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View a eulogy for Laura Margaret Walker, USMA '03, who passed away on August 18, 2005.

Laura Margaret Walker

West Point, 2003

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Philip Castaneda on September 2, 2005:

A soldier death is painful because we love our soldiers, but hardly tragic. They have taken an oath, and will be doing what men and women do at war. Laura was doing what she wanted, volunteered for and had a short, yet wonderful life by all accounts. Spartan mothers, it is said, told sons to return with their shields or upon them. In other words, death before dishonor. Our culture does not allow us to say such things today. But the ethos still lives.

If you argue this is wrong, I point out that we have never been free of armies since before the flood. We have soldiers because the human race has always had to have them. We are not a peaceful species, and some tribes always permit the others no peace. So Thucydides wrote, and nothing's changed since his day.

Laura was doing her DUTY, with HONOR for her COUNTRY, which is why we honor her.

With deepest sympathy and respect."

Philip Castaneda of US Army (Ret) Operation Desert Storm(1991) Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003)

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