Posted on 12/20/2004 12:13:21 PM PST by AirBorn
Hello FreeRepublic Posters,
I want to ask a question that I am sure at least a few of you will have the REAL information on , but I have not seen it posted here.
It concerns this issue about the families of those who lost thier loved ones while Bravely serving in the Armed Service and defending Our Country receiving letters of condolence form our Governement officials.
It is still a sensitive topic in our house due to the lose of my sister's ex-husband, ( my ex-brother-in-law and a good friend ) ,who lost his life a litle over 2 months ago in Iraq due to a road side bomb.
Now, WHY shoud the liberals even care about anything the military does is beyond me , considering all their HATE of anything Military. I think this beacuse of :their lack of support in gerneral, their lack of monetary support, support for the troops, and their hatred of the Republican Administartion anyhow.
According to my sister--the following was a close senario of what happened concerning her receiving news of David's death.
Two very smart, decorated, and somber Marine Soldiers that were associated with the Unit's charge in her area had came to her door personally to relay the news to her. And she also received some personnal letter then.
She had then received a personnaly phone call from one the Top Miltary Brass who personally knew of David's sacrifice and what more or less had happened and give his thanks and the thanks of the Nation for his sacrifice.
Then even after this, she received what she said was a very nice letter personnally to her, along with a list of organizations for her to look into, a contact name of people top call for help in affairs concerning funeral and family help.
She had then received more letters and 2 calls from different soldiers who knew David personally too.
But it wasn't until she had physically talked to someone as a direct representaive from the Marines of what had occurred, that she received any letters. And while i wait for her to get back to me, I think she did receive a letter form the White House too.
Has anyone else unfortunately had to so thru this stituation too with a family memeber??
WHY hasn't the press discussed this? or rather, why has the press try to present this like the Military and this Administration in gerneral would handle something this delicate like they themselves would??--with no respect.
I remember a story that Clinton could NOT even SEND a representative to a Memorial that Openned for the Soldiers lost while in the Somalia Black Hawk Down situation--because he was , on the same day, attending a memorial for UNITED NATIONS peacekeepers ! That always struck me as he way that democrats handle their praise --all for other countries and apologizing for the United States all the time.
I would be interested if anyone else locate in New York would also like to talk to my sister to to have someone to talk to if they want. She is with a group now.
David was a " legal allien " --that postponed marrying my sister because he wanted to be a United States Citizen first, not just get married to by-pass everything legal.
He didin't even have to go to Iraq--but volunteered because he knew 5 mid-eastern languages and the area and customs too--and was very important concerning intelligence in some areas in Iraq.
Even though they were divorced 3 years ago--David was still apart of our faily and came to every function our family held. My mother is heart broken as so am I and my younger brother.
I still want an answer as to why the liberals now care so much about how our Troops are honored for their scarifices, when before people like Ted Kennedy were only looking forward with almost glee that we would need, " thousands and thousands of body-bags for our troops " if we were to go into Iraq?
Chris
I'd like to find out from the Pentagon how many families of KIA's Rumsfeld has personally called and how many wounded has he visited at Walter Reed.
The liberals are using this as a rallying point to try to get rumsfield removed... The don't care one iota about the troops at least in regards to this... They think this is a political scandal that they can use to try to oust Rummy.. It is a bad move on their part.
With respect..you're missing the point..the "flap" aboutthese letters is part of an attempt to take Rummy down..rather, to force Bush to replace him..it could have been anything. Rummy is NOT at fault here..rather his staffer who OK the use of the auto-pen. Rummy probably never even realizzed that he wasn't persoanlly signing all the codolence letters..the man has a lot on his plate..and a brutal schedule...Nevertheless, what makes the guy, IMHO, a GREAT SecDef..is that instead of blaming the oversight on a staffer, he stepped up and took responsibility..said it was his faulty. That's what leaders do..
Alive, military servicemen and women are to be derided and scorned as "baby killers" and "butchers." Dead they are millstones to hang around the neck of the President.
Don't try to figure it out, just accept it and reject them as they reject our brave men and women.
My sincere condolences to your extended family regarding your relative's death.
My understanding is that most correspondence from senators, congressmen and cabinet officials is "machine signed." The one question no one is answering is how common the practice is. If it should be changed, change it.
I mean no disrespect to the families of those soldiers who gave their lives defending our country. but if this is all that the opponents of the President's iraq policy can come up with, it actually is proof to me that bush is doing an even better job than I thought.
Many, if not most, of the Democrats will say and do ANYTHING to damage the administration, including slanderous critiques, undermining the troops, and emboldening our enemies. Scoring points domestically is worth it. Still others just do not like the United States as currently constituted and will do anything for the purpose of weakening it and seeing it fail.
Yep. It sounds bad if said in the right way--it sounds bad to say "Rumsfeld doesn't sign the letters, he lets a machine do it." That makes it sound like he's fake and uncaring. But of course the press doesn't dig deeper or talk about phone calls, visits, or if there's some explanation other than not caring for his not signing each one by hand, because the surface-level story accomplishes what they want (sounding bad.)
I believe you know the answer to your question. The Press have no love for the current administration, and anything they can do to discredit members of the administration - they will do. Truth, honor, integrity, courage...none of that means anything to them in their quest to ruin good people who disagree with them.
Now, on to other parts of your letter. Casualty Assistance Officers are a standard part of the military system. We care deeply for every single one of our brothers and sisters who give the ultimate sacrifice, as did David. It hurts us deeply, and we do all within our power to ease the burden on the survivors. Your sister will have all the help she needs to make it through this trying time, as long as she remembers that help is only a phone call or e-mail away.
God Bless you and yours during the Christmas season, Chris.
HJ
SFC, USA (Ret)
And if they can take Rumsfield down it would weaken the Bush admin. for the next 4 years.
Bush whiffed a great opportunity today. His answer to the Rumsfeld's question should have been:
"Secy Rumsfeld is a caring person. The American people were left with the wrong impression last week. He gave a long and detailed answer about the armor question. Yet, you in the the media assembled here distorted it and made it seem the opposite. In this Christmas season, you should be doing a heavy amount of soul searching, in addition to refreshing yourselves with the meaning of 'journalistic ethics' "
You don't get too many chances like that. Bush stumbled.
Well put.
Thi will backfire on the Dems, as all the other trash has. It just increases the already irrational hatred of the Bush bashers, without winning new converts. In fact it continues to alienate the general public.
Note that Hillary Clinton has steered away from much, if not all, of this. She is a lot of bad things, but she's not stupid. You know it's a bad tactic if even she stays away from using it.
And that would mean what exactly to you?
The Secretary of War during WWII would have writer's cramp. My Dad was a Commander in the the Navy in 1943. He wrote the letters for those lost under his command.
This won't take Rummy down.. it was just a cheap story release to try to change public feelings about Rummy and the War... The anti war left is going to try anything over the next 4 years to make the admin look bad and try to get the US out...they are going to have to work harder.
exactly... the Left is good a smear it is what they do.. I swear it is all they know at this point.
The Democrats and the MSN have a target on the Sec. of Def.
back. And they are "OBSESSED" with his removal at all cost.
Yes, letters are "machine-signed". When I worked on Capitol Hill 25 years ago, I had to work one of those infernal machines. It sounds insensitive, I know, and that's the reason the press has latched onto this, but the Sec. of Defense is really, really busy--doing things to save lives--and often away. I think he probably did what has always been done in Washington, but now that it has hit the press, he has said he would personally sign the letters. He is responding to the public. He is a wonderful man. Someone said this morning on the radio that Sec. of Defense are never popular in wartime. It goes with the territory and, fortunately, Rumsfled knows that. We are blessed that he consents to serve at an age where he could be enjoying life on the ranch with his wife. God bless him!
If I lost a loved one in the service, perhaps the LAST thing I would worry about was whether or not the SoD personally signed the condolence letter.
I don't mean to make light of the tragedies of war nor demean those who loose family daily in Iraq or anywhere for that matter, but this business of a mechanical signature being used is blown so completely out of proportion to the point it is just plain absurd, a story so inane and fatuitous as to make those who are criticizing Don Rumsfeld look like idiots!
But for Rumsfeld's knuckling under to one of the ACLU's letters threatening legal action if the Boy Scouts aren't kicked off bases, I agree with W.
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