Good post.

The CIA guy, Mike Spann, is our first combat fatality. Our ONLY combat fatality to date.

Like many modern people, I have some difficulty fully grasping the idea that we have been in a pitched war since the 7th of October, and have suffered a single death in combat. Think of WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam. Hell, think Somalia, or even something as recent as the Gulf War. Is this amazing, or what? This guy's picture is in full-page writeups in the paper!

We are fighting wars now where the death of a soldier is considered something unusual. None of the science fiction I have read about the future of war ever predicted this.

Even now, we are working hard on technologies to push the concept of remote-controlled war or warfare at a distance to even further levels.

Although I know there is some luck involved in this, I consider this to be a result of billions of defense dollars very well spent.

Somewhere, General "Make The Other Poor Bastard Die For His Country" Patton is grinning like an ape.