We are inundated by news of the death of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is rare that we hear their personal stories.

Scott Duffman was a pararescueman, a special operations position in the U.S. Air Force. His job was to save lives and aid the injured. But when his Chinook helicopter went down on Feb. 18, 2007, no one could save him.

Seven days after his death, Scott’s mother, Rose, talked about her loss to Observer Reporter Mariam Ahmadi Simpson.