Monday, December 19, 2005

Naval Reservist, and Blogger, Murdered

Naval Reservist Paul Berkley, home on leave from his duty station in Bahrain, was murdered just before 3:00 AM on Sunday morning.

From the published news reports ( "Double Shooting At Raleigh Park Not Random, Police Say," "Wife In Fatal Raleigh Park Shooting Charged With Murder") this appears to be deliberate murder, not a random attack.

Two local men and Berkley's wife have been charged with murder.

Berkley was a military blogger, who had been on-line since at least April of this year, and whose last blog entry was about his enjoyment of a night out with his daughter for pizza and a movie, and reflecting on his occasional duty, at his duty station at the Navy 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain, to be a transition officer, to help in getting new personell settled and familiar with the area.

His blog page ("far from home in a strange hot land") has clocks showing "home" and Bahrain time, and another clock exhibiting a countdown to when he would be "Home for Good!"

The announcement and news are at The Military Outpost.

I never met Paul Berkley, I never saw his blog page before tonight.

But these tragedies come home to us, as well, when we have some connection to the people involved. In this case, a blogger with a wife and kids.

It's no longer just a name in a newspaper story, but "one of us."

Other than that, words fail.

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