I had read the beginnings of this story, but wasn't aware that Rakan had gone back to Iraq. Completely tragic & deeply inspiring, and very well written by Cullen.

At the risk of sounding cliched or something, stories like this communicate much better than statistics (like numbers of thousands dead, for example) the real effects of war, and would be instructive for hawks and doves alike.

I also read this story and went through all the pictures. It was the saddest story I read in a very long time and kevin Cullen did a great job relaying it. It makes you realize the true, innocent victims of this war.

May Rakan now find the peace he did not experience in life.

Has Cullen ever written about how the administration's case for war in Iraq was based on Bush and Cheney twisting intelligence to make the public think the Iraq was involved in 9/11, that the anthrax attacks were from Iraq, and that Iraq had WMD that threatened our safety here in America because if he hasn't then he hasn't faced the facts that brought about this young boy's death.

I don't say it to be cruel or inconsiderate. I say it because it's true and too many conservatives are willing to turn a blind eye to how Bush and Cheney manipulated the public and presented a dishonest case for an aggressive war of choice against Iraq. Every death over there was murder because we prosecuted and illegal war.