VOA标准英语2014--Militant Advance in Iraq Blow to Families of US Fallen

 

Militant¹ Advance in Iraq Blow to Families of US Fallen

MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS — The rapid advance of Islamist militants² through key cities in Iraq is forcing many Americans to re-examine the eight-year-long war that killed nearly 4,500 U.S. service members.  The loss of lives is on the minds of many who took part in the 2014 Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run.

This is more than just a motorcycle to Kory Thompson.  It is a moving tribute to his son, Army Corporal Michael Thompson, who died in a helicopter crash near Talil Air Base in Iraq in 2008.

“Their call sign was Red River 44. When Red River 44 banked to go into Talil, they lost altitude, and the guys from the other helicopter say it look like they flew right into the ground,” he said.

It was Thompson’s second time in Iraq, a mission his father said he enthusiastically volunteered for, based on his experience during his first deployment³.

“Michael’s proudest moment he told me was when he was guarding a polling site during the Iraq elections, and he says his proudest moment was seeing those Iraqis walking around with that blue ink on their finger.  He said that was his proudest moment so.....,” said the father.

The deteriorating⁴ situation in Iraq is on the minds of many at the 2014 Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run.  

The rolling tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice ends at the MidEast Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, Illinois.  There, in a solemn ceremony, the newest names of the fallen carved into the black marble blocks and are read by family members.

“It’s to let everybody know that our troops overseas are not forgotten, and the ones that have fallen are never going to be forgotten,” said organizer Raymond Prokaski, president of Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run.

Prokaski disagreed with President Obama’s decision not to send more combat troops back to Iraq.

“I don’t think it’s a smart thing to say if we’re going to try to get them back on their feet again.  We see what’s going on over there.  And they’re already sending troops over there.  So it was a wrong statement for him to make,” he said.

“I think advisors⁵ and special ops is not what he is considering ground troops.  I think its important to do this and I think airstrikes is going to be important on top of it,” said Illinois Congressman⁶ Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force pilot and veteran of several Iraq combat deployments.

He believed airstrikes and drone attacks would help reverse recent gains made by militants.

“We have to push this very evil group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) back and I think that’s going to be very important to honor the sacrifice of those who made it,” said Kinzinger.

“The best option to me?  Pull everybody out, and let them kill each other - they’ve been killing⁷ each other for millions of years, nobody’s going to stop it, we’re not going to stop it,” said the father of Army Corporal Michael Thompson .

Thompson said if his son Michael, who died fighting in Iraq, were watching the militants advancing today, he would be profoundly disappointed, but he would not have regrets.

He said, “I’ve heard Gold Star fathers say ‘Our sons died for nothing’ and I tell them ‘My son didn’t die for nothing.  He believed in what he was doing.'”

It is a belief that ultimately cost his son his life, a sacrifice Kory Thompson wishes Iraqis would honor by protecting their own freedom.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

5 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。