an obit that caught my eye

Sometimes obituaries are kind of uplifting. You learn about somebody who had a long life, did some neat things, and finally died in their 80s. This one wasn't so inspiring. Not because of the person - Captain Maria I. Ortiz (US Army) sounds like she was a heck of a person. Joined the reserves, then the regular Army. Trained as a nurse. Volunteered to go to Iraq. And unfortunately became the first Army nurse to be killed in combat since Vietnam.

And yes, she definitely died too young. Ortiz was just 40. So it wasn't really uplifting so much as it was just plain sad.

And Ortiz died in the Green Zone in Baghdad. Yes, the Green Zone. That's the "safe" place in Iraq. She died from a mortar attack.

We can't even keep the Green Zone in Baghdad safe. Some surge.