The Riddler

Soldier

At the end of the war in Iraq, an American soldier made a phone call to his parents.

"Hi Mom and Dad," he said. "They'll be sending me home in a few days. When I get home, do you think I could stay with you guys for a while?"

His parents were overjoyed at the news that he would be coming home.

"Of course!" cried his father. "You can live with us for as long as you like."

"One of my buddies here has no place to go"," he said. "Would you mind if he came to stay with us for a while too?"

"That's fine, son" said his mother. "Your friends are always welcome in our house."

"But, there's something you should know", said the son. "My buddy stepped on a land mine. He lost his arms and legs."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"Well, that would be fine for a few days," said his mother. "But caring for a disabled person is hard. It would be a big burden on your father and I. Perhaps you could find him a nursing home or some sort of veteran's hospital instead."

Without another word, the son hung up the phone.

The next day, the parents received a phone call from their son's commanding officer. He regretfully informed them that their son had committed suicide. The parents were devastated.

A few days later, the son's corpse was flown back to the USA and his parents were there to collect the body. When they opened the coffin and saw their son, they both broke down crying.
Why?