Major Andrew Olmsted, a soldier serving in Iraq, was also a blogger at Obsidian Wings. He was killed yesterday while serving in Iraq in what appears to be the ambush reported in the Diyala province. While I didn’t know him at all, really, I always looked forward to reading his posts over at Obsidian Wings. Through his writing, I found a man with whom I could respect whether I agreed with him or not. Truly a thoughtful man who will be missed. I only knew him through the blog, but I’m saddened by this even so. My condolences to his family and friends.

He left a letter to be posted on Obsidian Wings in case of his death, which Hilzoy has posted. His last post for his Rocky Mountain News blog has, along with the ObWi post, become a place for folks to leave tributes. What’s interesting is how the details of his death are put together in the comment thread of the RMN post. His mother-in-law, family members of the other soldiers wounded or killed in that attack, and other soldiers all provide bits and pieces to the story. It’s understandable but still amazing to me how slowly information trickles out to the families.