Perspective: No bugles for this soldier's death

Chris Pesta had been assigned to Fort Bragg upon his return from Iraq. When 3 men in dress uniform appeared at her door, his mom told them, "You have the wrong house. My son is back. He's safe." Chris Pesta was 22.

It hurts to read of the deaths of American soldiers. They are a shining part of our national family, and we are lessened by their loss.

So we assuage our private grief with public ceremony. We enshroud our dark pain with bright flags. We expect politicians to speak for us all when they offer comfort to the family.

But what if a soldier dies and no one notices? Does that military life and death have meaning to anyone except family and friends?

"When our son died, none of the politicians showed up for his funeral," Bob Pesta of Cary said. "They knew they would get no public attention. Our son isn't accounted for in the honor roll of the 3,000-plus soldiers who have died in the war."

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