Please, look at this face.
This boy's name was Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, of Oceanside, New York.
He was 21 years old.
Three years ago, at the time of his death, he was 21. His death was made a secret, and investigation of those on the side of the U.S. military was made a secret, too.
But, because he died 3 years ago, it does not make his death remote and insignificant. I've learnt about his death only today. And I am crying for him today.
He wanted to protect his country, that's why he went into the Marines.
He was honorable. He did what was right. He reported to his superiors the rapes of young boys brought to his military base by Afghan officers, while his superiors told him to "look the other way", because that was a "cultural practice" that he was supposed to respect.
Well, it was rape, and Officer Buckley reported it to his superiors instead of "respecting" it, as they did. In writing.
And he was killed after his report, reportedly by a civilian hired by an Afghani police officer - who could not possibly know about Gregory's report to his U.S. superiors unless those superiors tipped the Afghanis off about the report and identify the reporter.
He was the same age as my middle child is now. He should be 24 today. He never will be a day older than when he died at the age of 21, 3 years back.
I remember from when I was a teenager the words of an old friend of the family, an old Jewish woman who said that her daughter told her that she really understood what fascism is when she gave birth to her own child. It is not so much about fascism, as it is about responsibility that we must feel when we are becoming "the older generation", to those we leave behind.
Well, Gregory left us behind instead, and that's not right. We should not outlive our children.
Your skin is ripped off when you become a mother and when you see children suffer, especially when those children suffer because they did an honorable thing, something that they are told by their teachers, by us, the older generation, that it is the right thing to do.
The 21-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley did that honorable thing.
Since he reported his concerns to his superiors, it must be his superiors who tipped off the Afghanis who then killed him.
And the family of this boy, reportedly, has been blocked by the U.S. military officials from getting answers as to who, among his superiors, is responsible for their boy's death.
Let's remember this boy.
Let's remember that corruption kills real people, real young people, real honorable people, people who should have lived and enjoyed the sun and the beauty of this world, as Gregory should have.
And let's push for investigation and prosecution for murder and conspiracy to commit murder of those bastards in the U.S. military who tipped off Gregory's killers about Gregory's report to superiors of the rapes of Afghan boys he did not know, but wanted to protect, because that was the right thing to do.
They are more dangerous than those who pulled the trigger. And, since they are undetected and unpunished, they can do it again.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, 21, went to the Marine Corps to protect us.
He protected not only our safety.
He protected our good name. With his life.
The least we can do is stand up for him after his death.
Write to military officials and to federal authorities, to push investigation and prosecution for murder and conspiracy to commit murder of those among Gregory's superiors who may have tipped off the Afghanis who were raping boys on the territory of the U.S. military base and caused Gregory's death.
There is no statute of limitation for murder.
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