As you do

Life is interesting, isn't it?

I just read a news article about an Estonian soldier killed in Afghanistan. He was handling infantry supplies when the wheel of a passing vehicle fell off and ran over him.

That's right, the guy is hanging about in the middle of a war...er... peace keeping mission/police action/whatever euphemism we're using instead of war... zone and he gets killed by a run-away wheel from a truck.

It was obviously a very large wheel, which was obviously very poorly attached to this truck (armoured personnel carrier), but still. No one goes to war to get hit by a truck. No one goes to war to get hit by part of a truck.

How do you explain that to the grandkids?

"Vanaema, how did Vanaisa get that medal?"
"He was killed in the war, sweetheart."
"What war?"
"The one in Afghanistan."
"What war was that one?"
"Um, I'm not sure exactly. I think it was 'The War on Terror'".
"Was he killed by a terrorist?"
"Ah, no."
"Was he killed by an enemy soldier?"
"Ah, no."
"Was he killed by an explosion?"
"Ah, no."
"So how was he killed?"
"Um, a wheel from a truck ran him over."
"A truck ran him over?"
"No, just the wheel."

Still, it does make a great conversation piece, I suppose. I always like telling people my great-great-grandfather died from shock after being cut in half by a train. You'd think being cut in half by a train might have killed him but, no, apparently the shock got him first.

I suppose the fact of the matter is his family don't really care how he died. They'd just rather he hadn't.