Info from L.T. Smash: “Where do they get young men like this?”

Savidge […] turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him and asked which one of them would like to call home first, the Marine closest to him responded with out a moments hesitation “ Sir, if is all the same to you we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours, Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida who was killed on 3-23-03 near Nasiriya to see how they are doing”.

It’s not the same thing as the firefighters during 9/11; it’s not, and I know that. But these are good guys we’ve sent to Iraq. For them it’s not about oil or politics — it’s just the thing they were sent to do.

And 19 years old. Babies, the lot of em.

In Republican and Imperial Rome fellas went off to the Legions at age 17, although repeated legislation against the enlistment of younger soldiers indicates that recruits could be as young as 13.

Where do they get young men like that?

From the slums, reservations, trailer parks, crack neighborhoods, public universities, community colleges and "fly-over" states.

The greatest thing the military does is give kids whom might not have any other options a way out and a way to succeed.

Thing is, the soldiers get a ten-minute 'morale call' home every three days or so -- that's when they'd call their families -- this 'extra' call opportunity is really the best chance they'd have to talk with someone who ISN'T on the 'must call' list.

I know a Marine Sniper Scout who is over there.

He last got a call on March 12th.

But then again, his god is to crawl around in the sand and snack on the occasional camel spider that has the misfortune to crawl past him.

Alas, the story appears to be untrue, according to CNN.

Though LT Smash stands by its verisimilitude.