A Different Version of a Military Family Meeting with President Bush-Vanity

n/a | 8/8/2005 | Armymarinemom

[armymarinemom]

After reading multiple posts related to a certain individual flip flopping about our President's demeanor when meeting with families who have lost a loved one at war, I have decided it is time to post a vanity about meeting our President. If anyone has had a similar experience please feel free to post your experience also. It may be helpful to go on the record and put how our President really treats Military Families. My husband and I both had the honor to meet Air Force One and shake hands with the President last year on Earth Day. He took time to talk with each individual that was allowed to on the tarmac. He spent just a brief few minutes with my husband and I but our meeting was entirely different from what Ms. Sheehan describes. The first big difference is that he knew our names and the names of all three of our sons serving. When I shook hands with him he had a big friendly smile on his face. He then kept my hand and held my hand with both of his. He stated that he knew the last year had been rough and that he hopes we understand just how important our son's duty and our support meant to our country. When he spoke about hard times he wasn't jovial at that point but very serious and very caring. I looked deep into our President's eyes and saw nothing but compassion for our family. My husband thanked our President for taking a hit in the polls over speaking our against photographing our fallen troops arriving back into the US. The President stated that he was glad to take the hit in order to maintain privacy. After our brief meeting we were then allowed to ride in the motorcade to the reserve for the speech. Our son in the Marine corp was already at the reserve. Our meeting with him was pointed out in his speech and he asked for my son to stand up. He then gave my son an order to tell his brothers that applause at this event was not just to him but for them too. My son acknowledged the order with a salute which the President returned. Note. Mom couldn't see well by then. After the speech we were then allowed to ride back to the airport in the motorcade. You just don't know how tempting it is to make a big L sign on your forehead to protestors riding behind the President! USA Today link If our President is this compassionate meeting with a family who hasn't lost a loved one, Ms. Sheehan's version of his behavior makes no logical sense.

[armymarinemom]

Heard a similar story tonight on Rusty Humphries.

Thank goodness. I'm sure there are plenty of us out there. We just have to hound the media to tell the truth.

[Mo1]

The President stated that he was glad to take the hit in order to maintain privacy.

We'll never see that reported in the papers

Thank you for telling your story

God Bless you and your family {{HUGS}}

[baseballmom]

What a wonderful, uplifting post, armymarinemom.

God bless your great family.

We who follow our President on the Dose, know exactly how he treats the military families he meets. I'm so sorry for Cindy Sheehan who is obviously sick with grief over the loss of her precious son. The people who would exploit her sorrow and grief are demons.

[armymarinemom]

We'll never see that reported in the papers

Right you are! For every protester out there insisting on having caskets photographed there have been countless other military families asking for privacy. The media forgets to mention that.

[armymarinemom]

The people who would exploit her sorrow and grief are demons.

I agree. Veterans for Peace hunts families to exploit. They feed off of grief and cause damage to moving through the grief process. It's sickening.

[grannyheart2000]

I know that on the Presidents trip to Atlanta two weeks ago he met with a family who had lost their son in Iraq. The President spent over thirty minutes with this family and it was quite obvious how touched everyone was by this visit. And I know that none of us knew about this visit until the last moment.....he does not go around advertising it. I spent two hours with him and he didnt' mention it until after some picture taking....he then excused himself to visit with the family. We all got tears just at his demeanor and knowing how important it was for him to honor this fallen soldier.y
Also had a chance to tell him what our subdivision does for each returning vet and he thanked me profusely and said how important it is for us to honor our military.
God Bless President Bush....

[pollywog]

Thankyou for sharing this. God Bless our military. May God Bless our PResident too!!!

[George Smiley]

Found it, Ma'am.

[armymarinemom]

Thank you so much! I have heard this but it is wonderful to see it in print. President didn't deserve for one distorted view to be splashed all over the media when he has spent so much time supporting families. Shame on our press.

[steveegg]

Thank you for sharing the experience, and thank you armymarinemom's sons for serving.

[steveegg]

Ping (just in case you missed this over on the sidebar).

[SevenofNine]

Hey AM rack that story

I going ping Daily Canteen on this

[DoughtyOne]

Nice. Thank you. May God go with your sons.

[armymarinemom]

Also had a chance to tell him what our subdivision does for each returning vet and he thanked me profusely and said how important it is for us to honor our military.

I will thank you too. He does prefer for families to have privacy but I hope some come out and speak up. He really doesn't deserve the treatment that the press is giving to Ms. Sheehan. It's harmful to everyone including Ms. Sheehan.

[chgomac]

My eyes teared up at your beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it and thank you to your family, those who serve and those who wait for their safe return.

I've never met President Bush, but I hope it is OK to share a personal observation I made of him when he was Governor of Texas.
Do you remember how the whole country was just reeling after the Columbine shooting? It seemed that every few months there was another shooting, and then one happened in Ft. Worth, TX. at a church with many young church members and a youth minister gunned down. Everyone in the city was in terrible grief....the tallest buildings in town, the Bass Twin Towers, lit up a message that said it all:
"SO" "SAD"
A memorial service was held at the TCU stadium. There was a platform on the field for the speakers, the families, priests and ministers, and some wonderful Columbine survivors and they all spoke and led everyone in prayer.

At one point in the service, someone on the dais pointed into the crowded stands, and thanked Governor & Mrs. Bush for coming. They had been sitting very unobtrusively, with us in the stands. The Governor gave the slightest of acknowledgement, I think he just bowed his head, and the service continued. That moment defined the man for me. He could have been down at the microphone, been one of the honored guests, even leading the mourners with a speech. Instead, he instinctively knew that this memorial was for and about others, not him. He was a humble and very kind man as Governor of Texas.

[armymarinemom]

Thank you for sharing that! There are plenty of politicians who would have been center stage for the Memorial. A couple comes to mind.</p>

[ducks1944]

MAY GOD BLESS ALL WHO SERVE IN THE MILITARY AND THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THE SACRIFICE OF THERE LOVE ONE. PASS ON TO THOSE WHO HAVE FAMILY SERVING THAT FOR EVERYONE HAS BAD THING TO SAY ABOUT OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR TROOPS, THERE ARE MILLION OF US WHO PRAY DAILY FOR THEM. AND THINK THEM FOR SERVING & PROTECTING US ALL. MAY GOD GIVE THEM AND THERE FAMILIES THE BEST THIS COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER. ARE THEY WITHOUT FAULT NO, BUT WE LOVE THEM ONE AND ALL. NO BETTER LOVE DOES ONE HAVE HAVE THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY. AND MOST IN THIS COUNTRY KNOWS AND LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. WE ALSO KNOW WHAT THERE FAMILIES HAVE GIVEN UP SO THEY CAN SERVE. FOR THAT WE THANK GOD WE HAVE SUCH MEN AND WOMEN PROTECTING THIS COUNTRY AND OTHERS.
LORD KEEP THEM ALL IN PROTECTING HANDS.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, amm, for recounting your meeting with your sons' Commander in Chief. Thanks, G and B and S, for your service to our country.

[CyberAnt]

"The first big difference is that he knew our names and the names of all three of our sons serving."


There's an interesting story about the President when he was at Yale. He had pledged to a certain fraternity. On the night they were to be inducted, each of the pledges was asked to recall the name of each of the 25 other pledges. When they finally got to George .. he repeated all 25 names. George was the only person who could name them all.

For Cindy to say that Bush didn't know her son's name or the names of the other members of her family .. she's lying. George's ability to remember names is ledgendary. I guess these leftist groups still believe the public is too stupid to know this information.

[snippy_about_it]

You just don't know how tempting it is to make a big L sign on your forehead to protestors riding behind the President!

LOL. Wonderful story AMM, thanks for sharing it and of course we are grateful for your all your sons service. Thanks to steveegg for bringing it to our attention. We're a little slow these days reading the news here at FR.