I
imported_Joshua Rowan
Guest
Some very sad news to share with all of you about another fellow UO player - SSG Ed "Garet Southridge" Carman. This news comes to us from his fiance, Erica. As she tells us...
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"He was in the Failte Guild on the Atlantic Shard and had been playing faithfully for 6 years. Ed got me hooked on UO about a year ago so I'd have something to do while he was deployed and we used to sit and play on different computers in the same room. He was so happy that I had finally caught on and became hopelessy addicted. We have a house that he so thoughtfully let me decorate (he he, what a sweet man) and he was always taking me around the towns and dungeons to show me the wonderful world of UO....he loved the game and always got excited when talking and teaching it. I was always amazed by everything he could do, he seemed popular anywhere he went. I have him to thank for all the wonderful and supportive friends I have made in this fantasy escape from the real world."
<hr></blockquote>
The following is a news article about his tragic death in Iraq, as reported by the Associated Press:
<blockquote><hr>
Fort Hood soldier dies in Iraq
Associated Press
April 22, 2004
McKEESPORT, Pa. - A western Pennsylvania native and father of two young children died in Iraq when a track on the tank in which he was riding broke and the vehicle rolled off a bridge, an official said.
Army Staff Sgt. Ed Carman, 25, a native of McKeesport, died Saturday near Baghdad. He was in A Company, 2-12 Armor of the 1st Calvary Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, said Maj. Greg Yesko of the 99th Regional Support Command, based outside of Pittsburgh.
Carman's mother, Joanna Hawthorne, told the McKeesport Daily News that the McKeesport High School graduate joined the Army over her objections. He was serving his second tour of duty when he died.
But Carman believed there are a lot of good people in Iraq and he was helping them, Hawthorne said.
"It just doesn't seen right," Hawthorne said. "He always had such an insight into humanity and how to make the world better."
Carman is survived by a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, Hawthorne said.
He was a high school wrestler and a good student who hoped to settle down in Texas one day, his mother said.
Carman's family arranged a viewing and funeral through Willig Funeral Home & Cremation Services in McKeesport. A funeral was scheduled for Saturday, Yesko said.
"He loved the Army and he used to tell me the tank is the safest place to be," Hawthorne said. "And that's where he was killed."
<hr></blockquote>
We would also like to share with you some touching comments, written by Erica:
<blockquote><hr>
Dearest Ed, to the one person that gives me breath, you are in my every thought. You promised me you'd come home, you promised you'd never leave. You always said when you called "Don't worry about me baby, I'm completely safe and I'll be home before you know it...now smile for me please?"
I find myself thinking about a thousand different things and wonderful thoughts that make me the luckiest one person to have ever walked the face of this earth. From the night you waltzed your way into my arms you have decorated my life with everything from your bright blue eyes and amazing smile to your love for Tony Stewart and the Steelers. You taught me the wonderful world of Ultima Online and the escape from reality were you and I bonded even further while hunting deamons and killing monsters in the late hours of the night together. I always said you were my hero on the game and you'll be my hero forever off of it as well. You took your unconditional love and added trust, respect, compassion, protection, support and so much more. The result of our endeavor was something most people can only read in books and therefore they can only stare with blinding envy. If you hadn't touched my heart I would have been one of those people. Thank you could never be enough and therefore no matter where you are, I give you my love, my life. Unconditionally, forever till we meet again and as we know it, I’ll see you in Part 2 and we’ll pick up where we left off, when I lost you.
<hr></blockquote>
From the staff at UO Stratics, we would like to extend our own thoughts and prayers to Ed's friends and family. May he rest peace knowing that he was well loved by many.
<blockquote><hr>
"He was in the Failte Guild on the Atlantic Shard and had been playing faithfully for 6 years. Ed got me hooked on UO about a year ago so I'd have something to do while he was deployed and we used to sit and play on different computers in the same room. He was so happy that I had finally caught on and became hopelessy addicted. We have a house that he so thoughtfully let me decorate (he he, what a sweet man) and he was always taking me around the towns and dungeons to show me the wonderful world of UO....he loved the game and always got excited when talking and teaching it. I was always amazed by everything he could do, he seemed popular anywhere he went. I have him to thank for all the wonderful and supportive friends I have made in this fantasy escape from the real world."
<hr></blockquote>
The following is a news article about his tragic death in Iraq, as reported by the Associated Press:
<blockquote><hr>
Fort Hood soldier dies in Iraq
Associated Press
April 22, 2004
McKEESPORT, Pa. - A western Pennsylvania native and father of two young children died in Iraq when a track on the tank in which he was riding broke and the vehicle rolled off a bridge, an official said.
Army Staff Sgt. Ed Carman, 25, a native of McKeesport, died Saturday near Baghdad. He was in A Company, 2-12 Armor of the 1st Calvary Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, said Maj. Greg Yesko of the 99th Regional Support Command, based outside of Pittsburgh.
Carman's mother, Joanna Hawthorne, told the McKeesport Daily News that the McKeesport High School graduate joined the Army over her objections. He was serving his second tour of duty when he died.
But Carman believed there are a lot of good people in Iraq and he was helping them, Hawthorne said.
"It just doesn't seen right," Hawthorne said. "He always had such an insight into humanity and how to make the world better."
Carman is survived by a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, Hawthorne said.
He was a high school wrestler and a good student who hoped to settle down in Texas one day, his mother said.
Carman's family arranged a viewing and funeral through Willig Funeral Home & Cremation Services in McKeesport. A funeral was scheduled for Saturday, Yesko said.
"He loved the Army and he used to tell me the tank is the safest place to be," Hawthorne said. "And that's where he was killed."
<hr></blockquote>
We would also like to share with you some touching comments, written by Erica:
<blockquote><hr>
Dearest Ed, to the one person that gives me breath, you are in my every thought. You promised me you'd come home, you promised you'd never leave. You always said when you called "Don't worry about me baby, I'm completely safe and I'll be home before you know it...now smile for me please?"
I find myself thinking about a thousand different things and wonderful thoughts that make me the luckiest one person to have ever walked the face of this earth. From the night you waltzed your way into my arms you have decorated my life with everything from your bright blue eyes and amazing smile to your love for Tony Stewart and the Steelers. You taught me the wonderful world of Ultima Online and the escape from reality were you and I bonded even further while hunting deamons and killing monsters in the late hours of the night together. I always said you were my hero on the game and you'll be my hero forever off of it as well. You took your unconditional love and added trust, respect, compassion, protection, support and so much more. The result of our endeavor was something most people can only read in books and therefore they can only stare with blinding envy. If you hadn't touched my heart I would have been one of those people. Thank you could never be enough and therefore no matter where you are, I give you my love, my life. Unconditionally, forever till we meet again and as we know it, I’ll see you in Part 2 and we’ll pick up where we left off, when I lost you.
<hr></blockquote>
From the staff at UO Stratics, we would like to extend our own thoughts and prayers to Ed's friends and family. May he rest peace knowing that he was well loved by many.