Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill
Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill died on May 6, 2006 in Basra, Iraq. She was the first British woman soldier to die in combat in over 20 years. She was doing what she wanted to do: she was an RAF Flight Lieutenant. She was a wife, daughter and sister.
Her name will be added to The Mother's Day Project organized by Anne Landre. Female Coalition members who have lost their lives in the course of the Iraq war are being memorialized in thread and cloth.
I am not much of an embroiderer, nor do I usually join KALs, Secret Pal exchanges or the like. However, I felt compelled to join this project. Names were assigned to volunteer stitchers on a random basis, thus it is a coincidence that the woman whose name I embroidered has my name also, even my middle name, although we spell both differently.
Sarah-Jayne was born in 1973, the year I graduated from college. She was 32 at the time of her death, just slightly older than my older son is now.
Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill 1973-2006
posted by Sara at 9:14 AM
8 Comments:
Such a kind tribute. You're a kind woman. It comes through regularly in your writing.
I'm glad to see her service memorialized in such a time-honored skill that belongs to women. My heart aches, for her, for her family, for all our families who are experiencing this loss.
What a wonderful tribute. Very nice,
Sara, how lovely... I'm just now composing my blog roll and have added you. I very very much need to read about your baby steps, and hopefully they will inspire my own!
Ruth
That is so touching, and so fitting to bear witness for someone who resonated to the same name sounds.
So sad. So wrong that she should die in such a cause.
Just thinking about having my child's name stitched by such a kind-hearted person is so overwhelming - but I know that I would find comfort in it.
Thank you all for your lovely comments. Sarah was my Sister In Law and was a lovely, humorous and happy young woman full of life and happiness. She died doing the job she loved and we have had so many lovely tributes. I will pass on your messages to my brother who was Sarahs' husband.
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