Fantastic piece on a heartbreaking tale

[Ira_Schoffel]

In the early- to mid-1990s, Michelle Thresher was an incredibly talented young sportswriter at the University of Florida.

She eventually left the biz, went to grad school and then law school, got married to a Marine officer named David Taylor and had a son. Not long after her son's birth, Maj. David Taylor was killed by an IED in Iraq.

St. Pete's John Romano, for whom Michelle strung when we were in college, delivered an incredible, 6-page special section this past Sunday on their story.

Though Michelle left sportswriting 10 or so years ago, I still feel as though she was part of the fraternity. Hopefully, it's OK to post this here.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/27/Features/A_story_for_Jake.shtml

 

[Moderator1]

Why would it not be? Thanks for posting.
If Romano did it, I'm sure it is quite good.

 

[sportschick]

I got about 12 graphs in and started bawling. These stories always get to me.

 

[Angola!]

That might be the best story I've read about the war in Iraq so far. Just a compelling piece. It didn't even faze me how long it was.

 

[Dave Kindred]

Great work.

The grays of the war, the nuances of love, the commitment to ideals -- all there, with smiles and tears, without melodrama -- and a father saved for a son who never knew him.

Someday Jake will thank John Romano.

Newspapers are dying? Not as long as they have people who can do this.

 

[andykent]

This, my friends, is good journalism, and a great example of how we can go outside of our comfort zone and tackle a difficult subject. John is an excellent sports columnist, but this proves that he is an excellent all-around writer and I think he did all of us proud with this piece.

 

[SockPuppet]

That was marvelous and heart breaking.
Think of the thousands of similar stories there are in this country because of an ill-conceived war. Combat deaths have never been more tragic than the ones created by the selfish bastards in this administration. I hope they all fry in hell.

 

[militantoysterdog]

I am so damn sick of this war and what it's doing to people—I really can't stand it. Facts are facts: This was the biggest military blunder in US history, and the thousands upon thousands of ruined lives are directly—and forever—linked to this administration. I wouldn't care if this was JFK, Reagan, Clinton, whoever—we're talking about a presidential decision that has 0 redeeming qualities. I'm sick over it.

Great article. God bless that family.

 

[Big_Space]

what a great piece of story telling and very moving.

hopefully this thread wont sink into a political pissing match, save it for another thread.

Romano needs to be recognized for his work and Michelle Taylor needs to be acknowledged for her strength and courage.

 

[Bears00]

Thanks for posting that. Heartbreaking story.

 

[militantoysterdog]

Big_Space, at this point I would argue it's not a political pissing match to say the results of this war are, with minute exception, tragic. This story only illustrates such. I am a registered Republican who voted for Bush the first time, and not a day goes by that I don't regret it.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Combat deaths have never been more tragic than the ones created by the selfish bastards in this administration. I hope they all fry in hell.

There's a whole side of the board for this sort of thing. This side isn't it.

It's good practice for the sort of professionalism you're supposed to be showing in your day job.

Though many of you can't or won't

 

[Freelance Hack]

There was a similar story a few months ago from a NYT editor, whose family I knew when I was a reporter.

The story's familiar. So is the pain I feel for these kids who will never know their fathers. They are victims, too.

 

[deskslave]

What struck me about this story was how long Romano waited to tell the inevitable. I knew how this story would end before I started reading it. And yet it took an incredibly long time to get to that moment, so long, in fact, that in the back of my mind, I started subconsciously thinking it might not happen.

A remarkable piece of writing, and a firm reminder that newspapers do still have a place in this world.

 

[Diabeetus]

Amazing story. I've already forwarded it to everybody I could think of.

 

[alleyallen]

I get mad reading a well-written but heartwrenching story like this. Not mad because of the war, or Bush or the Iraqis or anything else. Just mad that this family, that any family, is so damaged by something like this.

 

[User 1019]

Man, that was tough.

 

[IU90]

Extremely well-written piece. Extremely sad story.

 

[leo1]

wow. great story.

i'd stop short of saying that this kind of thing saves newspapers because of the unfortunate reality that few newspapers short of the biggest let their writers pursue this kind of story.

that said, at least in theory, i think newspapers would be far better served with stories like this than, say, another story about the latest school board meeting or trial of johnny drug dealer.

 

[Dave Kindred]

wow. great story.

i'd stop short of saying that this kind of thing saves newspapers because of the unfortunate reality that few newspapers short of the biggest let their writers pursue this kind of story.

Romano's story is 6 pages, 5,000 words, photos, and video. That's the major leagues. But this story can be 600 words and a mug shot for a 1,000-circ weekly. This story is universal: Love, birth, death. Every newspaper I've worked for -- from that weekly to major metros -- would beg you to write it.