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Afghanistan: honouring the dead by staying the course

13 Sep 06:00am

Filed under: Adf, Afghanistan, Legacy, Terrorism

The picture is seared in the mind’s eye: a moment that cut a beautiful young woman, heavily pregnant with a baby boy, to shreds.

Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, with wife Beckie and daughter Annabell. Picture: Defence Dept.

A late-night knock at the door revealed two uniformed soldiers, the bearers of the news that her husband, Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, had been killed in a war zone a few hours before.

His bride was shattered. With one sentence, Beckie MacKinney’s world careened off its axis. I know this because I have the privilege of knowing this brave, fragile, amazing woman. And although two weeks have passed since that terrible night, the feeling of helplessness as her friend refuses to loosen its grip.

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cam says:

08:53pm | 14/09/10

A so sad story. I admire the men who have lost their lives and I admire the widows and families they leave behind. The reality is though that there are many countries around the world that also allow their people no freedoms and display oppression. I’m not seeing us or… Read more »
mary wooderson says:

10:51am | 14/09/10

This country was multicultural from the time Britain arrived and a state of terra nullis was declared.Oops sorry,you were saying multiculturism is not a good thing and I suppose there are a lot of first people of this country who would agree wholeheartedly with you.I am not being disrespectful of… Read more »

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