The tiny details of Justin Hebert’s life probably would have remained tucked away in the memories of Silvana’s residents had the soldier not been killed on Aug. 1. Now those precious tidbits are exposed to an entire county of strangers who never knew the young man while he was alive, but certainly won’t ever forget him as the first Snohomish County soldier to lose his life in the war in Iraq.
Hebert hauled hay in the summers. He helped out at the local cafe in exchange for a couple of hamburgers and enjoyed the company there along with the old-fashioned milkshakes and teriyaki chicken burgers. He didn’t care much for bullies — in the schoolyard or in foreign countries. Authority wasn’t necessarily his favorite thing, but he joined the Army anyway. He liked the extra pay he earned while in Iraq, but when it came down to it, he’d have taken a cut so he could go back to Italy and simply enjoy his free time on the beach. Who could blame him after witnessing the horrors of war?
He spoke his mind, worked hard for what he wanted and had a bit of temper matched by a soft side that bought sweets for friends and youngsters in the neighborhood.
These are the kinds of things that make up anybody’s life and they rarely come to light unless something tragic happens. Yet those are the memories we choose to reflect on because those are the things that matter — the details. They are the morsels the rest of us savor as we sort through the sad story and come to terms with the death of a brave young man we never knew.
Hebert’s death reminds us that the war in Iraq might be technically over but the killing of our soldiers is not. Our county is full of many more parents anxiously awaiting the next telephone call or letter from a child serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere. For some, the process of hearing from their loved one and waiting for the next call will go on for many more months — with no guarantees in between coveted calls and keepsake letters.
A stranger’s pain in not comparable to the pain Hebert’s family and friends are enduring now and for the rest of their lives. But perhaps it will help the young man’s family to know there is a county full of "strangers" offering sincere condolences and gratitude for Hebert’s service to his country.
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