Posted on 11/24/2006 4:12:45 AM PST by Albion Wilde
Washington, November 17, 2006-- There is a faraway, yet penetrating look in the eyes of parents who have buried a child, no matter how well they have gotten on with their lives, no matter how much they are doing to honor their hero. It is a look that says, "Nothing is worth getting worked up about. Can you not see that small matters are insignificant? I am here, but part of me is here no longer; I live to honor that part."
This 83rd week of the DC Chapter's Friday night troop-support rally at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was honored by a second wave of visiting Gold Star parents newly returned from their historic survey tour of free Iraq. Debbie Argel Bastian, John Holley, Joe Johnson and Jan Johnson, all of whom lost a son in Iraq, had spent the day in Washington conferring with members of the Senate, Congress and the press to publicize their delegation's findings. Throughout the evening, a steady stream of enlisted personnel and veterans stopped by as well. And as we were packing up the banners at the end of the rally, two of the DC area's most renowned troop supporters showed up and took us by surprise.
Each of the Gold Star parents visiting this week has worked tirelessly not only to honor their sons' sacrifice, but also to improve conditions for other military families and to communicate a different message to the American people than the reactionary undercutting of the war effort by the mainstream media.
"What I wanted to bring back was the truth, to see for myself firsthand what the hell is really going on over there. And I did. I found a very grateful people," Mrs. Bastian was quoted by California's KSBY Channel 6.
Invited by the Kurdish Regional Government, the Gold Star Parents met with some top leaders and some of Iraq's poorest people. "All around," KSBY reports, "they felt a sense of welcome, and reported the many times they heard Iraqis say, "Bless America. Bless President Bush. We've been liberated."
In 2005, soon after her son Derek Argel was killed, Debbie Argel Bastian fought a series of battles with groups exploiting her son's name and the names of other heroes at anti-war demonstrations.
And the Johnsons have also carried the War on Terror forward, each in his or her own way, both before and after their son Justin's death in 2004. Joe Johnson had re-enlisted at the age of 45 in the Georgia National Guard and also served in Iraq, first as a bodyguard for a civil affairs officer and later on an IED sweep team. "It was something I just had to do after 9/11," Joe said on the sidewalk outside Walter Reed. "I put my family through hell. I was already in country eleven months when my son was killed."
His son Justin Johnson had befriended another soldier at Fort Hood before shipping out, a young man from California named Casey Sheehan. Both met the same fate six days apart in Sadr City, Iraq, first Casey, then Justin. Later, Casey's mother Cindy Sheehan would blame President Bush personally for her son's death in a vitriolic anti-war campaign joined by leftists eager to exploit a Gold Star mother. It was a bitter battle that pitted Mrs. Sheehan against Gold Star mothers like Jan Johnson who honored their sons' mission and commitment. When Cindy Sheehan and Jan Johnson have met, sparks have flown. "She won't speak to me any more," Mrs. Johnson commented Friday. "The whole story is in Melanie Morgan's book, American Mourning. Cindy Sheehan and I are the book's protagonists."
John Holley's family is military all the way -- himself, his wife, his son, "brothers, uncles, cousins, on both sides, going back 140 years," he said on Friday."That's the hard thing about it. Out of all those people who served in our family, my son, Spc. Matthew John Holley, was the only one that was killed in the service. My only child."
At the time of Matthew Holley's death in 2005, writes blogger Jeff Edwards, John and Stacy Holley "received some disturbing news about the military's plans for returning their son's remains. Matthew's body was being shipped to San Diego as freight on a commercial airliner. A Soldier would fly in the passenger cabin to act as escort for the body, but there would not be a military honor guard at Lindbergh Field. There would be no ceremony to mark the return of a fallen Soldier to the soil of his country. John and Stacey wouldn't even be allowed to meet their son's remains on the runway. They were told that they could claim his casket from the holding area for oversized luggage, after the suitcases and the rest of the freight had been offloaded from the plane."
Using their contacts as veterans, the Holleys were able to ensure an honor guard for their son. But thoughts haunted them of other families undergoing the "baggage handling" of their loved ones' remains. The Holleys made it their mission to change all that. Working with Congressman Duncan Hunter, who was Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, they helped draft Section 563 of the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill directs that combat remains be delivered to the airfield nearest to the designated burial site, and that an official escort be present to render proper military honors. In securing this dignity for our fallen heroes, the Holleys appeared on a wide variety of news programs, from Sean Hannity and CNN to Keith Olberman.
Attendance this week was high: FReepers and lurkers* included Albion Wilde, BufordP, Cindy-True-Supporter, Citizen SMASH, Cliff from MD*, Fraxinus, Freeping_in_Silence, Jimmy Valentine's Brother, Just A Nobody, Keith & Sarah from Olney*, kristinn, PleaDeal, Sensei Ern, sonofTGSL, TFroatz, tgslTakoma, Tolerance Sucks Rocks, Tom the Redhunter, Trooprally [Mr & Mrs] and VAflagwaver.
Also spending time with us were Richie and Neil, recovering soldiers from WRAMC; the group of five soldiers from WR going out for the evening who came over to shake hands all around; and Cliff, a veteran who's proud to have served on the last four battleships of the Navy in his more than 20-year Navy career. He had stopped by WR to check out the gym and ended up staying throughout most of the FReep.
After the "dinner bus" brings recovering troops and their families back to Walter Reed, it's time to break down all the banners. But tonight, as we gathered on the northeast corner to pack up the signboards, coffee dispenser and pizza boxes, we were treated to a great surprise:
Gold Star links:
Spc. Justin W. Johnson Memorial Page
Matthew John Holley Memorial page
Captain Derek Argel Memorial page
Parents of fallen U.S. troops visit northern Iraq (Reuters)
Photos from Gold Star Parents' Trip to Free Iraq
*Iraq Survey Group Report Released (Gold Star Families Visit Free Iraq)*
FReeper Kristinn Taylor Reports from FREE Iraq
Report #2 by Kristinn Taylor from FREE IRAQ!
Kristinn's Report #3 from FREE IRAQ
Free Republic links:
BufordP's archive of Walter Reed FReeps
Photos by Plea Deal.
Photos by [Mrs] Trooprally.
Thank you Thank you Thank you! You guys are wonderful! Did y'all know that troop supporters are the greatest lovers? =)
But I will return some day, but how can I urge others to go, when I'm not going enough.
Thank you and Bless you all! Hmmmm, looks like you all have really stiffled the un-Americans on the other side of the street! Way to go!!
You would love to be with this group. Most of vets are your age..
FReep mail (on another "matter")
why don't you plan to come the weekend of Dec 9.. the DC chapter party & 2 FReeps.. can't beat that for a great trip!
It may not seem like much, but these two men drove over into our parking lot/staging area to tell us "Thank you" and to keep it up.
Suddenly it didn't seem so cold outside last Friday night.
Thanks for the great report, AW and for what all you Freepers do every week.
God Bless our troops.
Many thanks, as always, for the ping - great report, wonderful pictures. And for the additional Gold Star Family links - am bookmarking those for later read. God bless all of you for all you do for our wounded heros. You make us all proud to be Americans by your faithful support of those who defend and protect us. We pray for our troops and for the success of their mission.
Great for you that you will have high-speed Internet! And many thanks for joining in prayer for our wounded and recovering soldiers. The caring of FReepers across the country never fails to amaze and humble.
but not quite!
The Aleethia Foundation pays for the weekly dinners.
Hey, Dinah! We miss you and look forward to the day you can be with us again!
Thanks for your blessings for our cold fingers and toes tonight, although the temperature has taken a turn upward today, and we usually have those toasty cups of hot beverage, many thanks to tgslTakoma.
As for the Pinkos, they are pitiful creatures and definitely need our prayers. I hope God blesses each one of them with an illumined heart and a clean spirit.
I'd say that bear got a BufordP booty call.
Funny, I often say that about New York!
DC is one of the greatest cities to visit, unique in all the world for its Athens-like majestic buildings and free entrance to dozens of national museums. You may be interested to see the Basilica, which is the second largest in the world, even larger than St. Peter's in Rome, as well as the National Cathedral that is often televised for state events. We have a lovely zoo, a walkable downtown, and the lovely, wooded Rock Creek that runs all the way through the city, from the Potomac into Maryland, with hiking and bike trails, horseback riding and nature preserves). Just across the Potomac from Georgetown is Arlington Cemetery, and downriver 14 miles is the newly restored Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, which has a fabulous new display museum and incredible, life-size figures of Washington at ages 19 and 45 that were done by computer age reduction. Lots to do here! Come and visit!
We miss you and Mrs. Taxman! Stay warm and keep well, Taxman!
You thought it was funny seeing a grown man mauled by a li'l old bear, huh? LOL!
Another out-of-state WR FReeper weighs in! Spiff, magnificent FReeper wherever you go, thank you so much for letting us know about that soldier! And we're glad you've been giving the moonbats hell out there at Ft. Huachuca! Keep up the great work!
[Mr] Trooprally, that is a wonderful story! Thanks for letting us know!
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