>>28476421It works better in context. If you just hear about it out of context then you just think that it's messed up but in the show these are also Ed and Al's friends and this has a huge impact on them throughout the entire rest of the series. Right up until the end they talk about how they couldn't even save a little girl.
So yeah to the casual observer it's not sad but to a Fullmetal Alchemist fan it is.