From time to time I'll see an article in Stripes or elsewhere, for which I'd like to share my enthusiasm. For the benefit of readers who may not have seen the publication in question, or missed the article on the Web, I'll suggest a catch-up look at the much-appreciated work.

One such suggestion is for articles that appeared in the Mideast and Europe editions of Stripes Aug. 5 and 6 by two reporters in Germany, Charlie Coon and Matt Millham. They wrote about "A year in Schweinfurt," home of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, known as the "Dagger Brigade." It suffered "the deadliest deployment of any Europe-based U.S. military brigade in Iraq" -- 56 killed in combat in one year.

The articles are a poignant and ultimately inspiring account of how relatives of the fallen, as well as the surviving soldiers themselves, have helped each other through the year of adversity.

A quote from one spouse, seen on the front page Aug. 5, says a lot: "No one wants it to be their husband. But nobody wants it to be someone else's husband, either."

Here are links to the stories:

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=47897

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55439&archive=true

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55440&archive=true