'Mission Accomplished' Pilot for Bush, Dead
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
other press 
Tuesday September 07, 2004 21:06
by redjade
Almost 1000 Americans Dead...
As expressed in other letters to the editor, I, too, would like to thank everyone for their expression of concern for our troops.
But I am writing this letter for one of the approximately 1,000 troops who will not be returning. How do we show our support to them?
On Aug. 10, Indiana lost one of its finest, a loving father, husband, a person who loved his country, family, and his hometown.
Lt. Commander Scott Zellem was a great kid growing up here in Indiana, later a great student, a great athlete, a great U.S. Naval Academy graduate and then a great military pilot after receiving his wings in 1992 at Pensacola, Fla.
He flew his plane from different aircraft carriers, including the USS Independence and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
He flew combat missions over Iraq during several deployments, including Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, for which he was awarded the Air Medal.
He was such an excellent pilot that he was chosen to fly President Bush onto the deck of the USS Lincoln, where the president gave his famous speech declaring the end of combat in Iraq.