For the Children (2)

I saved this photo from April 2008 and taped it in my work cube where I would see it every single day. 

The caption: Ali Hussein is pulled from the rubble of his home after a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad's Sadr City. The 2-year-old died at a hospital.

Mister Tristan (the human, not the blog) is now 2 years old.  I cannot imagine losing him in any way, much less to experience the grief and horror of losing him in a senseless war without end.

I could no longer recall from whence my clipped photo came, so I went on the web to try to source it properly.  The best I could do was here at dcMemorials, where the author says he borrowed it from the Associated Press and photographer Karim Kadim.

I echo the sentiments of the author, who wrote:

This page is dedicated to the late Ali Hussein

& all the other children of Iraq so tragically affected by this war.

And to the hundreds of thousands of American fighters

who have faithfully discharged the duties

thrust upon them by their Commander in Chief.

My heart weeps for the children...

& shares the pain of the soldiers

upon whom this horrible burden has been placed.

(I've posted on Children before and about our sacred duty to protect them at all costs.)