During his tour in Iraq, Travis Anderson led 200 missions and 300 raids. A lifelong hunter, Anderson was training as a Special Forces sniper when he died.
“He loved bringing home things to cook. When Travis was about 5, may have been 6, he got a skunk. I don’t know where he got this skunk, but he brought it home and wanted me to cook it. Which, of course, I told him, ‘No!’
“He was proud of his little mice hides he had hung on his bedroom wall. I walked in there one day, and he’d trapped some mice and skinned ’em out, and had ’em pinned to the wall like little beaver hides. It was disgusting, but it was kind of cute.
“Daniel, Travis’ hound dog, was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral. About a week, maybe two at the longest, after Travis’ funeral, Daniel just laid down and died. He wasn’t sick. I think he died of a broken heart.”
– Barbara Anderson, mother
