Nation’s losses in Iraq

Every Sunday I read the military obituaries in The Times. I look at the haunting photos, some of them in full formal military uniform, some showing the brave men and women on the front and even a few photos of the fallen before they enlisted (most of them high school photos).

I often find myself consulting a map of the Middle East and a map of the U.S. to understand where these folks came from and where they died. This is the hardest part of my Sunday.

But last Sunday’s obituary of Marine Lance Cpl. Rogelio A. Ramirez, 21, of Pasadena, was by far the hardest one I have had to read. After spending all those years repairing his life, owning up to and repairing his mistakes, to be killed after just a few months in Iraq -- what a tragedy.

What a loss for his family and friends, and for the country as a whole.

Dorit

Dowler-Guerrero

Silver Lake