Soldier, Twin Dies In Iraq

[Barrett808]

Soldier, Twin Dies In Iraq
Twin Brother Joined Air Force
Suzanne Le Mignot
Reporting

(CBS) PORTAGE, Ind. One of the youngest soldiers to fight in the Iraqi war was killed in the line of duty.

Adam Harting was barely old enough to legally drink. Despite his young age, he enthusiastically wanted to serve his country.

CBS 2's Suzanne LeMignot reports on a family trying to come to grips with his death.

"He believed very strongly in what he was doing. He loved his country and he loved his friends and family," said Adam’s father, Jim Harting.

Jim Harting says at the tender age of 11, his son, Army Spc. Adam Harting, wrote down his goals for his father. Enlisting in the military was one of them.

"Even in the fifth grade he pretty much had things planned out for himself. He knew exactly where he wanted to go,” Jim Harting said.

On Monday, Harting got word his 21-year-old son was dead. An explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Samarra, Iraq.

(more)

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_208182547.html

[UpInArms]

1. from your link:

Adam would have been home two months ago for good, but his tour of duty was extended. With that in mind, Adam's death is especially hard for his twin brother, Alex.

Grinding them up and sending them home in boxes in the dead of night.

[DemBones DemBones]

2. The headline suggests that a soldier AND his/her twin were killed

but apparently they're only trying to say that a soldier was killed and he (for we learn the soldier was male) had a twin brother who joined the Air Force. Is the twin in Iraq?

Fuzzy writing is like fuzzy math.

[MaineDem]

4. That's what I thought, too

Very misleading headline.

[Swede]

3. During Viet Nam you had ONE tour and you were sent home.

This kid was there for over two years. There are going to be a lot of fucked up kids coming home.

[phusion]

5. Huh?

"One of the youngest soldiers to fight in the Iraqi war was killed in the line of duty."

How was he "one of the youngest" to fight? I've seen hundreds of 18,19,20 year olds on the casualty lists...

Still a tragedy... :(

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. While the use of so many 30-50yr old reservists may be skewing

the average age up significantly, the average age of the those in the regular army is probably around 21-22.

This is not a anti-army article and is, in my reading, slanted pro-army, if anything. And people who like this war don't want to think of the kids over there as being kids. So if at 21 he is 'one of the youngest' that means that most are grown men who knew what they were doing, volunteers every one, blah blah blah.

The real story, buried in there, is that he was killed after he was due to rotate out because of the overall manpower shortage.