RIP G’Kar

Today I was blog surfing through Entrecard today (or “Card Dropping” as it’s also called) when I ran across a post about Andrew Olmsted.¹ Andrew was a blogger who went by the pseudonym “G’Kar” at Obsidian Wings. He was also a solider fighting in Iraq.

He was killed there Thursday, January 3, 2008.

He left his last post in the care of hilzoy, who was instructed to publish it in the event of his death. She’s done so here and here.

I didn’t know G’Kar and if I’d read his writing wasn’t aware of it. However, I feel that I should post in honor of a fellow blogger who has gone the way of the wind. He’s left behind a real life family and a blogging community that mourns him.

In his final post he asked the following:

I do ask (not that I’m in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn’t a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don’t drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don’t cite my name as an example of someone’s life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I’m not around to expound on them I’d prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn’t support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally or my name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I’d prefer that you did so.

On a similar note, while you’re free to think whatever you like about my life and death, if you think I wasted my life, I’ll tell you you’re wrong. We’re all going to die of something. I died doing a job I loved. When your time comes, I hope you are as fortunate as I was.

A-men.

Because this post is written to honor a fallen blogger and as well as a United States soldier I ask that you respect his final wishes regarding political rants in this particular thread.

May the gods speed your soul to a better place.

Jes: Andy and the unit had adopted a cat and a dog that were running around wild. A little less than a week ago, I think, I was talking to Andy on the phone, and the cat was howling in the background, and Andy was trying to get him to eat, without success. Andy loved the cat.

And the punchline to this story is: Andy was allergic to cats. Every stroke and every tummy rub had to be paid for in antihistamines. But that never stopped Andy.

Posted by: hilzoy | January 04, 2008 at 09:53 PM

Popularity: 16% [?]

1. I would love to link to the blog wherein I found this information, but I forget which it was. If it was you let me know and I’ll link posthaste. [↩]

Site Tags: Andrew Olmstead, G'Kar, RIP

Technorati Tags: Andrew Olmstead, G'Kar, RIP

Related Posts