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Whether 1st or 2,000th, all casualties sadden

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published November 4, 2005

The mood at the Osceola Tavern in Dade City may have seemed less festive over the past week.

Owner Mike Agnello might have seemed a little more detached, his mind less on business.

The stream of bad news coming from Iraq got personal.

Earlier this week, he was preparing to head to the Panhandle to bury his nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan "J.R." Spears.

Agnello said he always knew the general area where his nephew was stationed. But this time he didn't. When he saw the report on CNN that a Marine was killed in Ramadi that Sunday, it never occurred to Agnello that hours later men in uniform bearing a death notice would be heading for his sister's doorsteps in Molino.

"It's still like a bad dream, like a heaviness that hangs over you," he said. "It's something that you'll never get over."

Spears, 21, was killed by small arms fire Oct. 23, seven weeks after being deployed to the combat zone. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Spears may have been the 2,000th American killed since the start of the American invasion of Iraq.

"It's sad and tragic. It doesn't matter that he was the 2,000th, the first or 500th," Agnello said.

"They are all equal. They have a job to finish. They support their commander in chief. The price of freedom has always been blood."

The Osceola Tavern has a memorial to Spears: a poster board with pictures surrounded by lit candles.

Spears is Agnello's sister's first son. He was Agnello's mother's first grandchild, the firstborn of the next generation. Now he's gone.

As the body count in Iraq mounts daily, it's easy to feel detached from the carnage, unless you know someone in harm's way.

And as the war toll increases, many will switch from support to opposition. Talk of sacrifice always sounds better to those who haven't sacrificed anything.

But Agnello is still a true believer. From the beginning, he supported the war in Iraq; he still does. He believes in his heart that his nephew did, too.

The last time Agnello saw his nephew was when the two drove to Agnello's mother's funeral several months ago. Spears attended the service dressed in his Marine uniform. Agnello remembers him as proud yet brokenhearted.

"He drove with me; now three months later we will be taking the same drive again, him at the front," Agnello said. "It's just a horrible irony."

During their last meeting, sad as it was, uncle and nephew made plans to celebrate Spears' coming of age.

"I said, "You're going to be 21 soon. So the next time you get to the States come by and have a beer with Uncle Mike,"' Agnello recalled as he prepared to head north for the funeral.

"It's never going to happen," Agnello said. "This was a good boy. He was a grown man but still a kid. There are so many things he will never do."

Agnello's expectations for his nephew were not different from the ones he harbored for his own three children, his three boys: work hard, make a difference.

After 9/11, Spears was inspired to join the Marines. He joined with his buddies. He joined with his eyes wide open. He wanted to fight terrorism, Agnello said.

Agnello knows that the war in Iraq isn't like World War II, not even like the early years of the war in Vietnam.

"People have different opinions," Agnello said. "You see less of respect for the flag."

People seem to care less about responsibility, duty, he said.

Agnello's words came against the backdrop of chaos in Iraq. The body count isn't 2,000 anymore. About two dozen more Americans have died since then. October was the fourth-bloodiest month since American forces crossed the border into Iraq on the way to topple Saddam Hussein.

Two years into the war, public support wanes. But Agnello is like those who wear their flags and bumper stickers proudly: supporting the troops means supporting the war.

As a former Marine, Agnello understands the risks of war. He talked to his nephew about those risks, he said. He asked him if he was sure he wanted to return to Iraq.

"He said, "I have a job to finish.' He wanted to be with his brothers; he was Semper Fi all the way," Agnello said.

He says the Bush administration has made mistakes. But let's get an exit strategy, he said. Let's get it done.

"I'm lucky; I have three healthy children," he said. "But this thing could be going on for a long time - by the time my 12-year-old is grown."

For his sake and ours, I hope not.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached in central Pasco at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:40:17]