Hampton's death. Iraq was the wrong war -- for conservatives, for liberals, for all Americans.
January 17, 2004 4:21 AM
