atque in perpetuum, frāter, avē atque valē.

I randomly took a pop to read some posts on OW and read about the death of a frequent poster, Maj. Andrew Olmsted (USA).

I'm just feeling shocked and numbed. I never dealt with him directly but did read many of his postings and this one just hit me hard. It was a post he had send to someone to post in the event of his death. He said many good things and it just slammed me when it reached the part when he said goodbye to his wife.

Part of his final requests were to not politicize his death so out of respect I will refrain from the comments I have uttered before when I have lost friends in Iraq. But I will end this with a comment someone left (The translation only is posted) as they are the most fitting words that come to mind.

Carried across many nations and many seas,
I arrive, Brother, at these miserable funeral rites,
So that I might bestow you with the final gift of death
And might speak in vain to the silent ash.
Because Fortune has stolen you yourself from me,
Ah, unhappy brother stolen wrongly from me,
Nevertheless, however, receive now these which in the ancient custom
Of our parents were handed down as a sad gift for funeral rites,
these flowing with much brotherly weeping,
And forever, Brother, hail and farewell.