Anti-war woman's trip to see son serving in Iraq has surprises for both

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | April 3, 2004 | Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

[Cincinatus' Wife]

'Hey, Nick. Your mom's here.' Anti-war Alameda woman's trip to see son serving in Iraq has surprises for both

........Galleymore was more political as a young mother, taking her young children on protest marches during the Iran-Contra controversy of the mid- 1980s. Her children hung out with the progressive thinkers she met while working for a food policy organization. But Galleymore's activism faded as her children entered adolescence, her time eaten up by the demands of single motherhood.

And somewhere along the line, her children didn't absorb her political perspective.

After Nick finished his third year at San Francisco State University and had been accepted for transfer to UC Berkeley, he announced that he had joined the Army.

"It was a total surprise," Galleymore said. "It wasn't like he needed money for college. He was already three years in, so that doesn't hold water."

She dismissed Nick's volunteering as a phase; it wasn't. Her son not only wanted to be in the Army, he wanted to be in an elite unit. He passed up completing his college degree and left for boot camp on Independence Day weekend, 1999.

Galleymore still doesn't know exactly why. They could never fully discuss it.

In January 2003, Nick was shipped to Afghanistan. He had become an Army Ranger, a jump master for paratroopers and a sniper. He was in the thick of the action. Last Dec. 19, his 26th birthday, Nick called to say he was headed to Iraq. At that point, with U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians being killed almost daily, Galleymore began to panic. She couldn't sleep at night, "because I was thinking, 'My kid is going to get killed for something I don't believe in, and I don't think he knows what he's getting into.' "

She began talking with other military mothers, hoping to get their perspectives on how to cope. But many knew little about what was going on in Iraq. Frustrating her effort to learn more about Nick was that she felt the news reporting from the front lines was giving an overly rosy picture of the U. S. occupation.

At wit's end, she decided that the only way to calm her fears was to go to Iraq. She got in touch with Code Pink, which has led about a dozen parents to Iraq over the past few months. After holding a fund-raiser, which netted half of the trip's $2,200 cost, she left for Iraq on Jan. 24. ................

[RGSpincich]

http://www.motherspeak.org/intervs/mikec.html

You think his Mom is bad, check out dear old Dad at the above link. Mom is living with a "Jan" (as in "Yawn" or "Janet", I can't determine) and owns property with the same in Alameda County, CA.

[daybreakcoming]

**Don't know if this has already been stated, but can you imagine moms during WWII following there sons to Germany?**

My oh my! I can't even get a good visual of that. But remembering my paternal granny - if she had done that, it would have been to kick some Nazi azz herself. No one ever loved her sons more fiercely than she, but she waited at home for each like millions of other mothers.

[Drango]

From the link in 141


Nicholas Capone
C Btry, 4/3 ADA 1-16th Infantry,
1st Brigade, 1st Infantry
APO AE 09394

[SiliconValleyGuy]

A son should be allowed to divorce his mother.

[Snardius]

Isn't liberalism a mental disorder?

No, but it can be described as "ideological constipation."

[Mamzelle]

If the extremist get their way, hijab will be forced. Afghanistan, under AQ's Taliban, forced it.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

**In her complete self-absorption, she has embarrassed her son and revealed her own ignorance. **

Your description of this narcisisstic woman is right on.

I wonder, based on her anti war sentiments, if she marched against Clinton during his start up of the Kosovo situation....or about lobbing missiles into Iraq. I doubt it.

[armymarinemom]

This mom's leftist views make me sick but her actions do make me wonder. As a mom I have been actively supporting our troops but does that make me right? I'm having serious doubts to just how much parents speak out. Our sons and daughters are grown and our opnion shouldn't matter a hill of beans either way. Recent events with some miltiary red tape is beginning to sour my support of our military but not our troops.

[EllaMinnow]

Conveniently enough, after marching against Reagan during Iran-Contra, she gave up political activism until the Iraq War.

Couldn't bring herself to protest x42. I bet she thinks Bubba is the bee's knees.

[Snardius]

When Nick returns he'll think it's those like you that are the idiots.

Waaaait a minute...I think sakic is onto somthing here. What do you say we get all the moms of all the soldiers who are stationed in Iraq and fly them over to Baghdad.

Then we get them together with all the moms of the Iraqi "resistance fighters" and, while all the armed combatants are standing around eating the cookies the moms brought, the MOMS END THE WAR!!??!!

[Springman]

Thanks for the ping.

[Chinese_American_Patriot]

Liberals continue to claim that they support their troops by demanding that "they come home NOW!" but they really want to see America fail in Iraq. If we leave now, WE, the United States will be embarrased and we would hand a huge victory to Al-Qaida, the Islamofacists and ALL the pinko pansy commie socialist liberals. This woman doesn't care about her son at all. I am proud of him for turning out better than his red diaper doper baby mom.

[Some hope remaining.]

Her children hung out with the progressive thinkers she met while working for a food policy organization. But Galleymore's activism faded as her children entered adolescence, her time eaten up by the demands of single motherhood.

I'm not sure I even need to say anything.

[Skywarner]

"It's pretty clear what is going on here. She's an overbearing pacifist who can't let go of her 26 year old son. What does he do to get away from her? Joins the Army. When she imposes herself on him via her little project while he's in Afganistan, he re-ups thinking that this will keep her away for another three years. What does she do? Goes to Iraq. I feel truly sorry for the this guy. I am proud of him for his effort to rid himself of this albatross. God bless you, Nick."

Ditto!

After reading her weblog entries and reading through this thread, it is SOOOOOOOO clear as to why Nick re-enlisted for another tour of duty, this time in Iraq. Not only is he tired of being weighed down by his mother's never ending guilt trip, he is also a patriot.

The fact that Nick turned out as well as he did is something that he, and the Army, should be proud of.

[kayak]

There you go ... I'm sure that will solve everything! ... ;-)

[Snardius]

FEAR MOM!

[LimberJim]

It's too bad that this woman never learned that the axis of the world doesn't run through her spine. Her son is doing what is right and all she can say is that it is for something she doesn't believe in? It also amazes me that she could hold the life of her son and his comrades in such low regard that she wants other mothers to go bog down the process. Well, maybe if the troops are massacred (and I pray it never happens) because the process has been bogged down by other Code Pink nitwits, she and her liberal idiot of a conscience can rest assured that the death was caused by something she believed in and supported. It's only too bad that the San Francisco media gives her this kind of treatment, thus further deluding her into believing that hers is a mainstream point of view.

[The KG9 Kid]

Just goes to show that Liberalism isn't genetic. Those who wonder why the political pendulum swings back and forth from generation to generation need look no further than this story.

This young Ranger -- jumpmaster and sniper -- probably packs his own chute while his mother is still trying to change his diaper.

We must give this lefty mother credit for raising one Hell of a fine soldier.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

You're right. The psychology of this one isn’t hard to figure out.

--Mom brings boy into the world.

--Mom raises boy and teaches him that America, and especially White American Males are loathsome, evil, enslaving things.

--Boy grows up and observes that the America around him, even the Bay Area, isn’t the dark and evil place mom’s ideology claims it to be.

--Boy discovers a place where manhood, pride in self and pride in country are encouraged, revered and cherished.

--Boy enlists and goes to Ranger School.

--Mom runs after young man crying “Why are you do this?” Catches up to him somewhere outside Baghdad.

I have a feeling that Nick will deal with his embarrassment. Mom, I’m not to sure about.

[TASMANIANRED]

she said, and pulled down her hijab."

This woman is a complete and total moron. Aside from all the other remarks that have been made.
Here she is in native dress in country,( after female suicide bombers in Israel), challenging the military. They should have gunned her down.

I would have thought there was a good chance she was hiding explosives under the hijab.