WEEK 4: Just Another "Non-Combat" Death

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080801/NEWS/384705178

Another instance of someone of color in our armed forces dieing of a "non combat related incident," but the details seem to be misplaced and aren't released to the public, or her family for that case. Army specialist Seteria Brown died while serving her time in Afghanistan, but no details were released about how or why; just that it wasn't during combat. If it wasn't during combat, and it wasn't something that might cause controversy, why hide the details. Why not give her family the respect of letting them know how she died.

Brown's mother was told that she died from a gunshot wound to the chest, but Army news releases said she died from "injuries sustained in a non combat related incident." Do you think it is just a coincidence that she was a black woman.

Why when people of color or women are killed serving abroad, and the military wants to leave out the details they always say the same thing. It's always either a suicide or from "non-combat related incidents." What are these incidents, how do they happen, and don't you think it's weird we have lost a lot of soldiers, particularly those of color and women, to these certain "instances."

Maybe we should stop doing these certain exercises since so many people are dieing because of them. I know the military is a hazardous line of work, and joining the military at this time is putting your life at immediate risk, but as a soldier one should be able to not only feel safe around their own, but to get the dignity of a proper story told about how and why they died. These soldiers whose stories are getting mistrued are fighting for the same cause that the white man standing next to them on the battle field is, so why do they get details left out when they pass on. Is it cause the military doesn't know? Doubtful...not when it happens so often.