Iraq: 7 Days 7 Deaths

Chris Coffin was the first of seven U.S. soldiers in Iraq to die in the first seven days of this month. Their reasons for serving varied, but now their families share a common grief

JULY 1 CHRIS COFFIN RANK: First Sergeant * AGE 51 * Kennebunk, Maine

JULY 2 TRAVIS BRADACH-NALL RANK: Corporal * AGE 21 * Portland, Ore.

Lynn Bradach began noticing tattoos on her son Travis Bradach-Nall's body when he was 17, and she was not amused. When he returned home one day with yet another design on his back, she initially refused to look at it. But she relented, and saw a heart stretching from shoulder to shoulder with the word Mom written inside. Her son explained it was because she was always on his back. In 2000, after graduating from high...

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