French soldiers on patrol, the River Seine, Paris.
Cyrus Thatcher was a 19-year-old British soldier serving in Afghanistan. He was killed on June 2, 2009. Read his lively letters home - including one to be read after his death - here.
Read the records of 250,000 medieval soldiers - including archers who served with Henry V - here.
Iraq*
..sorry..lazy fingers today
Posted by: Christine | 02 August 2009 at 17:46
Thanks for sharing that..a lot could be said about this young soldier,the most important being that he loved his family enough to consider what they might be going through in the event of his death..what comfort that must have been to them and will be from now on.
We attended a car show here in town yesterday and on display was a truck with an image of a young marine, killed three years ago this month in Irag. Next to the car were two display boards~one listing of all of the men from our area that had lost their lives in this war and the other a letter from this young soldier that had been written in the event of his death to is family. As I was reading this moving letter, his mother came up to me and started talking about her son and how of all of the young men listed her son was the only one who wrote an "after-death" note to his family and how important this was to her. We had a wonderful talk~he sounded like such an amazing mature man that it made me tear up. She said he was a gift that she was so lucky to have had for 21 years. My own son was running around while we chatted and I thought about how often we hear about troops being killed in Irag or Afghanistan but don't think about they are still someone's little son or daughter.
Posted by: Christine | 02 August 2009 at 17:45
I recently watched a cortege pass through our main artery with the coffin of a young Canadian soldier back from Afghanistan. I think back to the days when Canadian troops were solely peacekeepers, not combat troops, and it's a sad reflection of our times that they have finally been roped in to war. I just feel horribly sad at the whole situation. I am deeply sorry for any soldier's and civilian's death.
xoxo
Posted by: Colette | 25 July 2009 at 19:40
Thank you for posting this, Tara. It is time for the sanitizing of war to end, and for the very human costs to be shown. I am deeply sorry for Cyrus' death.
Posted by: debra | 24 July 2009 at 04:00
Wow. These are fascinating links. Thank you so much for sharing them.
Posted by: Relyn | 23 July 2009 at 20:30
I wish I could read those letters but they would stay with me forever and I find that too upsetting. Everyday we hear of another British soldier dying and in fact Harvey just put the news on as I was typing this and there's more.
It's nice to see some soldiers doing something other than fighting. When I was last in Paris a group of French soldiers got on the Metro and I have never seen so many fit and good looking young men in one place.
Posted by: Di Overton | 22 July 2009 at 10:32
Oh my god, I'm crying here tonight, Tara. Cyrus Thatcher was such an amazing, fun person! Wow. Thank you to his parents for allowing us to read their son's letters.
Posted by: susanna's sketchbook | 22 July 2009 at 05:27
Beautiful image, hard life. Thank you for the link to the letter of Henry V's soldiers.
Posted by: Yoli | 22 July 2009 at 04:50
Such a loss. Love the photo.
Posted by: Rosa | 22 July 2009 at 00:28
first Tara, what a wonderful photo...and, the letters, wow...I could not finish reading the last one. I cannot even imagine.
thank you for this one...
Posted by: Stephanie | 22 July 2009 at 00:28
What a wonderful young man, My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones to war, military or civilian. His letter to his family is beautiful and brave.
This past weekend in Vermont, I photographed over 4000 flags on a town green for my blog. We had passed by it and turned around since there were just so many flags. It is an art installation depicting the fatalities in Iraq --in America alone-- by Lauri Richardson called "Flags of Freedom, Cost of War." The flags are hand made. It was very sobering.
Last night we passed a group of people (of my own generation) by the side of a road making a peace sign and holding a peace sign flag. I burst into tears. Forty years later...gray haired people...still hoping for peace.
Posted by: Helen | 21 July 2009 at 18:21
How could I forget??? YOUR PHOTO! Wow!!
Great capture Tara. Truly! xo
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | 21 July 2009 at 17:44
So much of Cyrus' personality came through in those letters. What a cheeky bugger! He was very obviously a funny, loving, and hilarious person. His family was privileged to know him. :)
When I read, "Mum this will be hard for you to read but..." I got a lump in my throat. I so feel for his parents. He died too young. But what a valuable lesson he's left us all-to keep dreaming.
xoxo
Thanks for sharing Tara!!
Posted by: Gillian daSilva | 21 July 2009 at 17:43
Oh, those letters have me in tears. How beautiful and giving of Cyrus Thatcher. His strength and devotion will be remembered always. What a gift to his family.
: )
Posted by: Christina | 21 July 2009 at 15:05