from CINDY SHEEHAN: "CASEY'S STORY"
via Truthout dot org

Casey Austin Sheehan,
1979-2004


In the beginning of this essay, I told you the day Casey was born, but I bet you have guessed... that Casey is no longer with us. Casey joined the Army in May, 2000. His recruiter told him that he would be able to finish college, be a Chaplain's Assistant, receive a $20,000 signing bonus, and most insidiously and heartbreakingly, that he would never see combat. Casey scored so high on the ASVAB (military competency test) that he would only be in a support role and he would never be in a battle. Well, every promise that Casey's recruiter made to him, he broke. The only promise that I care about, though, is the one where Casey would never see battle.

Casey's division, the First Cavalry Division, out of Ft. Hood, was sent to Iraq in March, 2004. He called home once from Kuwait on March 14th. He said he was hot, they had been busy getting ready to convoy to Baghdad, and he was on his way to Mass (naturally). His company, Charlie Battery, convoyed peacefully to Baghdad and reached their post F.O.B. War Eagle in Sadr City on March 19th. On April 4th, Palm Sunday, we got the word that Casey had been killed in an ambush. The first chance he got, my brave, wonderful, faithful, sweet, gentle and kind boy volunteered for a rescue mission as a Combat Life Saver. He was a Humvee mechanic who never should have gone on a mission like that. Casey and 20 of his buddies were sent into a raging insurgent uprising to rescue wounded soldiers. Only 13 of them returned. Casey was riding in the back of a trailer with no protection when they were ambushed. He was killed within minutes of the ambush. He was able to return fire and buy some time for his unit. His actions that day saved lives. Casey is a hero who belongs to history now, but I wish he were a living breathing coward. So I could still talk to him, e-mail him, send him care packages, Christmas Presents, hug him and never let go when he got back from War.

This war has devastated my family, but especially me. My sweet boy ... is gone forever. God, I hope this war ends before other mothers have to go through this. I hope that our planet and world survive four more years of the lies and betrayals of this president. Eventually, this war will end, as all wars end. This president will either bumble through four more years, or he will do something so egregious that he will be impeached. But when this nightmare is over for the world, it will go on for me. Forever, and ever, without end. Amen.
--Cindy Sheehan, "Casey's Story."
Read the entire essay here: Truthout.org




...the opposite of good is not evil. It is apathy.

--Cindy Sheehan, "Dallas Speech, August 5, 2005."

Also check out this analysis of women in the anti war movement:
"Framed Out: What Place for Women in the Anti-war Movement?" by Huibin Amelia Chew, at Left Hook dot org.

Both of these found on or via the very thoughtful and eclectic blog, Julius Speaks. Thank you, Julius Gray.

On the issue of Counter-Recruitment of Children, check this out: And here, at Code Pink, is an accurate article on the military's plans to continue creating a database of high school children who will soon be eligible to join the military. This is the database that recruiters use to pinpoint vulnerable children (such as those who have not applied for college because they cannot yet afford it, or because they are not yet certain what they want to do after graduating from high school) to contact and persuade to join the military. I know this from experience. So, read this and then if you have children and friends with children who might be subjected to this, fill out the form linked here to exempt your children from this database.

Here's today's update on Cindy Sheehan's War Protest, via David Edwards writing at The Brad Blog:


"Bush insults Sheehan by again using slain soldiers as excuse to stay in Iraq"

and one last note on this today:
Please Give Credit where Credit is Due, Y'all:

I've watched this issue grow all week. A few days ago only a lively community of bloggers were saying much about Cindy Sheehan's war protest: the mainstream media were pretty much ignoring it. Now it's solidly in the main stream media, which means the word is getting out to lots of folks. In large part that is due to the diligence of bloggers linking back and forth over it, no matter their opinion. I think that is really valuable, that mostly everyday people have made this thing grow as a valuable issue with a huge audience, right alongside the Crawford reality. So, hey, if you're linking to me or using the information gathered on this site in your writing, online or otherwise, then give credit for it by citing it: chris murray's tex files and be sure to give the original sources, too. It's a way of keeping the activist ball rolling, as it were, a way of keeping the word alive. the more discourse we generate on this issue, the more it stays in the front of the news. Thank you.


cm
o~o/