The Fourth of July Attack at Combat Outpost Zerok

Watch these two videos and it will be the best use of 20 minutes' of your time all day. Make that all week, or all month.

Then go to Bouhammer's and read the rest of the story (and follow the links there), thanks to the mother of PFC Justin Casillas, mortarman and fallen Hero of Able Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Casillas and his fellow mortarman PFC Aaron E. Fairbairn were 19 and 20 years old, respectively, when they were killed on July 4, 2009. They lived more fully - and with a greater sense of purpose - in those few short years than most of us will in a lifetime.

Alamo, Alamo, ALAMO!