"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
From the Florida Baptist Witness, an article on the deaths of the Elliotts, Karen Watson, and David McDonnell.
-Four Americans researching needs for humanitarian projects in northern Iraq were killed and one was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting March 15 in Mosul. The workers were in the area under the auspices of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
Killed were Larry T. Elliott, 60, and Jean Dover Elliott, 58, of Cary, N.C.; Karen Denise Watson, 38, of Bakersfield, Calif.; and David E. McDonnall, 28, of Rowlett, Texas. The Elliotts had served with the International Mission Board in Honduras since 1978 and transferred to the Middle East in February 2004. Watson had been with the board since March 2003, McDonnall since November of last year.
McDonnall's wife, Carrie, 26, also of Rowlett, Texas, remains in critical condition March 16.
David McDonnall died the morning of March 16 en route to a military support hospital in Baghdad. Four U.S. military surgeons had worked six hours to save his life.
According to the IMB, the four workers died from bullet and shell fragment wounds reportedly fired by unidentified assailants wielding automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
IMB President Jerry Rankin said all Southern Baptists shared the sorrow and grief of the families and co-workers.
"In times like this, there are no words that will take away the pain of a loved one's violent death," Rankin said. "Everyone in the IMB family and everyone who loves Southern Baptists' overseas workers are grieving with the family members and co-workers of these precious souls. "We are grateful that God himself comes alongside us in our deepest sorrow and comforts us in a way no one else can."
CNN, pathetic to the end, leaves out Jerry Rankin's last sentence of hope and comfort, and an earlier version of the article inserted into the story the fact that 60 PROTESTERS protested the other day against the war.
From the earlier CNN article on the murdered workers:
Meanwhile in Washington, the Bush administration is hearing from protesters calling for an end to U.S. military action in Iraq.
On Monday, protesters began a march outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where many wounded troops are taken. About 60 protesters then walked toward Lafayette Park, across from the White House, a nearly 6-mile trek, where their numbers swelled to about 100.
With the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq only days away, Bush administration officials are trying to highlight positive progress in Iraq.
"Twenty-five million people in Iraq are free," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told CNN. "They've been liberated. The schools are functioning. There's a new interim constitution that protects the rights of women and will protect minorities and ethnic elements in that country. It's an advance for freedom."
Posted by floridacracker at March 16, 2004 07:46 PM