Its been a tough weekend

**Tnmom** · 01-13-2009, 10:37 AM

I hope I am in the right spot.

Things have been sad in our little neck of the woods. A local man (he was only 20) was the latest casualty in Afghanistan. He was killed while on patrol on Thursday. His family was notified late Thursday night. While I didn't personally know Spc. Keith Eric Essary, his younger brother and sister ride my bus. It's heartbreaking to watch those two. I was proud of his sister, she said he died doing what he loved and if he came back tomorrow he would ask to be sent right back. he had been home in Sept for a 2 week leave.

Then on Sat, we got word that another friend committed suicide. We don't think he really meant to kill himself. We think he was trying to "show" his wife. He shot himself in the upper chest area not an area where there are any vital organs but he ended up bleeding
to death while waiting for the ambulance.. Joe leaves behind 3 children..2 daughters and a son. He was only 33 years old. While we weren't the best of friends, we did have several connections with his family. My daughter and his niece were/are best friends. They had drifted apart in the past months but are reconnecting now. I work with his sister at the cafeteria..Joe helped coach my son's jr football team, along with my husband and another dad.
This has been heartbreaking and last night the look in his children's eyes....devastating. I mean its hard enough to explain death when it is an accident..but to have to tell the kids that he took a 22 and pulled the trigger..meaning to or not it still resulted in his death and it has left a huge hole in the lives of so many..
So if you would keep these two families in your thoughts and prayers and all the lives that they touched while here on this earth for such a short period of time.