Barnich!

It was only a matter of time before someone I knew got killed in the war. That time came yesterday - Memorial Day. Terry Barnich, who was General Counsel for Illinois Governor Jim Thompson (back in the day when I was a Republican), was killed by a roadside bomb near Fallujah. Two others were killed and two more injured.

He was smart, good looking and a total smart ass who answered the phone -- Barnich! -- and loved to flirt with us peons at the Gov's office. I haven't seen him in many years and have completely polar opposite political views, but have tremendous respect for his intelligence and the work he was doing in Iraq.

He was due to come home in just a few weeks.

Here is a great write up on him from The Chicago Daily Observer.