'God has revealed his will'

It was a different world when Air Force Maj. Ken Bourland landed in Haiti on January 12. He was making a quick visit for a disaster-preparedness relief course, and checked in with his family via the internet upon his arrival. Then, everything changed.

After an agonizing search, which this blog followed closely, the Bourland family has confirmed that the 37-year-old husband, father, and son died in Haiti's catastrophic earthquake. According to to his family, his body was recovered on Sunday in the rubble of the Hotel Montana. Throughout this unimaginable ordeal, I have been astonished by the strength of Ken's family, which has been on display on a Facebook group called "Praying for the rescue of Ken Bourland." As Maj. Bourland's mother wrote, faith is giving his mourning relatives guidance and comfort.

"As you all know by now, God has revealed his will to us," Adrienne Davis Bourland said on Facebook. "Ken is with our Lord! Ken's body was found Sunday morning and recovered within a few hours. Peggy, Chance, Kellie, Dennis and I went to Dover Air Force Base yesterday to receive Ken's body from Haiti. We were escorted by Gen. Fadok. He and Mrs. Fadok have been very gracious to us, as have many others. Thank you all for loving 'on us'. We are sad but Ken is with Jesus!"

Peggy Bourland, Ken's wife, also posted in the group about the devastating news her family received.

"Today was a difficult day. My precious husband is with Jesus and will be missed and forever in my heart and thoughts."

Ken is also survived by two young sons, a stepson, and a sister.

It is difficult to accept or understand why these children have been challenged to grow up without a dad, or why so many Haitian youths are orphaned because of this shocking tragedy. Yet when you see a family like the Bourlands show such tenacity and unshakeable belief in God, even in their darkest days, a glimmer of hope begins to flicker through the rubble. Perhaps it is shining from above, because of a man who dedicated his life to serving others. Rest in peace, Maj. Ken Bourland.

War coverage vanishes amid Haiti crisis, political drama

The earthquake in Haiti, Senator-elect Scott Brown's upset victory in Massachusetts, and the debate over health care are all big stories. The crisis in the Caribbean, where U.S. troops are now stationed to help, is particularly important due to human suffering at a scale the world has not witnessed since the 2004 Asian tsunami. Still, even in the face of these challenging stories, there is no excuse for the media all but abandoning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which do not pause because of other world events.

A study released by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism finds that the devastation in Haiti accounted for 27% of news coverage in the week of January 18-24. Next was the Massachusetts Senate race, with 21%. The economy and the challenges facing the Obama administration both had 7%, and the health care debate came in fifth at 5%.

The Haiti story deserved to get the most media coverage during that period, so I have no argument there. But failing to give two wars with real human consequences anywhere near the same level of attention is a deriliction of duty by the national media. Between the dates this survey was compiled, the Pentagon identified eight casualties from the war zones. That means eight different families and a countless number of friends and fellow troops lost someone close to them during America's continuing post-9/11 struggle. Did that not merit at least a measurable amount of media attention?

Pfc. Gifford Hurt, who gave his life in Iraq on January 20, did not join the military to become a national celebrity. But that doesn't mean 24-hour cable news networks don't have time to honor his sacrifice, even while covering other important news. Having corresponded with his grieving mother last week, I know that even a few moments devoted by one of the big networks would have meant the world to her.

Many folks in the media, who I worked with for almost nine years, are great at making excuses. When I questioned the lack of Iraq and Afghanistan coverage supposedly due to a "big story," almost none of which had the impact of a true catastrophe like Haiti, I was often told things like "we'll get back to covering the wars soon." The problem is that the fighting continues, and troops in Afghanistan and Iraq can't take a timeout. The way I see it, the media ran out of timeouts a long time ago.