Hell is for Heroes
by expatbrian
Dustin Thorson was a different kind of soldier and a different kind of hero. A loving father of two small boys and an Air Force technical sargeant, he was assigned to the 752nd Communications Squadron but was sent to Iraq and embedded with Army's 172nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, in Baghdad.He was a computer wiz and was originally given a job fixing faxes and printers, but his abilities to hack into enemy communications was soon recognized and he was reassigned to do just that. He was nicknamed "Sponge Bob" for his ability to soak up information from the enemy.
Eventually, his skills helped identify and apprehend the 10th most wanted terrorist in Iraq who reputedly ran the largest IED manufacturing plant there. Thorson was able to track the terrorist by hacking into his cell phone and when it rang he pinpointed its location.
In 2006, Thorson was awarded the Joint Commendation Medal for his valuable service. In 2007, back in the US, he volunteered as an advocate against drunk driving and encouraged his fellow airmen to get involved in the Christmas in April program.
On Monday, at his home on Tinker Air Force Base, Dustin Thorson shot his two children, aged 4 and 9, in the chest and head killing each instantly. He then shot himself in the head. Their deaths, and others like them, will not be included in total Iraq body count statistics. But they should be.
PTSD is not always evident but the results are predictably horrific.
Cross posted from World Gone Mad