Must-read of the day is at the WSJ Online: “An American Soldier.” It’s an essay from Michael C. Carson of St. Paul, Minnesota, a fallen American soldier, written five years ago when he was a high school senior. Laura Ingraham read it on her show this morning. You won’t get through it with dry eyes. Excerpt:

I want my life to account for something more than just a game. In life there are no winners, everyone eventually loses their life. I only have so much time; I can’t waste it with a game. I don’t want those close to me to look at me and tell me that I was good at a game. I want to be good at life; I want to be known as the best of the best at my job. I want people to need me, to count on me. I am never late; I am either on time or early. I want to help people. I want to fight for something, be part of something that is greater than myself. I want to be a soldier or something of that caliber, maybe a cop or a secret service agent.

I want to live forever; the only way that one could possibly achieve it in this day and age is to live on in those you have affected. I want to carve out a niche for myself in the history books. I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished.

We won’t forget.

Sgt. Carlson died in January, less than a month before his 23rd birthday. Online memorial here and here. His comrades called him “Shrek:”

He joined the Army in May 2001. He was a radio telephone operator, grenadier and machine gun operator.

“Sgt. Michael Carlson, also known as ‘Shrek,’ was the kind of guy that always brought humor into any situation,” Drake said. “Shrek would give you the shirt off his back if you were in need, as was the case in Buhriz during an insurgent uprising in June. After more than 24 hours of continuous combat operations, he was … relieving soldiers for much needed breaks.”

R.I.P.