Wounded Marine during the inaugural speech by President Bush. (photo)

crushelits | Jan. 20, 2004 | crushelits/wapo

[crushelits]

A HERO SALUTES Casey Owens, a wounded Marine, salutes as his mother Janna Owens cries during the inaugural speech by President Bush. The president pledged to work to heal a country divided by the Iraq war. "We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes, and I will strive in good faith to heal them."

[Seaplaner]

Corporal Owens, WE salute YOU (and all who wear the uniform.)

[TheMom]

I read that. Hooray for Texans!

[Flyer]

Thanks, it makes great wallpaper!

[ladyinred]

I love this brave hero! May God bless him and his Mother the rest of his family. This is what it is all about!

[Miss Behave]

You're kind. And in sort of a general clarification of my vantage-point,--in my post #80, which was an add-on to my #58 (in response to some of Bozser's thoughts in #36,) I realize that I should have started my sentence with the word "Both," making it such:

Both the Marine and his mother's comportment combine to a synergistic effect of story.

An untouchable effect.

- - - - - - - - - - -

And of the mother's *comportment*, I mean that so positively--a proud, loving, very multi-emotioned mother, standing so proudly in her heroic son's gargantuan shadow, saluting both him, and his heroic, fine leader.

Jwpjr, my hat is off to YOU, as I so admire those that have the great visual gift of being a photographer--pictures tell life's stories--devoid of spin. They stand on their own, and to have the gift of capture of moments of meaning in time, to me is TRULY a gift from Above.

I'm not a photographer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. (I actually am a bit of a shutterbug, but take some REAL duds. :-)

[Terabitten]

Where do we find these brave young men?

Every day, I thank God for allowing me to grow up, and hopefully grow old, in this wonderful country.

[MarineBrat]

God Bless You Marine! I'm so proud of you and your comrades in arms! Semper Fidelis!

[marblehead17]

ping

[Miss Behave]

Whoops, Jupjr, meant to say it that good photographers, such as yourself, do possess the visual gift from Above, but also, that the eyes and the visuals are just really, in comparison, just the portals of a gifted, educated heart, mind, and soul.

[jamaly]

Oh, man . . . That will choke you up -- unless you're a democrat. God bless the man and his family.

It will make them cry too, just for a different reason.

[American Vet Repairman]

I know this will piss someone off but I do not care. That Marine is greater and more faithful than Bush or Cheney ever have been or ever will be. If ever we run into this man we should thank him and buy him a drink and a dinner. It is the least we can do.

[mowkeka]

God bless this incredible human being.

[mowkeka]

God bless this incredible human being, let's do everything we can to ensure that he didn't sacrifice for nothing.

[American Vet Repairman]

"Another idea is to donate to the VA hospitals."

No, the VA has plenty of money. The Directors often send money back for bonuses. We should demand that the bonus system be stopped and that the dead weight be sent to pasture. Then have a general audit of all VA facilities and demand that the money be spent on the combat casualties first and not to support some drunk that was kicked out and never saw a day in combat.

[McGavin999]

Casey Owens, now that's a name we must remember. What a man he is. I can only pray that God will shower blessings down upon him and his family, and that our nation makes sure that he knows every day of his life how much we honor his sacrifice.

[Beeline40@aol.com]

No Words are necessary

[iceskater]

I don't really want to get into an argument about VA funding. For me, I will be donating goods not money - I'm cleaning out some books and I will be donating them to our local VA for the patients' use.

I'm sure the VA, like every other government program, could stand a good audit and then someone with the backbone to clean up after the audit findings are published.

[el_texicano]

Oh, the honor, the sacrifice...words pale into insignificance.

[Searching4Justice]

The reality of the situation is that someday this Vet will be fighting his gov't for better treatment and more compensation for his wounds....he will be joining the ranks of some of America's finest who have found their gov't AWOL when it comes to taking care of its own.......

[American Vet Repairman]

"The reality of the situation is that someday this Vet will be fighting his gov't for better treatment and more compensation for his wounds...."

You have hit the nail through the board. When the political climate reverts back to liberalism the government will use the VA once again to be a liberal vote buying machine. Sadly there are more who will suck up the money that did not sacrifice like Casey, but will get just as much...if not more. The best thing Bush could do is open his eyes and clean up the system before he leaves ofice.