Private William Long Laid To Rest

Rest In Peace.

Wearing a red cap signifying that he is a retired U.S. Marine and an American flag tie, Long's father shared a letter he had written his son in advance of his scheduled departure for his first duty post in South Korea, which had been set for Monday. He advised his son to always do the right thing, to put aside his personal feelings, to follow the orders of the president and his commanding officers.

"You and your brother ... are both heroes for having the moral courage to stand up when your country needs you most," Daris Long read. "You are in my hopes and my thoughts and my prayers. You are my son, you are my hero. I love you. Semper fidelis."

Long's brother, Pfc. Triston Long of Fort Bliss, Texas, gave Long the cavalry branch insignia badge on behalf of his own unit and in honor of Long's Army service.

"My brother taught me valuable lessons and made me the man I am today," Triston Long said. "My commander said, 'Make your brother one of us.' I will miss my brother with all that I am, and I serve in honor of him."

Below the fold is an interview with Private Long's father from the day after the shooting. It's heart wrenching as you can imagine. What really got to me was Mr. Long's gratitude for the people who showed him kindnesses that horrible day. The fact that he wanted to acknowledge them at that horrible moment speaks volumes about the kind of man he seems to be. We can only imagine how much of that was passed on to his children.

posted by DrewM. at 10:59 AM

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