Some days I just want to quit. I can't take any more heartache and pain caused by this god-awful war. Every now and then a story gets through my defenses and makes me alternately furious and heartbroken.
A wounded Iraq veteran and his wife have lost a third child from injuries the boy suffered in a car accident on the way to visit his father in the hospital.
The veteran, Army Spc. John Austin Johnson, was being treated in the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio:
Johnson, who is stationed at Fort Bliss, has survived five brushes with improvised explosive device blasts during two years in Iraq, Schmidt said last month. The latest left him with a traumatic brain injury, and he speaks with a severe stutter.
His wife, Lisa Johnson, was taking their three children, Ashley Mishelle, Logan Wesly, and Tyler to visit their father in the hospital.
When a gust of wind blew the vehicle off course, Monalisa Johnson overcorrected, and the vehicle spun off the road, rolling at least four times.
Two children -- Ashley, 5, and Logan, 2 -- died in the accident.
Ashley and Logan were laid to rest on Tuesday:
At the cemetery Tuesday, two white doves provided by the funeral home were released by the parents, Smith said.
"We did this as a symbolic gesture and it seemed to mean a lot to the parents," Smith said.
The children were buried in gravesites provided by an anonymous donor.
Smith noted that passersby were waiting at intervals all along the procession from the funeral home to the cemetery. "Many were holding flags, standing at attention and saluting. It was very moving."
Attending the service were more than 200 members of the Patriot Guard, a group of volunteer motorcyclists who attend funerals of military personnel and their families.
Smith said the family has been very appreciative of all the support they have received — from the Patriot Guard, the community of Benton and the community at large. He did not know the actual number of people who attended the service because many were not able to get into the chapel, which seats 250.
Their third child, Tyler, 9, was hospitalized and died on Saturday.
For any who'd like to make donations:
-FirstLight Federal Credit Union has established an account for donations to help the family of Army Spc. John Austin Johnson and wife, Monalisa. People may make contributions to the "Johnson Family Memorial Fund" at any of FirstLight's seven branches in El"Paso or Las Cruces. For more information, call (800) 351-1670 or check the credit union's Web site at www.firstlightfcu.org.
-Bank of America has established the "Ashley and Logan Johnson Memorial Fund." A contribution may be made at any Bank of America in the country by giving the teller the exact fund name and noting that it is "domiciled in Texas."
This never should have happened. Those children should never have been in the car because their father should never have been in the hospital because he should never have been ordered to Iraq.
I cannot imagine what Army Scp. Johnson and Ms. Johnson are going through right now. I hope they have all the support they need to help them.