Heath, OH - Daniel Lee Joseph joined the Army on September 12, 2003; just four days after classes began at The Ohio State University where Joseph would have attended as a freshman had he been smart enough to get in. Instead, his life came to an abrupt end on Tuesday in Basra, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device tore off the lower half of his body and most of his left arm.
“He wanted to serve his country,” Joseph’s daddy said in an exclusive Ledger interview. “But he wanted to do it stateside, not in a fucking combat zone.”
“I hope George Bush is satisfied.” Joesph’s momma added, wiping away tears.
Members of Joseph’s platoon recalled their “dumb little buddy” via telephone from the Middle East.
“There was this aluminum can sitting right in the middle of a road we were patrolling,” one of Joseph’s buddies said. “Joseph jumps out of the tank and runs up to the can yelling, ‘let’s play kick the can, let’s play kick the can.’ Well, he kicked the can and that fucking thing exploded like it was the 4th of July! There was hardly any of him left.”
Joseph will be buried with full military honors tomorrow at Hanover Cemetery in Newark.
