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All Grown Up -- and Going to War
The Washington Post ^ | July 8, 2007 | Mary-Jo Cooney

Posted on 07/08/2007 4:20:20 PM PDT by RDTF

July is a month I sincerely hoped would never come.

At the end of this month, my young son, my only child, deploys with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. His departure had been six months away, three months; now it is a matter of weeks.

-snip

The ironies of this conflict are many for me. More than 30 years ago, I wrote my master's thesis at Columbia University on "Political Integration of the Kurds in Iraq." Little did I ever suspect that any child of mine would be a pawn in a senseless conflict in that distant land.

-snip-

For a while, I even had an office with a view of Arlington Cemetery. I would frequently shudder as military planes did flyovers during funerals to honor fallen service members.

-snip-

Of course, it is too much to expect that George Herbert Walker Bush would have any recollection of that event, or that he would care that his son is putting my son, and hundreds of thousands like him, in harm's way.

-snip-

Can I expect my son to return unchanged by this experience? If the media reports are any indication, that is doubtful. Will his mind be seriously disturbed by what he sees, or will his body bear wounds that will not heal? Will we, as a nation, do all that we can, as Abraham Lincoln put it, " to care for him who shall hath borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan"?

Or will we continue to make veterans prove that they are entitled to compensation for the injuries they have suffered since we cannot make them whole?

Will it take a universal draft for President Bush and the rest of the country to understand the price that this war is exacting?

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: antiamericanism; bds; gwot; iraq; marines; notapeacemovement; starkravingsocialist
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To: RDTF

Blechhhh.

My husband is deployed to Iraq with the USAF. I wouldn’t think of upsetting his stomach by forwarding a barfy article like this to him to read.


21 posted on 07/08/2007 4:38:22 PM PDT by PERKY2004 (Cats are nature's way of saying your furniture is too nice.)
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To: freema
God Bless and Keep that womans brave son, and may we as a nation be worthy of him.

I hope that woman doesn't disgrace him and in so doing disgrace herself the way that other woman did.

22 posted on 07/08/2007 4:38:54 PM PDT by VR-21
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To: RDTF

This lady is full of crap. The terrorists are the reason why this war is going on in the first place, and does she blame them? No, she blames the President. She blames the President for defending us rather than the terrorists for attacking us. The reason why her son is over there is because he is fighting to eradicate terrorists and keep everyone, including his loony leftist mother, safe from further attacks. If you wanna surrender and give up, fine Mary-Jo, but when the terrorists come back and attack again, you won’t have the POTUS to blame because it wasn’t him who wanted to cut and run. He wanted to get rid of our enemies before they got rid of you. Instead of complaining about the war that was started by our enemies not our President, perhaps she should pray that her son and the military are kept safe in their duties and are able to return home after completing their mission.


23 posted on 07/08/2007 4:39:00 PM PDT by G8 Diplomat (Senators suck...the ones in Washington and on Ottawa's NHL team)
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To: RDTF

“Little did I ever suspect that any child of mine would be a pawn in a senseless conflict in that distant land.”

He is not a pawn, but a volunteer. He knows what he is doing...she apparently is clueless..and by the way, his sacrifice is postponing the inevitable clash between civilizations—I hope she remembers her verse when confronted by Islam..


24 posted on 07/08/2007 4:40:20 PM PDT by richardtavor (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem in the name of the G-d of Jacob)
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To: bybybill

“The Marine son didn`t get to pick his Mom”

Obviously : )


25 posted on 07/08/2007 4:40:34 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker ( Hunter/Thompson/Thompson/Hunter in 08! "Read my lips....No new RINO's" !!)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

Excactly. Another Sheehan wanna-be. Her name is Cooney and the Marine Is Spotwood. Semper-fi Kiddo!


26 posted on 07/08/2007 4:45:46 PM PDT by mazda77
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To: RDTF
Little did I ever suspect that any child of mine would be a pawn in a senseless conflict in that distant land.

Why is she calling her own child a senseless pawn - in public no less?

27 posted on 07/08/2007 4:49:31 PM PDT by donna (...gay couples raising kids. That's the American way... -Mitt Romney)
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To: LibFreeOrDie

You don’t join the Marines, you become one......

I saw my son leave home a boy and come home a multi-tour USMC combat vet. You can see it in his eyes. He is very polite to everyone, without fail.

He hopes to be able to join the local PD in the next go around. He is just waiting for his IRR time to be up - seems the local cops won’t touch you with a military comitment.


28 posted on 07/08/2007 4:49:52 PM PDT by ASOC (Yeah, well, maybe - but can you *prove* it?)
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To: RDTF
Mary Jo,decent Americans will pray for the safe return of your Marine.I,for one,will cross my fingers that someday soon *you* will start taking your meds....
29 posted on 07/08/2007 4:49:58 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative ("The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."-Karl Marx)
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To: Irish Rose

The whole article is “I, me, my...”

So “universal” likely means “everyone but Mary-Jo”.


30 posted on 07/08/2007 4:50:44 PM PDT by SteveMcKing
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To: RDTF

She works for...are you ready?... the Department of Homeland Security!


31 posted on 07/08/2007 4:53:48 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie (L'Chaim!)
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To: LibFreeOrDie

Did you google her?


32 posted on 07/08/2007 4:55:29 PM PDT by RDTF (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, but Democrats believe every day is April 15th. - Reagan)
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To: RDTF

Wonder if there’s a support group for Marines and soldiers with embarrassing parents.


33 posted on 07/08/2007 4:55:55 PM PDT by RedRover (DefendOurMarines.com)
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To: RDTF

Hey Mary-Jo Cooney...when did your son join the Marines? Before or after 9-11-2001. My bet is after given he is 23 now unless he enlisted right at 18 years old.

If he joined AFTER 9-11 he knew what he was getting into.

If he joined BEFORE then he has already served his initial recruitment and has probably reenlisted...meaning he knows what he’s getting into.

Either way your son is a 23 year old Marine and can make his own choices. Be proud of your Marine and don’t ruin his choice by going all Cindy Sheehan before he even leaves for deployment.


34 posted on 07/08/2007 4:56:27 PM PDT by Domandred (Eagles soar, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines)
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To: RDTF

Oh, yeah!

The son’s name is Spottswood... Here’s an email from Dick Spottswood (Dad?) to (among others) mary-jo.cooney@dhs.gov.

The DHS.gov Web site is Homeland Security!

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/arsclist/2006/03/msg00267.html


35 posted on 07/08/2007 4:59:08 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie (L'Chaim!)
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To: LibFreeOrDie

OMG


36 posted on 07/08/2007 5:00:23 PM PDT by RDTF (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, but Democrats believe every day is April 15th. - Reagan)
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To: LibFreeOrDie

Damn, I’ll sleep safe and sound tonight knowing we have someone like her at DHS protecting our country.


37 posted on 07/08/2007 5:01:08 PM PDT by processing please hold (Duncan Hunter '08) (ROP and Open Borders-a terrorist marriage and hell's coming with them)
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To: LibFreeOrDie
"She works for...are you ready?... the Department of Homeland Security!"

Hopefully, not for much longer.

38 posted on 07/08/2007 5:04:19 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway~~John Wayne)
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To: RDTF
A preemptive Cindy Sheehan
39 posted on 07/08/2007 5:05:24 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: LibFreeOrDie

geez - good example why not to click on ‘email this’!


40 posted on 07/08/2007 5:06:14 PM PDT by RDTF (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, but Democrats believe every day is April 15th. - Reagan)
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