My thoughts and prayers have been, and continue to be with all of the nine soldiers lost and their grieving families. Along with USMC Captain Kuss and his young family.
As has been said better by those before me, most on this forum are very aware of military deaths, whether in wartime or peacetime, and due to the nature of this forum the loss of a cadet in training hits even harder. Own DS is doing well and thriving in AROTC. But with both LDX extended trainings, and as he prepares to leave for summer training, I am constantly anxious. And should he commission I expect to remain so until his last day of service. When he received his dog tags he thought them “cool” and all I could do was force a fake smile, while my stomach churned. My feelings as a parent are so so different from what I think I felt as an 18 year old off to USMC with sense of immortality. I do not remember if I even tried to understood what my parents must have been feeling, including my father a Korean Vet who never talked about it. As Grunt said above our children have embarked upon a very hazardous profession, and times like this make that clear. The pride in son's choice is tempered with our constant concern, and prayers. Scouts posting of the USMA notice made me want to cry.
To those who have lost a family member in service, Thank you. And to all of you who served, and those still serving, Thank you. And to all of the parents with children training and preparing to lead in whatever branch, Thank you.