Soldier's death a reminder of task at hand

The death of Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond is a reminder that even with all of our woes here at home, we still have people out there fighting a war.

Born on St. Patrick's Day, he grew up in Northern California and joined the U.S. Army in the late 1980s, in time for the first Desert Storm. He had been serving ever since.

We only knew Diamond through his mother, Gardnerville resident Sally Wiley and her enthusiasm for supporting the troops.

Wiley was involved in many efforts to make our fighting men and women more comfortable while performing their duties.

Active in the Blue Start Mothers helped coordinate drives by several Valley businesses for care packages, Operation Postcard, cool collars, and a variety of other things.

On his third tour in Iraq, Diamond was a bright, shining example of someone willing to go into harm's way for his country.

He paid the ultimate price for his sense of duty and loyalty to his country.

No matter how bad things are economically here, no one is shooting or bombing us.

It's the effort of men and women like Diamond that's helping to keep those who would do us harm at bay.