Matthew Lourey, RIP

Minnesota DFL (Democratic) state senator Becky Lourey is an opponent of the war in Iraq and the mother of Army helipcopter pilot Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Lourey. CWO Lourey was on his second tour of duty in Iraq; he was killed when his helocopter was shot down in central Iraq on Thursday. The Star Tribune story by Mark Brunswick, Patricia Lopez and Kevin Duchschere is incredibly painful: “State senator’s son dies in Iraq.”

The story runs with the photo above by Star Tribune photographer Joey McLeister. The caption reads: “A photo of Matt Lourey and his wife, Lisa, sat on a table in the Lourey family home, along with the toy airplanes Matt Lourey made when he was in school.” Our sincere condolences to Senator Lourey and her family.