Young Woman Meets Sudden, Tragic Death (No, Not That One)
Just when I thought my heart couldn’t break any more, I read this post by my old friend Will Bunch, who blogs at Attytood:
Usually at this hour, we bring you some lighter fare, maybe the latest dumb comment from the world of sports, or even a tear-jerker like a picture of stranded polar bears. But tonight, there is one story that is so important that we are going to suspend all regular blog coverage, and ignore everything else that is going on in world, from the presidential race to the gridlock in the halls of Congress to the indictment of the most powerful politician here in our hometown of Philadelphia.
This breaking news story is about the sudden, unexpected, and tragic death of a young woman, not to mention the family that she leaves behind.
Yes, people die every day, and too many do so before their time. But this woman was special, and the things that she did made an impact on all of us.
Oh, there were many things that this woman, so deserving of our undivided attention tonight, did not do. No, she didn’t take off her clothes for a men’s magazine for a big payday, work as “an exotic dancer” or marry a billionaire customer who was 63 years older than her. Nor did she spend most of her adult life pursuing that billionaire’s estate in courtrooms from Texas to Washington, D.C., or record her life for a reality TV show, or abuse drugs, or give birth to a child whose paternity is the focus of a legal battle.
Frankly, we feel silly for even writing those things, because such a woman would clearly not be newsworthy.
No, unlike some women you might see on your newsstand this week, this woman liked simple things: According to one report, she “always enjoyed the water, including boating and scuba diving. She also liked yoga and music and spending time with family and friends.”
This is what her aunt says about this unique woman that America mourns tonight:
“If you knew her, you loved her. She was a go-getter. She knew what she wanted in life and she was doing what she had to do to achieve that.”
Her name is Jennifer M. Parcell. She was just 20 years old, and she graduated in 2004 from Fallston High School in near her hometown, Bel Air, Md.
A couple of years ago, Jennifer Parcell went to Parris Island and watched the Marine graduation services for her older brother, Joseph. She decided that she, too, wanted to join the Marines, and eventually both Jennifer Parcell and her brother were sent to Iraq, even serving at the same post for a time.
But then, they separated. Yesterday, Jennifer Parcell was supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province when she was killed in action. If we had more information about her death, we would provide it. But here at Attytood, we don’t have the millions of dollars in resources or the extra manpower that they have at CNN, or MSNBC, or Fox News.
We wish we did, because then we could give the life and death of Jennifer Parcell the national attention that it truly deserves.
We could call in our medical expert, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to talk about the type of combat injuries that America’s fighting men and women are suffering in Iraq, and whether the troops have adequate protection. Then we would dial up our legal affairs correspondent, Jeffrey Toobin, and discuss whether or not Congress has the legal authority to defy the White House and bring at least some of our soldiers home. We’d send all our spare reporters out into the field, maybe to track down the last person who saw Jennifer Parcell alive, or find that friend who could tell us about her life, and our loss. We would make sure that our news coverage gave you a name and a face to go with that number, 3,115.
You may think that we’re crazy here, to devote all our attention to the story of just one woman. But at CNN, anchor T.J. Holmes defended this type of saturation coverage just this afternoon. Here’s what he said:
“With everything that’s going on…that’s the reason we’ve covering it, because it sort of supersedes entertainment. There are a couple of lawsuits at stake here, and it’s just been a very tumultuous time for her.”
Agreed. This is a very tumultuous time, not just for the families of brave Americans like Jennifer Parcell, but for all of us. We leave you with a picture of her that was taken last September on Iwo Jima. She was very beautiful, and very, very young.
29 Responses to “Young Woman Meets Sudden, Tragic Death (No, Not That One)”
Uh, huh, hmm, did you follow my link in the thread before, Shaun, or is this a strange coincidence???
“Somewhat OT, but here’s another example about newsreporting in the US, that almost always favors brouhaha over really important stories:
“Breaking news: Young woman meets sudden, tragic death“”
Gray:
As I noted, Will Bunch and I go back a long way and I was tipped to the post. I was going to wait a little while before I posted this since I’d just put up the Condi post. I also had to dry my tears.
Ah, I see. Yes, it’s a very touching story, I had to fight back tears, too. A beautiful young woman, by all acounts a really nice person, enthusiastic about serving her country, KIA in (in)famous Al Anbar province. I guess most of us remember that this region had already been lost to insurgents before, and now has to be conquered back, probably only because of political and propaganda reasons. Was her sacrifice necessary, will the recapturing of that area have any lasting impact? I have serious doubts about that. It’s a tragedy.
A quote, usually attributed to Stalin (I think said to Churchill at Yalta): “A single death is a tragedy, a thousand deaths is a statistic.”
Stalin was, with his cynically accurate reading of human nature, sadly correct. Many deaths overwhelm us…and there have been many in Iraq.
That said…unlike that other woman who died in the media, or the thousands that die every year on our highways…I believe young Jennifer Parcell’s death has meaning.
Maybe Gray is right…Anbar province may be a write-off…but wars are filled with cock-ups and side-show screwups. Gallipoli comes most obviously to mind.
She seems to have been a dedicated young woman who believed in something higher than herself. How many of us can say that…especially at that age? There is meaning in her dedication.
William Arkin, writing in his Washington Post blog the other day, dismissed soldiers like Jennifer Parcell as “a mercenary – oops sorry, volunteer – force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.”
Clearly, Arkin…oddly, the WaPos military affairs writer…does not seem to consider being under fire and dying as “dirty work”.
Her family’s loss must be incredibly hard on them…as losses have been for military families throughout the history of the Republic.
I think this is why people should try to separate the troops from the mission. People may not agree with the war, but they should attack Bush and company for it…not the troops who go where their constitutionally appointed superiors tell them to go.
Yes, I agree…a tragedy.
Thanks for a story about a real tradegy. A break from the endless cable TV coverage of a bimbo
Arubais real news.Yes, I wish the media would spend less time on bimbo celebrities like Anna Nicole Smith and more time on less visible people like Jennifer Parcell.
But that would perhaps bring death a little too close and personal. Celebrities can be viewed as different than the rest of us. The death of someone not too different than ourselves, on the other hand, casts a strong light on our own mortality.
I’d also like to point out that these sorts of deaths happen all the time, even without a war. Premature death can occur in many different way, often to people who are undserving of such a fate. But such is life.
Alan G:
It is telling that aside from an occasional medal-awarding ceremony, the Bush administration has gone to great lengths to try to sanitize the war. Every story about a Jennifer Parcell brings the war that much closer to home, and that is anathema to the White House.
Telling the personal stories of every soldier killed and making them into immense tragic events would do the military in.
Why do we not do that with people killed by drunk drivers? Or people that die of alcholol poisoning or drug overdoes, or in shoot outs with rival gangs?
Mabey if we did that some of you would change your mind about the benefits of legalizing drugs, the benefits of being allowed to drink irresponsibility. I know what your thinking people choose to do those actions and should not be restricted from doing so if that is what they want.
Well I propose that this fine young woman was DOING WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO. Being Ex Military and a Disable Vet I talk a lot with National Guardsmen, reservists and soldiers on active duty. Despite what you might think these people really do believe in what they are doing and believe that there IS a WAR on TERROR going on and they want to serve their country.
Its what she wanted. Its what they wanted.
God bless you, Jennifer.
“Despite what you think…”
That’s kind of a broad generalization, don’t you think? There seems to be a fair amount of political diversity on this board, and I wouldn’t be so quick to make assumptions.
About the military as well. I’m sure many, perhaps a majority, support the war in Iraq. But there are also many who don’t, according to the polls of active duty service members. And according to what I’ve heard personally…you aren’t the only one to talk to ex-military people.
Alan G,
I agree that UIS made a broad generalization, but it does seem that there’s some evidence that this particular young woman probably did support the Iraq war since she must have signed up pretty recently.
Bimbo Celebrities LIKE anna nichole smith is not a broad generalization? It’s your opinion she was a bimbo. I don’t happen to share your views.
Precisely this broad diversity that I speak too. Most of the people on this board(most could mean 51 percent) I would dare to say would consider her loss a waste of life in an evil war that should never have been fought.
Yet those same people demand that Americans be free to do what it is that makes them happy. Be it Gay, Straight, Drunk, Drugged, or whatever. So following their logic I can only conclude that this woman was doing what she wanted.
So despite what some of you think I firmly believe this woman was doing what she wanted to do. She was where she wanted to be. She was fullfilling her goal of becoming a Marine. She was where she was meant to be. I celebrate her life and her sacrifice.
Im sorry if the Broad Generalization might have struck to close to home. I promise to say in the future despite what SOME instead of despite what YOU if you promise to stop calling Anna Nichole Smith a bimbo.
So despite what some of you think I firmly believe this woman was doing what she wanted to do.
I’m not sure why you think I disagree with this…to the best of my knowledge I didn’t say or imply that in my post. What I did say was that not all people in the military support the Iraq War. I don’t presume to know what Mrs. Parcell thinks about this.
I was presumptuous in calling Mrs. Smith a bimbo…that was a hasty and not well supported judgement. But it wasn’t the same thing as a generalization. It would have been a generalization if I said “All blonde media figures are bimbos”. A generalization is applied to a group, not a single person
WEll you are the one who become upset at my broad generalization. I rather suspect you are just looking for an argument when you start nitpicking someones post.
OH and I will grant you one very valid point AlanG. Not every member of the sevice is in favor of the IRAQ war. That is definitely the truth.
I just happen to think that this woman was in favor of doing her duty even if that meant being deployed to IRAQ.
LET me restate what I believe I hear from The Military people I talk to. They are NOT so much IN FAVOR of the war as they are in favor of doing their duty and fighting terrorists and protecting the USA. One would have to be a bit different Id think to support any war for the pure sake of fighting a war.
“Why do we not do that with people killed by drunk drivers? Or people that die of alcholol poisoning or drug overdoes, or in shoot outs with rival gangs?”
Because the US didn’t send out soldiers on a road with drunk drivers, didn’t order them to abuse alcohol or drugs, and didn’t deploy them in South Central LA. The elected president sent the troops to Iraq. If he would withdraw the troops tomorrow, still people would die because of DUI idiots, or because of alcohol or drug overdoses and shoot outs. But there wouldn’t be troops dying in Iraq anymore.
Grr. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only grown up in this kindergarten.
|-(
“Its what she wanted.”
No, uis, I don’t think that’s what she really wanted. Being a former soldier, I think she was a patriotic person, dedicated to contributing to her country, and I guess she didn’t very much like it in Iraq and she was sometimes afraid. Very probably she would have felt better if she wouldn’t have been ordered into the hellhole Al Anbar, but to another, more secure area. Her sense of duty made her obey orders.
Almost certainly she wanted to return to her family, which she obviously loved very much. There’s no evidence at all that she wanted to die in the age of 20.
Now, uis, tell us again what she wanted, but pls tell us where you get your information from, too.
Gray Im speechless. You just called everyone who comments on TMV kindergartners and that you are the only one with the all knowing answers to every question.
Wow I didnt realize that of you. Sorry for offending your Most Superior Intellect.
But let me try to respond to your questions.
I was saying the reason we dont personalize every dead soldier is the same reason we dont personalize every Innocent victim killed by Drunk Drivers. How you managed to turn that into an argument for being or not being in Iraq is beyond me. Only your superior intellect knows that one.
Secondly. I do believe she was where she wanted to be and was doing what she wanted to do. No I do not believe that she wanted to be in that precise location that precise day. You are nitpicking my entire post in an attempt to prove your intellectual superiority.
I believe she wanted to be a Marine and being a Marine meant very likely going to IRAQ. I believe she was doing what she wanted to do. In 1970 I volunteered for the Army, knowing full well I could end up in Vietnam. Did I want to go to Vietnam? No. I did and have paid for it for the last 36 years. However I wanted to be in the Army since I was a little boy. So I joined and I did what they said to do.
It was where I wanted to be.
Yes. I think this is what she wanted. Not to die in Iraq but to be a Marine and to serve her country. I believe that. I have too or else why would anyone volunteer for the military?
Ill go back to kindergarten now.
“Sorry for offending your Most Superior Intellect.”
No problem! I don’t take myself too seriously.
“How you managed to turn that into an argument for being or not being in Iraq is beyond me.”
The trick is showing people that soldiers killed in Iraq are not something we have to take for granted, like the ‘collateral damage’ of civilisation.
“You are nitpicking my entire post in an attempt to prove your intellectual superiority.”
Hmm, not exactly. I was nitpicking your post in an attempt to show there’s more to say about the death of Jennifer M. Parcell than about victims of drunk drivers. And, thx, I already know I’m sufficiently intelligent, but there are many others that are superior to me. Besides, I’m a totally screwed up person, IQ isn’t everything.
“I did and have paid for it for the last 36 years.”
Sry, I didn’t know that. Respect!
“Not to die in Iraq but to be a Marine and to serve her country.”
Yeah, I know that emotion. However, I would have been very p***ed if my commander in cheif would have sent me into such a f***ed up war where there’s no chance to win.
Jennifer Parcell We all salute you and your ultimate sacrifice. Serving your nation is never in vain as I am reminded of a great American who once said.
“I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
Nathan Hale…….AGE 21.
“Jennifer Parcell
We all salute you and your ultimate sacrifice.”
Indeed! She won’t be forgotten.
“I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.�
Well, we shouldn’t forget the words of another brave soldier, too, who managed to come home:
“War is not the answer. Violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is possible.”
“War is not the answer. Violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is Possible.”
I’d Drink to that.
Here’s to us! And to Jennifer Parcell and the many others who will be missed.
And to Ron Kovic.
I think this last statement is telling, Gray. You are projecting your emotions onto Ms. Purcell. You did so here in a previous comment:
I don’t think there’s any evidence at all that she felt the way that you described. Certainly she could be presumed to have felt scared as you described, but the anger at where she was deployed? That’s your feelings, not necessarily hers. She may have been supportive of that mission and felt it was the right place for her to be deployed. She may have felt it was stupid but still deferred the judgment of that to her superiors who might know more about the overall strategy than she did. She may have felt that it sucked that she drew a short straw and wound up in one of the more dangerous areas but that this comes with the territory when you enlist. She may have felt angry as you stated. Any number of possibilities, really, and I think there’s a tendency for each of us to fill in the blanks with our own interpretation.
To clarify, I realize that you said she may have complied out of a sense of duty, which isn’t altogether different than what I was describing, but what I’m disputing is that the sense of duty wasn’t necessarily also connected with anger at having to fulfill her duty. That’s how you would feel, perhaps, and some other people as well, but we don’t really know at all whether or not she felt that way.
[...] I was going to blog on the passing of Anna Nicole Smith and the weighty subject of celebrity in America yesterday, but Will Bunch knocked me off my game with his powerful, tear-provoking piece about Jennifer Parcel, a 20-year-old Marine who bought the ranch in Iraq and most assuredly did not make the evening news. [...]
Gray said :
Was her sacrifice necessary, will the recapturing of that area have any lasting impact? I have serious doubts about that. It’s a tragedy.
You are welcome to those doubts. However, unless you are an expert on military strategy and have access to all the pertinent data involving this war, your doubts amount to feelings and emotions as opposed to a reasoned opinion. Which battles should we not have fought during the second world war? Of course it is easy to say, all the ones in which we lost but few wars are ever this simple .
She was a Marine. When she joined she knew full well the possible ramifications of her service. Imagine a military which trained highly skilled staff with an option to opt out whenever the felt like it. You could not sustain such a fighting force.
As an aside, I joined the Marines to take part of the boxing program. There was no high noble cause. I based my decision on the relative peace which existed at the time. Others joined to learn a skill or to have a career. How does a pilot give back the value of the education and training received? They don’t. It’s all part of the compensation package.