Ten-year anniversary of Sgt. Hobson's death goes unnoticed locally

Aug. 7 was the ten-year anniversary of Kenneth Hobson's death, but I have yet to see or hear any mention in our local media of the occasion.

When we think of terrorism in the United States, we naturally think of the horrible events of Sept. 11, 2001, but a little over three years earlier, Americans, including Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hobson of Lamar, were victims of a bombing at the U. S. embassy in Kenya.

John Hacker and Ron Graber provided the coverage for The Carthage Press on Aug. 19 when a memorial service for Hobson was held at the Thiebaud Auditorium in Lamar. John's story led with the words of Debbie Hobson, who not only lost a husband, and the father to their infant daughter Megan, but was attending a memorial service on the eve of their fourth wedding anniversary.

"I still can't say goodbye to him today, because he's still in my heart and I can't stop thinking about him," Mrs. Hobson said to an audience or more than 500 who came to show their appreciation for Kenneth Hobson's service and ultimate sacrifice. Hobson was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

One of the speakers was Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt, who said, "It is with great humility today that I stand here representing the American people in appreciation of Sgt. Kenneth Hobson's life. In the Scriptures, it says, 'No greater love hath any man than that he lay down his life for another.' That was what Sgt. Hobson did, and he did it for us. He did it so we can have the freedom that America so uniquely enjoys. America will continue to be the land of the free because it is the home of the brave."

Blunt continued, "His sacrifice and the sacrifice of his family are evidenced today by the medals and recognition that he will not see, but that his family will hold for him since he is not here. The Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal were all earned in a sacrifice that few of us are asked to make."

"The cowardly terrorists who did this must know that there is a price to pay, and they must be made to pay it."

The 10-year anniversary of those words will be next Wednesday...but the cowardly terrorists responsible for the attack, including mastermind Osama bin Laden, have yet to be brought to justice.

An Aug 4 report noted a raid which failed to net another terrorist who was directly responsible for the bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed:

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, indicted in the United States for alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, managed to evade police in a raid Saturday morning in Malindi, along Kenya's coast, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe.

The United States calls Mohammed a senior al Qaeda operative in East Africa.

U.S. officials accuse him of being an architect of the embassy bombings that killed 225 people.

They also believe Mohammed was involved in attacks on an Israeli-owned hotel and airliner in Kenya in 2002.

Kiraithe said Kenyan authorities received information from "local intelligence networks" that led them to conduct the raid, which involved no foreign intelligence officials.

He said police know Mohammed had, in fact, been at the location they raided, because they found two passports under names Mohammed has used. Kiraithe did not say what countries the passports were from.

A massive manhunt is under way for Mohammed in Malindi and surrounding areas, "more intensive than ever before because we wouldn't want to miss him now," Kiraithe said.

The U.S. offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his apprehension or conviction.