activists' son dies in bhagdad combat

It's a simple idea born out of complicated emotions. The Colgans are longtime peace activists who have opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. They marched in antiwar demonstrations before Ben was deployed to Baghdad. Joe and Patricia Colgan still believe the war to be "completely wrong" and "unjust."

"I know it seems like a contradiction. How can your son be a hero in an unjust war?" Joe says. "It's the contradiction of a parent. We had a son in the Army, and we supported him no matter what. He did what the commander in chief wanted. He died doing what he believed in; he died doing what he loved. That's a hero."

In the next breath, Joe Colgan, 62, holds his head in his hands.

curse you, irony.