Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Marine dies hours after returning home from Iraq

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU
 
MaineDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 11:30 AM
Original message
Marine dies hours after returning home from Iraq
WEARE, N.H. -- Three hours after he returned home from the war in Iraq, a 54-year-old Marine reservist collapsed and died of a heart attack.

Dale Racicot's widow, Janet, said her husband, a master gunnery sergeant, came home Friday and looked forward to spending the weekend with her and his daughters, Keri Magnarelli, 24, and Stacey, 20.

At about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, after three hours of talking, Racicot suggested everybody go to bed since they had the whole weekend to get caught up.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2003/08/12/marine_dies_hours_after_returning_home_from_iraq


How sad.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
treepig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 11:32 AM
Response to Original message
1. not to sound too cynical
but thank god he made it home so as to not count in the official statistics!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AfricanDonkey Donating Member (78 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 12:03 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. thats the most fucked up statement ive heard to date...
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
NNN0LHI Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 12:05 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. Its right up there n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
treepig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 12:56 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. i assume you've missed all the theads
about the accounting games (accident - doesn't count! died after being flown to germany - doesn't count! etc etc) being played to keep the body count down?

or are you implying that this guy's heart attack just randomly occurred 3 hours after returning home (and would have happening anyway due to whatever factors normally lead to heart attacks in apparently healthy 54-year olds) and had nothing whatsoever to do with his stint over in iraq?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Robin Hood Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 01:53 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. I'm sure that they were just echoing
the White House and Pentagons sentiments.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
shanti Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 02:01 PM
Response to Reply #1
9. i hope you were being faceitious
well?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
NewYorkerfromMass Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 02:12 PM
Response to Reply #1
12. They (Bush) won't get away with it
it can easily be chalked up to post traumatic stress. (I did detect a little sarcasm in your post.)
But man, this is one of the saddest things I have ever heard.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
karlschneider Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 03:54 PM
Response to Reply #1
18. I understand what you are saying. The ironic sarcasm was lost on some
around here. Don't worry about it.
:eyes:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
treepig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 04:23 PM
Response to Reply #18
20. i can see how i came across as a bit insensitive
Edited on Tue Aug-12-03 04:24 PM by treepig
yup, gotta remember to include the 'rolling eyes' smilies in such posts!


:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Pert_UK Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 07:21 PM
Response to Reply #20
21. You've got to remember that Americans don't understand irony......
Luckily there are a few Brits on here who do!

I took your post in the spirit in which it was meant - not as any disrespect to the man or his family, but as a reflection of the Bush administration's method of "creative accounting" when it comes to "combat casualties."

"I've got great news Mrs Smith - your husband WASN'T killed in combat today!"
"That's fantastic, I've been so worried!"
"However, he has mysteriously died whilst on guard duty. Now let's give no more attention to this bizarre cover-up."

Dead is dead, it doesn't matter how...

P.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 09:47 PM
Response to Reply #20
23. I got it without the "rolling eyes".
It is very sad but I understood exactly what you were saying.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Atlant Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-13-03 08:08 AM
Response to Reply #20
25. Don't worry -- lots of us are past being sensitive re: wingnuts.
No doubt my post lower in this thread will offend many.

Atlant
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Rose Siding Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 11:37 AM
Response to Original message
2. Called up at 54
Wow. How long do these guys go?

Welcome home.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 07:25 PM
Response to Reply #2
22. My 49 yr old friend was called up
Thank goodness he made it back , more or less unscathed.. They do not care how old you are :eyes:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Catherine Vincent Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 11:43 AM
Response to Original message
3. I just saw this on our local channel.
How sad. At least he got a chance to see his family one last time before he collasped.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Guaranteed Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 03:34 PM
Response to Reply #3
14. Yeah...that's what I thought...
He made it home.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
NYC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 01:50 PM
Response to Original message
7. Quote from wife:
"So we had three glorious hours with him, and it was the best gift ever," Mrs. Racicot said.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Robin Hood Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 02:09 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. Yayyy, Go Bush!!!
Was that the official pentagon statement?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Guaranteed Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 03:35 PM
Response to Reply #7
15. You're making me tear up....
Seriously...cut it out...:)
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Robin Hood Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 02:06 PM
Response to Original message
10. This just proves to me that life is too short
to be mired down in bullshit.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Desperadoe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 02:25 PM
Response to Original message
13. I just have to wonder
What kind of an army deploys a 54 year old man to combat region? Not a 54 year old General but a Sergeant??? WTF?

And Dumsfield says we are not over deployed?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Devil Dog Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 03:43 PM
Response to Reply #13
16. First, he wasn't part of an army; Second, he wasn't a Sergeant.
He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, not the army,

More important, he was a Master Gunnery Sergeant, which (along with Sergeant Major) is the highest enlisted rank in the Corps. It can take 25-30 years to reach that rank.

Call a Master Gunny a Sergeant and he'd kick your ass, plain and simple.

Notwithstanding this Marine's heart attack, there is nothing inherently wrong with having 54 year old Marines (although I agree it is at the high end of the age range). So, if he is a 54 year old Marine, then he is a Marine, and Marines deploy to shitholes like Iraq. It's that simple.

Semper Fi, Mac
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
FireHeart Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-13-03 09:49 AM
Response to Reply #16
26. Yeah
I made the mistake of calling a Master Gunny "Sarge" once. I got a very unique lesson in the proper addressing of a Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant.

:scared:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
barbaraann Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 03:52 PM
Response to Original message
17. It looks like this Racicot is related to Gov. Racicot. (R).
http://genforum.genealogy.com/racicot/
(I did a search for Marc and for Dale and both of these men are in this family.)

Could this mean anything?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
jbfam4 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-12-03 04:18 PM
Response to Reply #17
19. you read my mind
I was just going to do that. Thanks for the info
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Atlant Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-13-03 08:06 AM
Response to Reply #19
24. He was clearly a wingnut in the Racicot mold.
The story in The Boston Globe this morning made it clear
that the guy was a wingnut: he was crowing about how he'd had
a chance to see Oliver North, etc. etc.

When I saw his name, I immediately wondered aloud about whether
he was related to THATRacicot family; I'm not surprised
to have it confirmed.

Quite honestly, he deserved what he got: death. It's what he
and his family worked for years to achieve.

Atlant
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Fri May 03rd 2024, 01:15 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC