HUFFINGTON
09.22.13
INVISIBLE CASUALTIES
scoured away most of his boyish
clowning, but not his enthusiasm
for life. He loved his two combat
tours in Iraq with a Navy river
patrol unit, Riverine Squadron 1,
hunting insurgents and weapons
caches along the Euphrates River
in bloody Anbar Province.
He made friends easily and
was a good friend. His buddies
used words like “energetic” and
“optimistic” to describe him.
“An infectious smile, the men all
adored him, a great brother in
arms. Josh is a hero,” said Navy
Cmdr. Gary Leigh, Joshua’s squadron commander in Iraq, who was
“crushed” by Joshua’s death.
Joshua won promotions. He
planned to re-enlist. A distinguished naval career beckoned.
Then, a setback. On his return
from Iraq in 2009, a routine
physical turned up hearing loss,
evidence of a brain tumor. Surgery, in December of that year,
was successful; the tumor was
benign. But his hearing loss and
the surgery abruptly ended his
Don Lipstein
leans on the
mini casket
that houses
Joshua’s
ashes.