Former UGA cheerleader killed in Iraq

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

 
Former UGA cheerleader killed in Iraq

> Associated Press
> Published on: 06/20/05

ATHENS — A former University of Georgia cheerleading captain who was known for "carrying bullets in one pocket and Beanie Babies in the other" as a soldier has been killed in Iraq, his father said Monday.

Second Lt. Noah Harris, 23, of the 3rd Infantry Division, was killed Friday in Baquba, Iraq after a roadside bomb detonated near his armored Humvee, said his father, Rick Harris of Ellijay, Ga. Another soldier, a gunner, was killed and the driver of the vehicle suffered burns on 80 percent of his body, Rick Harris said.

The Pentagon on Monday could not immediately confirm the deaths, said spokeswoman Lt. Col. Pamela Hart.

Noah Harris joined the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, telling his father that people "must serve some higher purpose than yourself in life."

(snip)

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/0605/20ugairaq.html

(subscription required)

[Mari333]

1. Sad that he thought Iraq had anything to do with 9/11

he died for nothing, actually..he only died for greedy neocons and oil barons.

[Oreo]

2. All for a lie

Maybe George will feel sorry for directly causing the death of a fellow cheerleader.



not likely

[Fridays Child]

3. Noah Harris: Cheerleader with guts

George W. B*sh: Cheerleader with a yellow stripe down his back

[PunkPop]

4. Who's luckier?

The ones who died or the one who lived but has had his body and probably his mind traumatized for life? When will these soldiers and families get the justice they deserve? When will we all get to see Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld in chains and behind bars?

Poor dude. Thought he was serving "some higher purpose"? So unfortunate.

[sui generis]

5. sorry but Iraq is not a "higher" purpose

the ONLY thing we "must" do with our lives is choose what we do with our lives wisely.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. The article said he joined after 9/11 so he was 19, maybe 18,

when he allegedly told his father that people "must serve some higher purpose than yourself in life."

I wonder if he still saw it as a higher purpose. I wonder if he questioned why he was in Iraq, which is not a place where Osama bin Laden has ever been.

[0rganism]

7. Why is "cheerleading captain" more noteworthy than "Second Lt."?

I'm not a big sports fan, so maybe I just don't get it, but it seems to me that 2nd Lt. in an infantry division is way more meaningful.

[Vogon_Glory]

16. Being a Lieutenant Was More Meaningful, BUT

Being a lieutenant was indeed more meaningful than being a cheerleader, but you may also wish to remember that the incumbent at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was also a cheerleader, and one who didn't go to a theater of war and put himself in harm's way.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

19. I'm sure the reason, is that his time as a UGa student and cheerleader is

the "hometown connection" angle to the article.

This is better than most of the "faceless statistic" descriptions of the war dead one sees in the news, because it conveys a small sense of the person.

[underpants]

8. Pictures from UGa cheerleaders website/blog

http://www.arches.uga.edu/~liciabug/index.html

[saigon68]

9. "BRING EM ON", shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

NO MORE "cheering for you boy",he continued

[newscott]

10. Surely there is room on the front line for one more former cheerleader

:evilgrin:

[DS1]

11. I don't know if I'd prefer death or 80% burns

:scared:

Talk about a living hell.

Still, Bush dines on his customized menu of PB&J sandwiches on our tax dollars, the fuck.

[leesa]

12. A higher purpose would have been to demand an investigation into

who did 9-11, not blindly going along with the Chief Chimp and lashing out at countries that had nothing to do with the crime.

[Straight Shooter]

13. I wish instead of the Army he had joined Democratic Underground

I wish he had learned the truth, or at least what we've been able to dig up of the truth.

Maybe Noah Harris would still be with us. Maybe his "higher purpose" would have consisted of raising some fine children, and sharing love and laughter with a devoted wife.

I don't quarrel with Noah's heart. I hate the way bush jerked around Noah's mind.

[mitchum]

18. Yours is a beautiful post

Well said, my friend

[ieoeja]

14. To all the "but doesn't he know Iraq ..."

"... had nothing to do with 9-11" posts.

He didn't join a year and a half after 9-11 to go after Saddam. He joined immediately after 9-11 when any sane person would have assumed we were going after Al Qaeda.

[Lex]

15. I have a friend who joined the military after 9/11 because he thought

he'd be going to fight against those who attacked us on 9/11. That's why he joined up specifically.

He was *pissed* beyond belief about the invasion of Iraq and knew it was all Bush's bullshit, but he had already enlisted.

A fucking bait and switch.

[lastliberalintexas]

17. Thank you

I can understand that there are issues involved with the Afghanistan invasion too, but at least that war had an air of legitmacy in the beginning.

I just wish if he'd really wanted to do something "more" with his life that he'd joined the Peace Corps or signed up with Habitat for Humanity for a couple of years. Much better enlistment program at those organizations, and the death rate is much, much lower.