Monday, April 16, 2007

Killed in Action - Bonus


While I was at the cabin, I called my daughter. It was one of those weird mother/child connection moments, I knew I had to call her. I had been thinking of calling her earlier but didn't. So I called her on the 13th around 5 pm.

She answered the phone, sobbing. Trying not to freak out, I am in the middle of frickin' no-where and something is very, very wrong with my daughter. At 1st I thought something happened to my son, Bike Boy #1 "no...he's fine" (he was at his dad's house). She then told me that "Bonus is dead".

John Borbonus was a friend of hers, a soldier who was stationed at Ft. Richardson in Anchorage before shipping out to Baghdad. Bonus was only 19 years old, same age as my daughter.

He was killed by an IED, according to the Department of Defense news release.


This war sucks. I don't want to go into the politics of the war here, this post isn't about that. It's about my daugther's friend, Bonus, 19 year old kid and only child from Idaho and my daughter's pain. We have quite a few friends/family over there. Bonus will probably not be the only death that hits home. Shit.

6 comments:

Tim said...

I'm very sorry.

One of my son's friends is staying with us this week during his last visit home before deploying to Iraq next month. Knowing a kid who is there, has been there, or is on his way there really makes it personal.

I look at this kid laying on our couch and think about where he'll be and what he'll be doing a few weeks from now. It's chilling. I just hope he comes home in one piece.

And I wish your daughter's friend could have.

shawnkielty said...

I am so sorry Michelle. My daughter's age too.

Dano said...

Very sad.

My 12 year old daughter's best friend lost her dad to that war.

I just dont understand why we are still there. I pray there is a good reason that I just dont know about.

Michelle said...

Thanks guys. Tim, I wish also that kid on your couch stays safe and Dano, as difficult as this is for Bonus' friends, I can't imagine how hard it is for families. 19 years old. He was supposed to just be starting life as an adult.

Anonymous said...

Got to be hard on the family. Particularly if they had a chance to discourage him but didn't.

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