The deaths of two soldiers, and the hospitalization of another, while apparently engaged in the selection course for Special Forces reserves in the rugged Brecon Beacons, brings home an oft-obscured reality.
But over the past two weeks the political battles over government debt in Washington and Frankfurt, the street battles in Britain, and the volatility of markets everywhere have obscured that reality.
The other big surprise of the night was Sylvester Stallone's not winning best supporting actor, though, looking back, his campaign narrative — "what a comeback!" — obscured stark realities.
The pyramidal structure of society suggested by the statistics given above is somewhat obscured by the reality and prominence of the urban scene.
Once you know the truth, it becomes hard to look at the photograph, perhaps because the truth is so obscured by the horrific realities of the time.
This reality is somewhat obscured from view precisely by the fact that labor unions are so weak in the American private sector.
But as the debate has swirled, a reality has been largely obscured: over the years, the laws have been tweaked to reduce their impact, and prosecutors have increasingly been steering addicts into treatment programs instead of sending them to prison.
The old lines on immigration are being obscured as Republicans are accepting the reality of a more diverse electorate.
Guelzo quotes a New York soldier's remembrance, and thereby demonstrates the challenge any military historian faces: "The reality of war is largely obscured by descriptions that tell of movements... of armies, of the attack and repulse, of victory and defeat..
