I would like to thank the Sun Journal for its report on the death of Army Spec. Joseph Lucas (Dec. 17).

He has became the 10th serviceman to die from our state, and now joins the list of angels and heroes.

So often, our fallen servicemen and -women quickly become a statistic, with their names and faces blending into all those who have died before. I am one of the very fortunate and grateful mothers whose daughter returned safely to me last March after a year’s tour of duty in Iraq. After she joined the military, I soon realized that I had become a member of a much larger family – a family that cares about each other, and a mother who feels the pain and anguish of losing one of those members, as if they were my own.

Especially this time of year, my heart goes out to the Lucas family. My prayers and thoughts are with them daily. The greatest tribute we can give to these heroes is the acknowledgment that they have names and faces and that they lived and loved.

Peg Conroy, Rumford