" You got to play like a champ everyday"

I'm lost my brothers are gone!

Body: today if you say the news there was a roadside bomb yesterday killing 4 and wounded 2 in eastern Baghdad. amongst the 4 dead 2 where my roommates and one wounded was another roommate they're on my myspace one which is Sgt. Brand, patriot 29 was the wounded lost his right leg. Arnold is on my main page he was another roommate that passed away and ssg prater and ssg Harris to close and dreariest friends where also killed. my life feels so lost I lost 4 brothers that no one can ever replace cuz they were unique in there own special way but the one that really hit home was sgt brand or I called him Eddie monster. I carried him wit a flag draped over his body yesterday as I loaded him on a helicopter, it was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. I love u emery always bro in my heart 24/7. I will have there picture post ed has my main pic ok. emery remember to stay greasy bro.muah

A couple hours ago, after I contacting via IM, Roberto , the young man who carried Emerson's body to the chopper, one of his roommates, the one who posted the note on myspace; he called us from Baghdad.

In the phone conversation we learned, my first take on the hit was accurate: this was a set up.

Someone who masqueraded as our ally, sucked our guys into a horridly deadly ambush; the IED'S were intended to take out a full patrol.

Our boys had arrested a Shiite high profile figure in that neighborhood  the day before the hit. This was retaliation for that.

So as our guys headed out into section yesterday, the trail (the last in the convoy) brad hit an IED.

It disabled the brad. But no one was hurt. Those in the lead brad (I believe), dismounted, Emerson and his comrades amongst those.

They located a second IED. The Soldier charged to get a snapshot of it, did so, as is the practice.

They then, turned and started back towards their Brads. Seconds later, all went quite--the blast so massive it was deafening--once smoke cleared, the hit came into view, one by one, they found them. Some whole, others not so.

Three were still alive. Two of those, more alive them E. But those two had visible sever wounds. They tried to save them . . . they found Emerson, he had no visible outward wounds, he was struggling to breath . . .  the medic tried to aid in that, but the internal, what they conclude must have been massive internal bleed and swelling, shut E down quickly. His body whole.

The explosion was simply so massive, hidden so deep, the triggerman, so close--given our guys were sucked in, guided to this deathly spot via the aid of our Iraq allies--it was a real score for the enemy.

Pray for the families who also shared in this lose. And for young Ryan, who lost a leg.

Please pray for Roberto. This has been terrible tough on him.

He said, of Em (whom they call "Eddy"), "Eddy said, 'you got to play like a champ every day.'"

Pray for Roberto, he still has days, in the game, as it were.

John and I had prayer with him on the phone, as we often did with Emerson.

We take comfort in knowing Emerson is now in the arms of the Good Shepherd. He will hurt no more.

I will stop hurting, the day I meet my child, the treasure of heart--he changed my wayward life . . . .

Thank you all, again, for your words and your prayers. They mean so much.

D.L. Brand