ON MARCH 1, actor Charlie Sheen triggered yet another cycle of round-the-clock punditry after his spectacular unraveling on ABC's "20/20."
That same day, the Department of Defense announced that 21-year-old Spc. Brian Tabada of Las Vegas had died in a battle in Afghanistan's Kunar province. He enjoyed "skateboarding, playing guitar, playing video games and spending time writing and drawing," according to his obituary in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The next day, March 2, the Department of Defense announced that handmade bombs had killed three more Americans in Afghanistan:
Spc. Rudolph R. Hizon, 22, of Los Angeles.
Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, Texas.
Spc. Christopher G. Stark, 22, of Monett, Mo.
The same day, Airman 1st Class Zachary R. Cuddeback, 21, of Stanardsville, Va., and Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of Williamston, S.C., were shot outside an airport in Frankfurt, Germany. Both men died. That story actually made the news for a whole day.
On March 7, CBS fired Charlie Sheen from the hit show "Two and a Half Men." This generated breaking news alerts around the country.
Again, that same day, two more Americans - Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton, 20, of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., and Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells, 31, of San Jose, Calif. - were killed in Afghanistan.
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty if you know more about the downfall of an actor than you do the deaths of Americans fighting in Afghanistan. I also know better than to suggest that we all just avert our eyes from the drama that is Charlie Sheen. It's too easy to succumb to the false thrill of superiority whenever a wealthy somebody devolves into a reckless nobody right before our eyes.
As with all real-life tragedies, not everyone is entertained. His very public demise is a painful reminder of private anguish for those who see their own tortured loved ones in the wild eyes of Sheen. So much sadness to go around.
Plenty of lunacy, too. On March 17, blogs and news sites reported that Public Policy Polling had shown that independent voters preferred Sheen over Sarah Palin for president, by a margin of 41-36 percent. This was supposed to make us laugh, I guess.
On the same day that ridiculous story blazed across the Internet, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis from Bennett, Colo., was killed in combat in Afghanistan.
Unless you loved Christopher Meis - or live in his neighborhood - it's unlikely you were aware that he had died while serving his country. I found out only because I subscribe to Department of Defense casualty alerts. You can, too, by signing up at this site: http://www.defense.gov/news/dodnews.aspx
Warning: You never know when the next alert will come. If you are like me and get them on a hand-held device, the news will stop you in your tracks on too many days.
Since Charlie Sheen's March 1 appearance on "20/20," the Department of Defense has announced the deaths of more than 20 Americans.
Most of them were in their 20s.
Four were only 19:
Pfc. Andrew M. Harper of Maidsville, W.Va.
Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta of Canyon Country, Calif.
Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez of Bellflower, Calif.
Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson of Lexington, S.C.
Maybe we should read their names out loud. Maybe think about who we were when we were 19.
I was finishing my first year of college, and I recall that time in my life with the clarity of a cherished dream.
I remember falling in love for the very first time.
I remember working on the school paper and calling home when I got my first byline.
I remember lazy walks on campus under a springtime trellis of purple lilacs.
More than anything else, I remember thinking I had all the time in the world.
Connie Schultz is a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Email: cschultz@plaind.com.
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