Posted on 11/29/2003 1:32:23 AM PST by kattracks
President Bush's flight into Baghdad may have been dangerous, but he has told friends the part of the Iraq war he dreads the most is writing letters to the families of slain soldiers. The notes, however, are cherished by the grieving families."It was a brief note, probably a form letter, but the President took the time to thank me and remember Brian's sacrifice, and that does make a difference," said Ronald Slavenas of Genoa, Ill., whose son, helicopter pilot 1st Lt. Brian Slavenas, 30, died Nov. 2. "Nothing makes up for the loss, but it is good to know that he is being remembered."
Barbara Bucklew of Fort Carson, Colo., whose husband, Army Sgt. Ernest Bucklew, also died Nov. 2 in Fallujah, received one of the President's letters.
"Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathy," Bucklew said as she read aloud. "Our nation will not forget Ernie's sacrifice and unselfish dedication in our efforts to make the world more peaceful and free."
Bucklew was among the military families who met the President at Fort Carson just before Thanksgiving.
She said Bush's visit to Baghdad was further proof that the commander-in-chief was aware of the sacrifice he was asking from his young troops.
"He was just a politician in my eyes before. Now I know he is a sincere man who told us how sorry he was," Bucklew said. "And that does help."
The President has sent out more than 400 of the letters so far. He will have to write a couple more because two soldiers were killed since his visit, one in Ramadi and a second in Mosul.
Before the war began, former President George Bush warned his son that sending such letters would be the most agonizing duty of his wartime presidency.
Bush has told friends that his dad was all too right, and that he has come to dread the letters.
Some of the families who received the letters saw the President's stealthy trip into Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day as another sign of his compassion.
"He did a wonderful thing," said Vera D'Agostino of Middlebury, Conn., whose grandson, Pfc. Anthony D'Agostino, was among 16 soldiers killed when an Army helicopter was shot down Nov. 2. D'Agostino would have turned 21 last month.
"It was necessary, but it made us cry," said Stewart Torres of Passaic, N.J., whose 24-year-old bother, 2nd Lt. Richard Torres, died last month when a rocket-propelled grenade tore apart his Humvee outside of Baghdad.
"We started crying because it was something Richard would have loved, the President there with the troops, honoring them," Torres said.
But Bush's lightning trip to Iraq was just a stunt to Fernando Suarez del Solar, whose son, Jesus, 20, was killed in March.
"Bush goes and looks like he loves the troops with his posturing," said the grieving father, who will be among a dozen anti-war parents to visit Iraq next week.
Jeri Reed, a member of the dovish Military Families Speak Out, also was dismissive of Bush's Thanksgiving jaunt.
"It was obviously a big publicity ploy," said Reed, whose son has been in Iraq since March.
"He's saying that we're going to stay no matter what they do to us. Well, they're not doing anything to him. We don't need him going there, we need to bring the troops back here," she said.
Originally published on November 29, 2003
Your "mood", is a matter of complete indifference to me... madame.
And yes I will stop calling you shirely.
Did I call you a name? Exactly why amy I subject to being called a harpy?
The person whose name I called to the moderator's attention was not disagreeing on policy. He was making snarky comments on several threads about the president's honesty and courage. This is Rat propoganda and I asked the moderator to see if this was one of the MANY Rats who have repeatedly logged on to FR under different names. I am assuming this person was, since he was banned.
I do not care about gripes about Bush's policies. FR is full of them. I do care about personal attacks on the president, whom I happen to support.
And you sir, may go pound sand.
It is a horrendous thing, but the survivors have a CHOICE on how to "conduct" themselves, if you will, after losing a child.
You can blame everybody, up to and including George W. Bush, not to mention God, for what happened to your child while he was living a life he chose to live.
Or you can accept what has happened as a part of life and move on from there, hard as it is.
If you stay angry, it will eat you alive. And pretty soon you don't even remember the good times, you only think about the horror of it all.
And it most certainly DOES dishonor the life their very own child chose to live. IMO, it's disgusting.
At least Marple's marbles are all in the right place. Which is more than I can say for you, liberal, pinko commie useful idiot!!!!slap!!!!!!! slap!!!!!!
Why don't you do something useful with your miserable pathetic existance? Like finding a cure for cancer? Or clearing landmines in Iraq? Or pulling your head out your *ss? It's easy to be an armchair dillweed general, but if we wanted that perspective, we'd call Wesley Clark.
You know, your insults will have more clout when you spell correctly. And since a Spell Check is now included in the software, it is really dim-bulbish not to use it. (It's the little rectangle that says "Spell" in the lower left portion of the posting screen.)
And what, pray tell, is your excuse for being such an unmitigated jerk?
She said Bush's visit to Baghdad was further proof that the commander-in-chief was aware of the sacrifice he was asking from his young troops.
"He was just a politician in my eyes before. Now I know he is a sincere man who told us how sorry he was," Bucklew said. "And that does help."
The President has sent out more than 400 of the letters so far. He will have to write a couple more because two soldiers were killed since his visit, one in Ramadi and a second in Mosul.
But...but...but....Weasley Clark said that the President isn't visiting the families here, only the British families....
....he couldn't be (GASP)Lying, could he?
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