For The Memory of Tom and Eileen Lonergan

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I knew Tom and Eileen. We served together in the Peace Corps. They were among those I considered to be my best friends in Peace Corps Fiji.On many occasions, Tom and Eileen stayed at my place in Suva when they came into town from their teaching stint at Sigatoka Methodist School to do PC business, catch a movie and maybe get a bite at the golden arches. They were just like the rest of us PCV's. They went through the challenges of Peace Corps life and were open and honest about their experiences.They were, like me, healthily cynical and had a great sense of humor.

When I found out about what had happened to them, I was beyond shocked. To see their PC ID's on CNN was something I was totally unprepared for.Over subsequent months and years, I have heard all of the ridiculous things said about Tom and Eileen, and I know that it would make their eyes roll at the self-serving nature of it all.Tom and Eileen were two of the most wonderful, vivacious, adventurous, and generous people you could ever hope to meet. They were magnificent friends, and I miss them every day.

They should never have met their end in this way. They had planned on traveling a bit, and then "living in Rodney's closet in Hawaii" for a while, until they figured out what to do next. They never got that chance, and that is a tragedy beyond measure, but I know that they felt as I did, that, at the end of their PC service, they had accomplished something great. They devoted themselves to helping others, not for any sense of glory or martyr-like fame, but just to be of help to their fellow humans. They felt like we all did, that they could die tomorrow and their lives would have been complete.

Though they died far far too early, they died as heroes. They answered the call of service, and they helped untold numbers of people. In the ridiculousness which has followed, no one has covered this aspect of their lives, no one has spoken of the lives they lived, the people whose lives they changed forever.

Tom and Eileen should be honored and praised for the life they lived, not coldly depicted for their tragic end.The true tragedy is what has happened since they were abandoned. Shame on all those who profited and continue to profit, shame on those who lied to cover their own asses.
To the parents, family and friends of Tom and Eileen, I offer my deepest sympathies.

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