* Gold Star Mother Debbie Lee - Debbie’s son, Marc Alan Lee, was the first Navy Seal killed in combat operations in Iraq. She has met with President Bush on a number of occasions and pledged her commitment to speak out in support of our troops and their missions in the war on terror. Ms. Lee will be traveling with the caravan for its full length, speaking at the pro-troop rallies across the nationDebbie Lee has been a leading spokesperson for the missions of U.S. troops fighting in the war on terrorism and for Move America Forward.
Her son, Marc Alan Lee, was the first Navy Seal to lose his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Marc, 28, was killed August 2, 2006 in a fierce firefight while on patrol against insurgents in Ramadi, Iraq.
U.S. Navy officers told Debbie Lee that her son died after single-handedly holding off enemy fighters as his team rescued a wounded soldier from a rooftop. During the two-hour battle, Navy officials informed her that Marc Lee fired 100 rounds of ammunition against insurgents before he was killed.
As the Portland Oregonian noted, “A Navy SEAL's everyday life would reduce most people to sobbing wrecks: extremes of heat and cold, sleep deprivation, the constant specter of danger. It is an existence of late-night phone calls and missed birthdays, while standing watch over the troubled waters of this world so that others may sleep peacefully.”
Debbie Lee has toured the nation, speaking at pro-troop rallies, and helping to organize shipments of care packages to our troops serving overseas.
She met with President Bush and pledged her commitment to use her voice to make a difference in America’s to support for our troops. She presented him the Seal Team 3 hat, the Seal Trident and the picture of Marc and his platoon.
She appeared onstage at the 2007 Country Music Awards where Tim McGraw presented to her and other Gold Star Parents his new song, “I’m Already Home” which honors those in the U.S. military who gave their lives in service to this nation.
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* Blue Star Mother Deborah Johns - Deborah is the proud mother of U.S. Marine Sgt. William Johns who has already served THREE tours of duty in Iraq and is at the ready for a 4th deployment there. Deborah has become one of the leading pro-troop activists in the nation, and this marks her fourth cross-country pro-troop caravan she has been on. Ms. Johns will be traveling with the caravan for its full length, speaking at the pro-troop rallies across the nation.
When anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan emerged as the darling of the news media in August 2005, there were few voices challenging the statements being made by Ms. Sheehan. One woman, Marine Mom Deborah Johns, stepped up and led the national effort to present the pro-troop alternative to Cindy Sheehan.
Johns served as Move America Forward’s spokesperson for the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” tour, which crossed the nation and ended in Crawford, Texas with a pro-troop rally that attracted thousands of supporters.
Deborah Johns has been interviewed more than 500 times by the leading news organizations in the United States and abroad, where she has articulated the importance of the missions of U.S. and Coalition troops serving in the war on terror.
Deborah’s son, William, has already served three tours of duty in Iraq as a United States Marine, and he stands ready to redeploy to Iraq when needed.
Patriotism runs deep in the Johns’ family. Another of Deborah’s sons, Adam, teamed up with Move America Forward for Operation Fuzzy Wuzzy, which collected and sent over 5,000 teddy bears and stuffed animals to the children of Beslan, Russia who survived that awful terrorist attack.