He was 22, a corporal in the Marines from Preston, Iowa, a “city” incorporated in 1890 with a present population of 949. He died in a hospital in Germany of “wounds received from an explosive device while on patrol in Helm...

Tomgram: Engelhardt, Into the Whirlwind

Tom Engelhardt 12/01/2011

He was 22, a corporal in the Marines from Preston, Iowa, a “city” incorporated in 1890 with a present population of 949. He died in a hospital in Germany of “wounds received from an explosive device while on patrol in Helmand province [Afghanistan].” Of him, his high school principal said, “He was a good kid.” He is survived by his parents…

About the Author

Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of A Nation Unmade by War (Dispatch Books) and The United States of Fear as well as a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His latest book is Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World. A fellow of the Type Media Center, his sixth and latest book is A Nation Unmade by War. Follow TomDispatch on Twitter at @TomDispatch