Some Facts About Cindy Sheehan's Son, Casey

FrontPage Magazine ^ | August 12, 2005 | Lee Kaplan

[Sam Hill]

Some Faces About Cindy Sheehan's Son, Casey

Excerpted from this excellent article:

SFSU Hosts a Terrorist
By Lee Kaplan
FrontPageMagazine.com | May 2, 2005

While one might dismiss some of Sheehan’s hyperbole due to grief over her son’s death, a little research about Casey Sheehan revealed that contrary to being tricked by military recruiters, Casey Sheehan had re-enlisted in the U.S. Army voluntarily when he was 24-years-old, after serving his first hitch successfully. Casey Sheehan was in fact a hero who received a Bronze Star. He was attached as a mechanic to the artillery division of the 1st U.S. Cavalry in Iraq. When a convoy of soldiers from Casey’s unit was attacked in Sadr City by insurgents, Casey volunteered to join a rapid rescue force to get them out. His commanding sergeant told him he did not have to go into combat, because he was a mechanic and not an infantryman. Casey was quoted telling his officer, “I go where my chief goes.” He was tragically killed during the rescue attempt. The source for this story? Cindy Sheehan herself.

I also visited an army recruiting office on my way home and asked about Casey being promised a job as a chaplain’s assistant only to be thrust into harm’s way. The recruiter explained to me that on re-enlistment, the Army’s B.E.A.R. program (Bonus Extension and Retaining) guarantees everything in writing. If Casey was a mechanic during his first hitch, that was the only thing he would have been guaranteed per his re-enlistment contract. Further research showed that a chaplain’s assistant is a combat infantry position, whereas Casey was deployed in a non-combat job as a mechanic. Casey Sheehan sought combat duty for his country and should be honored for it, not used as a symbol of how evil the United States is.

SFSU Hosts a Terrorist
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=17915

[Sam Hill]

As you probably realize, this account does not track with Cindy Sheehan's claims about her son. She dishonors his service and his death by lying about him.

I will post some of the material that Kaplan linked to below. It goes into more details about the action Casey Sheehan was involved in.

[boxerblues]

We pretty much knew Cindy dearest was lying

[God luvs America]

when did he re-enlist??

[Alia]

This brings tears to my eyes. What a wonderful gift from God was Casey Sheehan. And yet, he still is that precious one, and in His precious care, now.

[MizSterious]

You might find this article interesting.

[Tulane]

So sad...I kind of give her a pass, since she lost a child (I don't know what I'd do if my daughter died...I might go crazy, too...would definitely need God more than ever).

The code pinks and moveon.org types are so shameful to take advantage of her grief. Those people are scum of the earth.

[atomicpossum]

Cindy, how did you feel when your son ignored you and re-enlisted of his own free will? Aren't you spitting on his decision as an independent adult with your behavior now?

[Wristpin]

August of 2003 I read somewhere.

I wonder if she realizes that she is a walking propaganda campaign for the illegal combatants that killed her son?

[God luvs America]

I ask 'cause she keeps saying "Casey disagreed with the war in Iraq"....why re-enlist anytime before June of '02 if that was his view....

[boxerblues]

I respect the fact that she lost a son. I disagree with her constant pissing on his memory to justify her own political agenda

[CounterCounterCulture]

This "woman" lies and contradicts herself so much, I can't keep up. We ought to compile a list.

[Tulane]

The President already met with her...she needs to move on and let it go...so sad.

There is a special place in hell for the moveon.org and code pink people for taking advantage of this woman's grief. The are indeed the useful idiots of the Iraqi/foriegn terrorists.

[Sam Hill]

This is the article that Kaplan links to, when he talks about the source for his story:

 

"Black Sunday" in Sadr City, April 4, 2004

[Excerpts]

This fight came to command our close scrutiny because of Mrs. Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, California, who lost her son, Casey, in the fighting. Casey was a Humvee mechanic with the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment,. He became part of a Quick Response Force (QRF) that went into the heart of the city to rescue soldiers trapped by obstacles under a hail of enemy fire.

Mrs. Sheehan has vocally protested the war. She has said, among other things:

“We have been so betrayed by this president. He has lied to us. He has betrayed my family. He betrayed my son.

"I think the American people need to know that we have been betrayed in this rush to war.

"How do you think we felt when we heard the Senate reports that said there was no link between Iraq and 9/11?

"Our only goal is to have people understand the human cost of the war and how devastating it is to lose a child to a lie, and what an awesome person the world lost."

Mr. Pat and Mrs. Cindy Sheehan, latter holding the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medal certificates awarded to Spc. Casey Sheehan posthumously. Photo credit: Chris Stewart, San Francisco Chronicle

http://tinyurl.com/95rqf

[Tulane]

Yeah...she needs to "moveon" so to speak.

[NathanBookman]

The lib media and left wingnuts push these stories without doing any background research. That is why ever single one of their bogus "scandals" and blown back in their faces. This one is no different. In fact, it has fallen apart in record time.

[Sam Hill]

An Eagle Scout, devout Catholic committed to his parish, saw the Army as another way of serving. His mom says, "My son was brave; he didn't want to go to war. But he joined the Army and he volunteered to go on the mission that killed him because his buddies needed to be rescued. "

Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, Vacaville, California, 1-82 FA, assigned to the 1st Armored Cavalry Division, supporting the 2-5 Cav.

http://tinyurl.com/95rqf

[fatnotlazy]

The code pinks and moveon.org types are so shameful to take advantage of her grief. Those people are scum of the earth.

***

I agree as to scum of the earth. However, I can't really be sure that Ms. Sheehan is being taken advantage of, or is a willing participant in this propaganda ploy.

[The Phantom FReeper]

Pretty much every soldier knows that Chaplain's assistants are not assistants in the Chaplain's ministry, but infantrymen assigned to protecting the Chaplain. Chaplains do not carry weapons, as doing so would be a "conflict of interest." At least that's how my husband explained it to me.

I don't entirely follow the article. Is Cindy Sheehan is stating that her son was offered a "non-combat" position as a Chaplain's assistant? If so, that's a blatant lie. Anyone in the Army long enough to be entering their second enlistment knows what that position is.

[MizSterious]

They're taking advantage of her grief with her full cooperation. Jeff Head nails it in his Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan column.

[Sam Hill]

First Sgt. Carson reported that “word got around (at Camp War Eagle) fast that the patrol was in trouble.” He said that their public affairs officer, Captain O'Malley, said this:

"They had guys who normally don't fight who volunteered to help their buddies. There were guys fighting to get on that convoy."

This is substantiated by the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan. She has said that:

“And the sergeant said, 'Sheehan, you don't have to go,' because my son was a mechanic.' And Casey said, 'Where my chief goes, I go.' "

The convoy O'Malley is talking about was a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) convoy to go into the city from Camp Eagle at the edge of town and help free the trapped troopers...

In the mean time, our analysis of the various accounts we have is that the first QRF was in big trouble. Our information is that it was composed of more Humvees and LMTVs, with no armor. The QRF headed down a street, turned a corner, the street was blocked, people started throwing obstacles behind them, including burning tires, and the QRF began taking fire from rooftops and windows. Before it was over, two soldiers were down. Spc. Casey Sheehan was dead. Cpl. Foster Jostes was badly wounded and was dead by the time he returned to Camp Eagle. We have a report that Sheehan was riding in an LMTV with no protection, while Jostes was in a Humvee.

http://tinyurl.com/95rqf

BTW, Cindy Sheehan has contended at times that her son was killed by "friendly fire."