This posting is one of a series of updates from the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. Our Florence Nightengale has been in Iraq since September 2006 and has had her tour extended, so will not be returning in September, as she was told, but will come home to a warm welcome in November 2007.
================
(13 May 07)
Hello All!
I found some inspiration to write an early May update. Today is Mother’s day. I’m wishing you a, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all my family and friends. I wish I could be home to give you all a great big hug and tell you how much I appreciate all of you. It is on the holidays that you realize how important your family is. It doesn’t matter if you get along well with everyone in your family or not, when you are over here in Iraq you start to learn how to appreciate certain things in your life and the importance of family and friends.
I was very lucky this past week. I was able to go over to my younger brother’s FOB and reenlist him. Luckily with the help of my Head Nurse, we were able to make the visit possible. I was able to spend 3 days with him and I have to say I had the best time. My brother and I are very close. You could say it is because we are so much alike.
I took a helicopter over to his FOB which was all of five minutes away. The catch is that it is in the Red Zone. My hospital Commander has a policy that no one will convoy into the Red Zone so permission to leave the FOB must be obtained through both the company commander and him. My brother’s unit was aware that I was coming over, but when I arrived there was no sign of anyone from his unit. Luckily the SPC that is in charge of the LZ gave me a ride over to an area where he said that some 504th guys usually were. Well, of course when I arrived no one is there. Someone was able to call the unit and a SGT came over and took me to Matt’s unit CP (command post). They were then able to get in touch with Matthew and he came to pick me up.
Matthew and I spent the next three days watching movies, playing pool, walking around the FOB, and talking. I swear Matt and I can go on and on forever with conversation. It was funny because we went to lunch when I arrived and as soon as I walked inside the DFAC it was like everyone stopped eating and stared at me. It was creepy. There are females on this FOB, so I was like what are they staring at. Matt said it was because there are not that many female officers around so I was a rare sight. The staring continued for the next three days. We were also approached my several of Matthew’s NCOs along with the chaplain that did his marriage counseling. Yeah, they were all checking out who he was talking to and why he was sitting alone with a female soldier at chow. He quickly introduced me as his sister and the look of relief washed over their faces. Too funny. Apparently they are really big on fraternization especially male female type. So they were basically checking up on him.
(17 Jun 07) So, with good intentions I started my May update on Mother’s day, however, as you can tell I didn’t finish it. Let’s just say from that day forward was a whirlwind month. The number of patients and sadly the number of soldiers we care for in the month of May surpassed our numbers in October which was our busiest month thus far. It was sad because this is the month of Memorial Day where we should take time to remember all those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It is also the day in which, 3 years ago my boyfriend, Ken was killed. I was upset that I could not join my California family and visit him in Arlington to celebrate his life as we have for the last 3 years. I was upset that I was here in Iraq fighting in a war I just can’t see an end to. I was upset because I was taking care of wounded soldiers and knowing that some of their buddies had died beside them. I was upset that they were getting hurt and killed in this country for some unknown reason that escapes my mind. "
On the 30th, the 3rd year anniversary of Ken’s death, I took care of an American soldier that came in with massive head trauma and a large open wound from his hip around to his butt. The plan was to receive this patient from the OR and then immediately air evac him out to Balad since he had a head injury. This kid arrived on a litter because I figured if we are immediately evacuating him out, it would be better to package him on a litter already and save us an extra step. I like the philosophy of work smart not hard. When the soldier arrived he was accompanied by the anesthesiologist and the surgeons. Our ICU doc was also right at the bedside too. This poor kid had extensive swelling in his face and head, black and blue eyes, and a head wound. He also had a chest tube, foley catheter, a large wound from his hip to his butt with a large dressing on it and all dressings were already bloody.
This kid needed blood and he needed blood right away. My fellow co workers helped me get the monitor on him and we connected him to the ventilator. We were getting vital signs and I was assessing the patient from head to toe as someone else was running downstairs to get the blood. We rapidly infused this kid with over 16 units of red blood cells, 10 units of fresh frozen plasma, 3 units of platelets and gave him two rounds of factor 7. His blood pressure at times dipped down low and we would have to give him fluid boluses to bring it back up. On top of that we were trying to keep him pain free and somewhat sedated so he could tolerate the endotracheal tube helping him breathe. Once we infused a number of these blood products into this kid and the pace was starting to slow, I took a step back away from his side and looked down. I was covered in blood as well as standing in a puddle of it. I had it all over my shoes and pants. I looked under the litter and found that this soldier was bleeding from his wounds on his hip and from his head.
We redressed his head wound and applied a pressure dressing to the bleeding area. We also reinforced and created a pressure dressing on his hip wound. The two round of factor 7 that we gave him is supposed to help stop bleeding. It was a structured chaos as I tried to manage this patient. Oh, and let’s not forget that I also had another patient that was intubated and vented and had to maintain a blood pressure map in the 60’s to prevent him from bleeding because a gun shot wound he sustained shredded his liver. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? I hated being me that night. I am a good nurse and my standards are high so if things don’t get done, I tend to beat myself up for them.
The next issue we faced was the weather and the sky/flight conditions. There are certain weather conditions that our helicopters can and cannot fly in. There is green status which is a perfect weather condition. Amber is cautionary flight conditions. The wind may be moving too fast or there may be a lower level of visibility. Red is usually when the visibility is nil and it would be too dangerous to fly with out jeopardizing the lives of the flight crew and patients. The colors also pertain to enemy contact potential as well. The problem with being stuck at our CSH is that we do not have any neurosurgeons. The patient was potentially going to need a craniotomy to relieve the pressure and swelling on his brain and Balad is the best place for him to have that type of procedure done.
I have to thank God for my battle buddy Kim. She is the best. She really helped me out with everything going on. She keeps me calm and focused and we work as a tag team to give the best care possible.
I also had some much needed help from “Papa Bear”, a Captain with 30 years of Army experience. He jumped right on in after he stopped by to check in on us on his day off. There were no questions, no complaints, he just jumped on in and helped. Without these two awesome people, I would not have been able to handle my overwhelming assignment.
I think I will close this update for now. I need to start on the upcoming June one. I am amazed everyday here with the different things I see and experience. I just hope that I can stay positive and close this chapter in my deployment with a happy ending. I have made some good friends and worked hard. I have seen soldiers survive unimaginable injuries and have eased them into death. I remember today and everyday the sacrifices of my fellow soldiers for the freedoms I live to enjoy. Remember, FREEDOM ISN”T FREE.
Love to all,
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Stem Cell Presidential Veto- Part II
Back in July 2006, George Bush vetoed the first embryonic stem cell research bill that was presented to him, saying "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it." and If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. I made it clear to Congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line This veto is another example of how George Bush has not listened to the will of the American people, 60% of whom support this legislation.
The problem is, Bush doesn't have a moral bone in his body and is therefore unqualified to make such a judgement and I would prefer that he leave my moral choices to me.
I wish George Bush knew where that moral line was that values life when he crossed it and sent our military into an endless war in Iraq.
I wish that George Bush had the same morality concerns for the life of my son, Ken and the other 3533 US troops whose lives weren't that valuable in the eyes of this president and who were killed in this president's misadventure in Iraq. These precious men & women, sons and daughters had full lives ahead of them before their lives were cut short.
I wish that George Bush had the same morality concerns for the quality of life of the soldiers & marines who returned home from the battlefront, broken and paralyzed and who would surely benefit from this promising science.
I wish George Bush had some, any, morality concerns with the lives of the Iraqi people who have been devastated by Bush's occupation of their country.
I wish that George Bush would listen to the experts in this science and not pander to his religious base............again.
How dare he deny treatments and cures of fatal and life-threatening diseases to sufferers of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, cancer and paralysis. How dare he deny hope?
I wish I could think of one good thing to say about this president, but I can't.
The problem is, Bush doesn't have a moral bone in his body and is therefore unqualified to make such a judgement and I would prefer that he leave my moral choices to me.
I wish George Bush knew where that moral line was that values life when he crossed it and sent our military into an endless war in Iraq.
I wish that George Bush had the same morality concerns for the life of my son, Ken and the other 3533 US troops whose lives weren't that valuable in the eyes of this president and who were killed in this president's misadventure in Iraq. These precious men & women, sons and daughters had full lives ahead of them before their lives were cut short.
I wish that George Bush had the same morality concerns for the quality of life of the soldiers & marines who returned home from the battlefront, broken and paralyzed and who would surely benefit from this promising science.
I wish George Bush had some, any, morality concerns with the lives of the Iraqi people who have been devastated by Bush's occupation of their country.
I wish that George Bush would listen to the experts in this science and not pander to his religious base............again.
How dare he deny treatments and cures of fatal and life-threatening diseases to sufferers of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, cancer and paralysis. How dare he deny hope?
I wish I could think of one good thing to say about this president, but I can't.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
US Revisits Length of Iraq Combat Tours
I was revolted to read that the Army is once again revisiting the length of Iraq combat tours. The Acting Secretary of the Army says “We have to look into our options” including utilizing forces from the Navy & Air Force so as not to put more pressure on the already stretched active duty force.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va said, that after four years of combat, the strategy in Iraq cannot "justify doing this to the soldiers in the Army and the families back here." (Senator Webb has recently introduced legislation to restrict the length of deployments, and to maintain at least a "one for one" ratio between deployments, unless a national emergency occurs. This is how to support the troops.)
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Traitor-Conn., disagreed and said the Army should do more to add soldiers to its payroll. With our military stretched thin, we've got to be creative about where we might find fresh troops.
I've got an option that I'm sure Lieberman has not considered. He is the proud father of 4; 2 young men and 2 young women. Here's a photo of the happy family, I'll let you decide how many of them look fit for military service. The Senator's website claims he advances public policy that honors the core American values of responsibility, opportunity, and community. What better way to demonstrate these values than sending your children to serve in the military? It's just a thought.
Military families know well the burden that more than 4 years of war, extended duty, and multiple deployments have brought to our families with resultant PTSD, increased number of divorces and suicides and other extreme stressors. Increasing the length of combat tours will also surely increase the numbers of wounded and dead.
With more than 30,000 wounded and dead Americans and countless displaced and dead Iraqis, it’s time to consider all options, including the one thing that doesn’t seem to be under consideration- ending this occupation and bringing the troops home NOW!
It’s the least they can do for an already stretched military and their families.
When will the rest of the country accept and bear some responsibility for this endless war? It is long past time to show respect to the men & women who have borne the burden of this unnecessary war as they selflessly serve their country. Despite their status as professional soldiers, they are real men and women who love and hurt and feel and experience fatigue & stress. They deserve better than being treated as if they are little plastic army figures.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va said, that after four years of combat, the strategy in Iraq cannot "justify doing this to the soldiers in the Army and the families back here." (Senator Webb has recently introduced legislation to restrict the length of deployments, and to maintain at least a "one for one" ratio between deployments, unless a national emergency occurs. This is how to support the troops.)
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Traitor-Conn., disagreed and said the Army should do more to add soldiers to its payroll. With our military stretched thin, we've got to be creative about where we might find fresh troops.
I've got an option that I'm sure Lieberman has not considered. He is the proud father of 4; 2 young men and 2 young women. Here's a photo of the happy family, I'll let you decide how many of them look fit for military service. The Senator's website claims he advances public policy that honors the core American values of responsibility, opportunity, and community. What better way to demonstrate these values than sending your children to serve in the military? It's just a thought.Military families know well the burden that more than 4 years of war, extended duty, and multiple deployments have brought to our families with resultant PTSD, increased number of divorces and suicides and other extreme stressors. Increasing the length of combat tours will also surely increase the numbers of wounded and dead.
With more than 30,000 wounded and dead Americans and countless displaced and dead Iraqis, it’s time to consider all options, including the one thing that doesn’t seem to be under consideration- ending this occupation and bringing the troops home NOW!
It’s the least they can do for an already stretched military and their families.
When will the rest of the country accept and bear some responsibility for this endless war? It is long past time to show respect to the men & women who have borne the burden of this unnecessary war as they selflessly serve their country. Despite their status as professional soldiers, they are real men and women who love and hurt and feel and experience fatigue & stress. They deserve better than being treated as if they are little plastic army figures.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Raising the bar
With approval ratings hovering in the 20 percentile, in Bush territory, the new Congress isn't doing so well with the folks at home. "I understand their disappointment," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "We raised the bar too high." The Senator does not understand our disappointment and apparently the voters of America raised the bar too high in sending this new Congress to Washington. They are not getting the job done.
Nancy Pelosi calls herself "unhappy" but "we can only do so much". The whining is getting annoying.
The Republicans who continue to stand by Bush in some sense of misplaced loyalty will pay the price in 2008 and end up in the unemployment line back home.
My suggestions? Don't give up; never give up! This peace work is hard business, especially as the war machine in this country continues to consume so much of our resources, human and financial. With nearly half a trillion spent so far, every household in the US has paid $4100. That's a far cry from the $50-$60 billion the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
stated that the Iraq War would cost.
With Congress’ recent vote for an additional $100 billion in war spending, the total spent or allocated for the Iraq War alone rises to nearly half a trillion dollars. The cost to taxpayers of California now totals $57.8 billion.
It is not so much to meet with or write to your Congressional representatives in an attempt to change their minds and their vote. Writing a letter to the editor and getting the local media involved to let the readers and viewers know how their representative is voting. The public needs to wake up and remember that Congress represents you and they work for you. We, in the peace movement said that if Congress voted for the Supplemental bill in May, the war is no longer George Bush's war, it was theirs; they bought it, they paid for it, they own it.
To take that calculation further; if you don't do anything to end this war, then you own it, too. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if that is okay? DO NOT look away! Ask yourself what your responsibility is in the continuation of this war. They are telling us that the US will be in Iraq for 50 years, so I'm talking about your children, your grandchildren and possibly their children, too. How many dead Americans is acceptable to you? How many dead or displaced Iraqi's is acceptable?
“Iraq Summer” launched last week as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq prepares to dispatch nearly 100 organizers to the home states and districts of Republican Senators and Representatives who have opposed setting a timeline to end the US war in Iraq. The program is modeled on the “Freedom Summer” civil rights project. Organizers will be in fifteen states from Nevada to Maine, a total of 40 congressional districts. “This summer we will force Members of Congress to make a choice: vote to responsibly end the war or face political extinction,” said Tom Matzzie, Washington Director of MoveOn.org
Pick up a pen, crank up the computer; your representative loves hearing from you. Yes, really, they do. To make it easy for you, here is the list of targeted Republicans:
Illinois
10 - Kirk
15 – Johnson
18 – LaHood
Maine
Senate (Collins & Snowe)
Michigan
3 – Ehlers
6 - Upton
7 – Walberg
8 – Rogers
10 – Miller
11 – McCotter
Minnesota
Senate (Coleman)
3 - Ramstad
6 – Bachmann
New Hampshire
Senate (Sununu)
New Jersey
4 – Smith
7 – Ferguson
New York
25 – Walsh
29 - Kuhl
Ohio
Senate (Voinovich)
14 – LaTourette
15- Pryce
Pennsylvania
Senate (Specter)
3 - English
6 – Gerlach
15 – Dent
18 – Murphy
19 - Platts
Virginia
Senate (Warner)
2 – Drake
10 – Wolf
11 – Davis
Arizona
1 – Renzi
Iowa
Senate (Grassley)
4 - Latham
New Mexico
Senate (Domenici)
1 -Wilson
Nevada
2 – Heller
3 – Porter
Delaware
1 – Castle
I'm weary and I'm frustrated at the lack of progress in ending this war, but mostly I miss Ken and I cannot bear the thought of another family burying their loved one.
Nancy Pelosi calls herself "unhappy" but "we can only do so much". The whining is getting annoying.
The Republicans who continue to stand by Bush in some sense of misplaced loyalty will pay the price in 2008 and end up in the unemployment line back home.
My suggestions? Don't give up; never give up! This peace work is hard business, especially as the war machine in this country continues to consume so much of our resources, human and financial. With nearly half a trillion spent so far, every household in the US has paid $4100. That's a far cry from the $50-$60 billion the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
stated that the Iraq War would cost.
With Congress’ recent vote for an additional $100 billion in war spending, the total spent or allocated for the Iraq War alone rises to nearly half a trillion dollars. The cost to taxpayers of California now totals $57.8 billion.
It is not so much to meet with or write to your Congressional representatives in an attempt to change their minds and their vote. Writing a letter to the editor and getting the local media involved to let the readers and viewers know how their representative is voting. The public needs to wake up and remember that Congress represents you and they work for you. We, in the peace movement said that if Congress voted for the Supplemental bill in May, the war is no longer George Bush's war, it was theirs; they bought it, they paid for it, they own it.
To take that calculation further; if you don't do anything to end this war, then you own it, too. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if that is okay? DO NOT look away! Ask yourself what your responsibility is in the continuation of this war. They are telling us that the US will be in Iraq for 50 years, so I'm talking about your children, your grandchildren and possibly their children, too. How many dead Americans is acceptable to you? How many dead or displaced Iraqi's is acceptable?
“Iraq Summer” launched last week as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq prepares to dispatch nearly 100 organizers to the home states and districts of Republican Senators and Representatives who have opposed setting a timeline to end the US war in Iraq. The program is modeled on the “Freedom Summer” civil rights project. Organizers will be in fifteen states from Nevada to Maine, a total of 40 congressional districts. “This summer we will force Members of Congress to make a choice: vote to responsibly end the war or face political extinction,” said Tom Matzzie, Washington Director of MoveOn.org
Pick up a pen, crank up the computer; your representative loves hearing from you. Yes, really, they do. To make it easy for you, here is the list of targeted Republicans:
Illinois
10 - Kirk
15 – Johnson
18 – LaHood
Maine
Senate (Collins & Snowe)
Michigan
3 – Ehlers
6 - Upton
7 – Walberg
8 – Rogers
10 – Miller
11 – McCotter
Minnesota
Senate (Coleman)
3 - Ramstad
6 – Bachmann
New Hampshire
Senate (Sununu)
New Jersey
4 – Smith
7 – Ferguson
New York
25 – Walsh
29 - Kuhl
Ohio
Senate (Voinovich)
14 – LaTourette
15- Pryce
Pennsylvania
Senate (Specter)
3 - English
6 – Gerlach
15 – Dent
18 – Murphy
19 - Platts
Virginia
Senate (Warner)
2 – Drake
10 – Wolf
11 – Davis
Arizona
1 – Renzi
Iowa
Senate (Grassley)
4 - Latham
New Mexico
Senate (Domenici)
1 -Wilson
Nevada
2 – Heller
3 – Porter
Delaware
1 – Castle
I'm weary and I'm frustrated at the lack of progress in ending this war, but mostly I miss Ken and I cannot bear the thought of another family burying their loved one.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
At War With the Army
Here's an article from the current "#1 weekly newspaper in Silicon Valley", The Metro. The reporter got it mostly right; there are a few things that don't add up, but I've learned to not sweat the small stuff. By keeping these kinds of stories in the paper and in front of people, maybe some more people will be touched by this war.
==========
At War With the Army
How two South Bay mothers uncovered the truth about their sons' deaths in Iraq
By Michael Shapiro
This story is a follow-up to Michael Shapiro's cover story last week about the Army coverup of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire in combat.—Editor
THE STORY of Pat Tillman, the pro football player who grew up in San Jose and turned down a multimillion–dollar contract to join the Army, made national headlines when Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. Tillman's mother, Mary, has worked tirelessly to try to find out how her son died and who covered up the truth about his death.
But she's not the only mother of a soldier who was deceived about the circumstances of her son's death in combat. In a span of just two months during the spring of 2004, the families of two other South Bay soldiers were lied to after their sons died while serving their country. And they too had to employ dogged persistence to uncover the truth about their sons' final hours.
Nadia McCaffrey's Story
In the spring of 2004, as the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal inflamed the Middle East, Sgt. Patrick Ryan McCaffrey, assigned to train Iraqi soldiers allied with American troops, became worried about his safety. A manager of a Palo Alto automotive shop, McCaffrey had told his mother, Nadia McCaffrey of Tracy, that he feared the Iraqi troops would turn on him.
"He had said in an email that because of Abu Ghraib every [U.S.] soldier had a bounty on his head," Nadia McCaffrey said. Patrick was "ashamed" of the reports and images of torture in Iraqi prisons and said the United States had "no business in Iraq," his mother said.
A divorced father of two young children, Patrick grew up in Sunnyvale and attended De Anza College. He had no desire to fight overseas, but wanted to serve his country after the 9/11 attacks.
"He was not a military person," Nadia McCaffrey said of her son. "He earned $100,000 a year—he didn't need anything from anybody."
McCaffrey met with a recruiter who, according to Nadia, told Patrick that if he joined the National Guard he wouldn't be deployed because of his age (over 30). McCaffrey was assigned to the Army National Guard's 579th Engineer Battalion in Petaluma.
In late June, Nadia McCaffrey got the news that every military mom dreads: her son had been killed while on patrol near Balad, Iraq. "They told me my son was shot and killed in an ambush by insurgents," she said. He was 34.
"I lost it—I asked if he had suffered, and how long after he was shot did he die. They said he was shot three times and didn't feel any pain, that he died immediately." McCaffrey kept asking questions and enlisted the help of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D–Calif.) to get the autopsy report.
Though soldiers in McCaffrey's unit knew immediately who killed him, it took his mother two years to get the truth: On June 22, 2004, "Patrick got shot eight times by three people with AK–47s," Nadia McCaffrey said. He was shot in the back, murdered by two Iraqi civil defense force soldiers he was training, according to the military's autopsy report.
After speaking with soldiers who were with Patrick after he was shot, his mother says her son was alive for some time after the shooting.
"He was bleeding and had a pulse," she said in a phone interview with Metro earlier this month. A criminal investigation is ongoing, she said. "The whole mission did not make sense. It was incomprehensible."
McCaffrey said one of the two Iraqi soldiers who killed her son was shot to death by U.S. troops—the other is awaiting trial in Baghdad. "No one wants the trial to take place," she said, suggesting U.S. and Iraqi officials fear the publicity a trial would engender. But McCaffrey wants to see her son's killer brought to justice, adding "I want to be there when it [the trial] happens."
Like Mary Tillman, McCaffrey is outraged by what happened to her son and by the lies the military told her about his death. "I want to know why," she said. "Trust me, I'm on their case for this and I won't let it go."
McCaffrey asked reporters and photographers to be present when Patrick's flag-draped coffin arrived at the Sacramento airport a week after he died. "Patrick was not a private person," she said. "Why should I have hidden him when he came home?"
In August 2005, Nadia joined Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas, when members of the Gold Star Families for Peace asked to meet with President Bush, a request the president ignored while on vacation at his nearby ranch. (Gold Star families are those who have lost a soldier in military service. Some families place "service flags" with gold stars in the front windows of their homes to show their sacrifice. ServiceFlags.com sells these flags, but when I checked they were sold out.)
McCaffrey traveled to Jordan with an aid delegation sponsored by Global Exchange, meeting the mothers of slain Iraqis and distributing $600,000 for Iraqis injured in the war. She's a founder of VeteransVillage.org to aid soldiers, especially those suffering from stress disorders and emotional trauma.
The daughter of a Serbian father and a French mother, McCaffrey was born in France in the final months of World War II, known as "The Good War." In contrast to that conflict, McCaffrey said the occupation of Iraq is "not a good war, not good at all."
Karen Meredith's Story
On April 3, 2004, Karen Meredith's son Ken Ballard was completing his yearlong tour of duty in Iraq. As all soldiers do before returning home, Ballard turned in his weapons—7,500 miles away, in Mountain View, his mother planned Ballard's welcome-home party. The next day "all hell broke loose" in Baghdad, Meredith said. Ballard's tour of duty and the tours of 20,000 other soldiers were extended. Meredith hadn't seen her son since Christmas in 2002 and couldn't wait to see him again. She never would.
Kenneth Michael Ballard was born in Rome, N.Y., on July 21, 1977—7/21/77—weighing a lucky 7 pounds, 7 ounces. The family moved to Mountain View in 1981; Meredith and her then–husband divorced when Ken was a young child.
Meredith said she was proud to see Ken join the Army when he graduated from Mountain View High School in 1995. Ballard later won a Gold to Green ROTC scholarship and graduated in 2002 from Middle Tennessee State University, where he majored in international relations. He returned to the Army, trained as an officer and was deployed to Iraq.
"Ken was given his own platoon, 2nd Platoon, part of the Crusaders of Charlie Company in the summer of 2003," Meredith said. "He felt a tremendous responsibility in keeping his guys safe from harm."
On May 27, 2004, Meredith spoke to her son for about 40 minutes and discussed plans for his month-long vacation to California and Tennessee. She asked him to bring home some prayer beads—he joked that he'd bring her a burka.
Four days later, Karen received another long-distance call, but this time Ken wasn't on the other end. The voice of someone she had never met said her son was killed by small arms fire on May 30 in Najaf. Meredith's only child, the boy she raised almost single-handedly to become an honorable and honored man, was dead. He was 26.
At Ballard's memorial service the following month, an officer said Ballard's heroic efforts saved the lives of some 60 soldiers. Ballard was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. Even during the time of her deepest grief, Meredith sensed there was something amiss, believing that such valor would warrant the Silver Star.
Meredith asked for a copy of the incident report about her son's death and was told she'd have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. She didn't get the report until May of 2005, on the eve of the one–year anniversary of her son's death.
Military officials brought the report to Meredith's home. "The autopsy report was not sealed—I asked the officer why," she said, but she was not given an answer. Without looking at the reports, she stashed them in a safe place and left for Arlington National Cemetery, where her son rests.
"When I got back I'd hid the reports so well that I couldn't find them," she said. After scouring the house "I found [the reports] the third week in July, the week of Ken's birthday." The five-page autopsy report was "very medical, very technical," Meredith said. "But one thing stood out: the report showed that the angle of the bullet's entry could not have come from a rooftop or a sniper."
The daughter of a lieutenant colonel, granddaughter of a colonel, sister of a lieutenant colonel and ex-wife of a former Air Force serviceman, Meredith kept asking questions of military officials. On Aug. 2, 2005, she says she received an email from Lt. Col. John Tien, saying, "Are you telling me you don't know what happened the night Ken was killed?" But Meredith said Tien's email didn't say more about how Ballard died.
Later that month, Meredith got a call from a casualty officer saying "the Army is coming to see you about the incident report." Knowing that meant that the incident report was being changed, Meredith "went to my bed and cried for an hour." She called the office of U.S. Rep Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and asked a member of her staff to attend the meeting with military officials.
"I wanted the message to be, 'Don't fuck with this mother—she's got Congress behind her,'" Meredith said. Supported by Eshoo's chief of staff, Meredith met with Lt. Col. John O'Brien, head of the Army's casualty division, at her home. He told her that the story about Ballard providing cover for 60 comrades was untrue.
Here's what happened: an accident occurred as Ballard's tank was backing over a median strip. Under heavy fire, Ballard had instructed his gunner to get down, Meredith says she was told by the casualty officers. As the tank reversed, a tree branch engaged the machine gun just as Ballard poked his head out of the tank to survey the scene and give orders to the driver. The gun discharged and killed Ballard.
"Everyone in his unit knew," Meredith said. "They had taken statements within an hour of him being killed. I don't know if they were given orders to not tell or if it's implicit, just this veiled assumption: if the high-ranking officers are not telling then I better not tell either."
Meredith said the Abrams tank's thermal imaging system was broken and that soldiers were reluctant to use the tank, but a captain ordered them to use it. "If it [the imaging system] had been working, Ken wouldn't have needed to be outside the tank that night," Meredith said.
On Sept. 9, 2005, Meredith says she met in Washington, D.C., with Lt. Col. O'Brien and received a letter of apology. Four days later she met with Col. Bradley May of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I finally got to hear what Ken's last words were: 'Hard left, go straight, take us home.' He was taking care of his guys," Meredith said, her voice cracking with emotion. "It was the last hour of his life. Everyone thinks you're just finding out details but these were his last words; that's what people don't understand."
Meredith, who once worked for FMC, the company that manufactures the Bradley fighting vehicle, said she's not anti-military. But after the Army misled her about her son's death, Meredith vowed to try to prevent other military families from being subjected to similar indignities.
On Sept. 27, 2005, she met with Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey and asked him to promise that soldiers' families would be told the truth about casualties in a timely manner. She asked for pictures of Ballard's body being returned to Dover Air Force Base, but she says that request was denied.
"They knew that I'm antiwar and they didn't want me to have it," she said. "We believe these photos are no longer being taken so that there will be no record of this part of the war forever," she added. "If there are no pictures, they don't have anything to release."
The military has made "some changes based on my comments," Meredith said, including instituting procedures regarding condolence letters and follow–up calls. "But they still won't let us see the pictures from Dover," she said. "We call it the Dover test—if the country would be upset by seeing pictures, then they are not shown. Their goal is to not tell the truth."
"Why does the Army culture allow this?" Meredith asked. "My son is a fourth-generation Army officer. He was raised to believe that the Army takes care of its own. He gave everything and they disrespected him and his family," she said. "To me this is unforgivable."
Meredith remains outraged, not just for the loss of her son, but for the injustice of the war and the disproportionate suffering of soldiers and their families.
"One percent of the country is fighting this war—our country is not at war," she said. "Only military families are carrying the burden of this war."
Meredith, who now works for a networking company in Sunnyvale, says she'll keep telling her story: "People need to be touched by this war. I was opposed to the [Iraq] war before it began but I didn't start speaking publicly until shortly before Ken was killed. I always supported soldiers but never supported the mission—whatever 'the mission' is."
President Bush is treating the military like "little green Army men," Meredith said, citing what she believes to be the president's detachment from the suffering and concerns of soldiers and their families.
Asked if her son supported the Iraq war, Meredith said: "When I asked Ken what he thought about Rumsfeld or Abu Ghraib, he'd say, 'I don't have time to think about that. My mission is to get my buddies home alive.' "
Michael Shapiro's stories, which range from investigative reporting to travel topics, have appeared in the Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler and The Sun. He is the author of 'A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration.' For more about Shapiro and his work, see www.michaelshapiro.net.
Find this article at: http://www.metroactive.com/metro/05.30.07/soldiers-mothers-0722.html
==========
At War With the Army
How two South Bay mothers uncovered the truth about their sons' deaths in Iraq
By Michael Shapiro
This story is a follow-up to Michael Shapiro's cover story last week about the Army coverup of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire in combat.—Editor
THE STORY of Pat Tillman, the pro football player who grew up in San Jose and turned down a multimillion–dollar contract to join the Army, made national headlines when Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. Tillman's mother, Mary, has worked tirelessly to try to find out how her son died and who covered up the truth about his death.
But she's not the only mother of a soldier who was deceived about the circumstances of her son's death in combat. In a span of just two months during the spring of 2004, the families of two other South Bay soldiers were lied to after their sons died while serving their country. And they too had to employ dogged persistence to uncover the truth about their sons' final hours.
Nadia McCaffrey's Story
In the spring of 2004, as the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal inflamed the Middle East, Sgt. Patrick Ryan McCaffrey, assigned to train Iraqi soldiers allied with American troops, became worried about his safety. A manager of a Palo Alto automotive shop, McCaffrey had told his mother, Nadia McCaffrey of Tracy, that he feared the Iraqi troops would turn on him.
"He had said in an email that because of Abu Ghraib every [U.S.] soldier had a bounty on his head," Nadia McCaffrey said. Patrick was "ashamed" of the reports and images of torture in Iraqi prisons and said the United States had "no business in Iraq," his mother said.
A divorced father of two young children, Patrick grew up in Sunnyvale and attended De Anza College. He had no desire to fight overseas, but wanted to serve his country after the 9/11 attacks.
"He was not a military person," Nadia McCaffrey said of her son. "He earned $100,000 a year—he didn't need anything from anybody."
McCaffrey met with a recruiter who, according to Nadia, told Patrick that if he joined the National Guard he wouldn't be deployed because of his age (over 30). McCaffrey was assigned to the Army National Guard's 579th Engineer Battalion in Petaluma.
In late June, Nadia McCaffrey got the news that every military mom dreads: her son had been killed while on patrol near Balad, Iraq. "They told me my son was shot and killed in an ambush by insurgents," she said. He was 34.
"I lost it—I asked if he had suffered, and how long after he was shot did he die. They said he was shot three times and didn't feel any pain, that he died immediately." McCaffrey kept asking questions and enlisted the help of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D–Calif.) to get the autopsy report.
Though soldiers in McCaffrey's unit knew immediately who killed him, it took his mother two years to get the truth: On June 22, 2004, "Patrick got shot eight times by three people with AK–47s," Nadia McCaffrey said. He was shot in the back, murdered by two Iraqi civil defense force soldiers he was training, according to the military's autopsy report.
After speaking with soldiers who were with Patrick after he was shot, his mother says her son was alive for some time after the shooting.
"He was bleeding and had a pulse," she said in a phone interview with Metro earlier this month. A criminal investigation is ongoing, she said. "The whole mission did not make sense. It was incomprehensible."
McCaffrey said one of the two Iraqi soldiers who killed her son was shot to death by U.S. troops—the other is awaiting trial in Baghdad. "No one wants the trial to take place," she said, suggesting U.S. and Iraqi officials fear the publicity a trial would engender. But McCaffrey wants to see her son's killer brought to justice, adding "I want to be there when it [the trial] happens."
Like Mary Tillman, McCaffrey is outraged by what happened to her son and by the lies the military told her about his death. "I want to know why," she said. "Trust me, I'm on their case for this and I won't let it go."
McCaffrey asked reporters and photographers to be present when Patrick's flag-draped coffin arrived at the Sacramento airport a week after he died. "Patrick was not a private person," she said. "Why should I have hidden him when he came home?"
In August 2005, Nadia joined Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas, when members of the Gold Star Families for Peace asked to meet with President Bush, a request the president ignored while on vacation at his nearby ranch. (Gold Star families are those who have lost a soldier in military service. Some families place "service flags" with gold stars in the front windows of their homes to show their sacrifice. ServiceFlags.com sells these flags, but when I checked they were sold out.)
McCaffrey traveled to Jordan with an aid delegation sponsored by Global Exchange, meeting the mothers of slain Iraqis and distributing $600,000 for Iraqis injured in the war. She's a founder of VeteransVillage.org to aid soldiers, especially those suffering from stress disorders and emotional trauma.
The daughter of a Serbian father and a French mother, McCaffrey was born in France in the final months of World War II, known as "The Good War." In contrast to that conflict, McCaffrey said the occupation of Iraq is "not a good war, not good at all."
Karen Meredith's Story
On April 3, 2004, Karen Meredith's son Ken Ballard was completing his yearlong tour of duty in Iraq. As all soldiers do before returning home, Ballard turned in his weapons—7,500 miles away, in Mountain View, his mother planned Ballard's welcome-home party. The next day "all hell broke loose" in Baghdad, Meredith said. Ballard's tour of duty and the tours of 20,000 other soldiers were extended. Meredith hadn't seen her son since Christmas in 2002 and couldn't wait to see him again. She never would.
Kenneth Michael Ballard was born in Rome, N.Y., on July 21, 1977—7/21/77—weighing a lucky 7 pounds, 7 ounces. The family moved to Mountain View in 1981; Meredith and her then–husband divorced when Ken was a young child.
Meredith said she was proud to see Ken join the Army when he graduated from Mountain View High School in 1995. Ballard later won a Gold to Green ROTC scholarship and graduated in 2002 from Middle Tennessee State University, where he majored in international relations. He returned to the Army, trained as an officer and was deployed to Iraq.
"Ken was given his own platoon, 2nd Platoon, part of the Crusaders of Charlie Company in the summer of 2003," Meredith said. "He felt a tremendous responsibility in keeping his guys safe from harm."
On May 27, 2004, Meredith spoke to her son for about 40 minutes and discussed plans for his month-long vacation to California and Tennessee. She asked him to bring home some prayer beads—he joked that he'd bring her a burka.
Four days later, Karen received another long-distance call, but this time Ken wasn't on the other end. The voice of someone she had never met said her son was killed by small arms fire on May 30 in Najaf. Meredith's only child, the boy she raised almost single-handedly to become an honorable and honored man, was dead. He was 26.
At Ballard's memorial service the following month, an officer said Ballard's heroic efforts saved the lives of some 60 soldiers. Ballard was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. Even during the time of her deepest grief, Meredith sensed there was something amiss, believing that such valor would warrant the Silver Star.
Meredith asked for a copy of the incident report about her son's death and was told she'd have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. She didn't get the report until May of 2005, on the eve of the one–year anniversary of her son's death.
Military officials brought the report to Meredith's home. "The autopsy report was not sealed—I asked the officer why," she said, but she was not given an answer. Without looking at the reports, she stashed them in a safe place and left for Arlington National Cemetery, where her son rests.
"When I got back I'd hid the reports so well that I couldn't find them," she said. After scouring the house "I found [the reports] the third week in July, the week of Ken's birthday." The five-page autopsy report was "very medical, very technical," Meredith said. "But one thing stood out: the report showed that the angle of the bullet's entry could not have come from a rooftop or a sniper."
The daughter of a lieutenant colonel, granddaughter of a colonel, sister of a lieutenant colonel and ex-wife of a former Air Force serviceman, Meredith kept asking questions of military officials. On Aug. 2, 2005, she says she received an email from Lt. Col. John Tien, saying, "Are you telling me you don't know what happened the night Ken was killed?" But Meredith said Tien's email didn't say more about how Ballard died.
Later that month, Meredith got a call from a casualty officer saying "the Army is coming to see you about the incident report." Knowing that meant that the incident report was being changed, Meredith "went to my bed and cried for an hour." She called the office of U.S. Rep Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and asked a member of her staff to attend the meeting with military officials.
"I wanted the message to be, 'Don't fuck with this mother—she's got Congress behind her,'" Meredith said. Supported by Eshoo's chief of staff, Meredith met with Lt. Col. John O'Brien, head of the Army's casualty division, at her home. He told her that the story about Ballard providing cover for 60 comrades was untrue.
Here's what happened: an accident occurred as Ballard's tank was backing over a median strip. Under heavy fire, Ballard had instructed his gunner to get down, Meredith says she was told by the casualty officers. As the tank reversed, a tree branch engaged the machine gun just as Ballard poked his head out of the tank to survey the scene and give orders to the driver. The gun discharged and killed Ballard.
"Everyone in his unit knew," Meredith said. "They had taken statements within an hour of him being killed. I don't know if they were given orders to not tell or if it's implicit, just this veiled assumption: if the high-ranking officers are not telling then I better not tell either."
Meredith said the Abrams tank's thermal imaging system was broken and that soldiers were reluctant to use the tank, but a captain ordered them to use it. "If it [the imaging system] had been working, Ken wouldn't have needed to be outside the tank that night," Meredith said.
On Sept. 9, 2005, Meredith says she met in Washington, D.C., with Lt. Col. O'Brien and received a letter of apology. Four days later she met with Col. Bradley May of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I finally got to hear what Ken's last words were: 'Hard left, go straight, take us home.' He was taking care of his guys," Meredith said, her voice cracking with emotion. "It was the last hour of his life. Everyone thinks you're just finding out details but these were his last words; that's what people don't understand."
Meredith, who once worked for FMC, the company that manufactures the Bradley fighting vehicle, said she's not anti-military. But after the Army misled her about her son's death, Meredith vowed to try to prevent other military families from being subjected to similar indignities.
On Sept. 27, 2005, she met with Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey and asked him to promise that soldiers' families would be told the truth about casualties in a timely manner. She asked for pictures of Ballard's body being returned to Dover Air Force Base, but she says that request was denied.
"They knew that I'm antiwar and they didn't want me to have it," she said. "We believe these photos are no longer being taken so that there will be no record of this part of the war forever," she added. "If there are no pictures, they don't have anything to release."
The military has made "some changes based on my comments," Meredith said, including instituting procedures regarding condolence letters and follow–up calls. "But they still won't let us see the pictures from Dover," she said. "We call it the Dover test—if the country would be upset by seeing pictures, then they are not shown. Their goal is to not tell the truth."
"Why does the Army culture allow this?" Meredith asked. "My son is a fourth-generation Army officer. He was raised to believe that the Army takes care of its own. He gave everything and they disrespected him and his family," she said. "To me this is unforgivable."
Meredith remains outraged, not just for the loss of her son, but for the injustice of the war and the disproportionate suffering of soldiers and their families.
"One percent of the country is fighting this war—our country is not at war," she said. "Only military families are carrying the burden of this war."
Meredith, who now works for a networking company in Sunnyvale, says she'll keep telling her story: "People need to be touched by this war. I was opposed to the [Iraq] war before it began but I didn't start speaking publicly until shortly before Ken was killed. I always supported soldiers but never supported the mission—whatever 'the mission' is."
President Bush is treating the military like "little green Army men," Meredith said, citing what she believes to be the president's detachment from the suffering and concerns of soldiers and their families.
Asked if her son supported the Iraq war, Meredith said: "When I asked Ken what he thought about Rumsfeld or Abu Ghraib, he'd say, 'I don't have time to think about that. My mission is to get my buddies home alive.' "
Michael Shapiro's stories, which range from investigative reporting to travel topics, have appeared in the Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler and The Sun. He is the author of 'A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration.' For more about Shapiro and his work, see www.michaelshapiro.net.
Find this article at: http://www.metroactive.com/metro/05.30.07/soldiers-mothers-0722.html
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
3 years since Good Bye
There are some days I just want to tear out of the calendar. Today, May 30, is one of them. 3 years ago, today, my only child Lt Ken Ballard was killed in George Bush's war. I never supported this war; I never supported this president or his administration.
I spent Monday at Arlington with family and friends celebrating Ken's life. It is our job to make sure that Ken has the most decorated headstone in the cemetery, so we bring flowers, and flags and other mementos. We drank champagne & beer and we remembered a life that was cut short. All things considered, Arlington is where one should be on Memorial Day, after all, it is the day our country honors our veteran's who gave their last full measure of devotion.
Even now, 3 years later, I find it difficult to believe the words that I speak so often, "my son was killed in Iraq". I guess there is some mental mechanism that protects me from the magnitude of what that really means. It is unimaginable and I would not wish this pain on anyone, ever. A parent should never bury a child, never.
As a soldier, I have been told that Ken was fearless. He was well respected by his peers and many superior officers. As prior service, his soldiers respected him because they knew he knew their jobs. He was "great guy and an excellent leader", a "soldier's soldier", Ken would not have asked anything of them that he would not have done himself. The mission in Iraq, however politically muddled, is clear to the men & women in combat- bring each other home safely. It did not work out that way for Ken's unit.
As a friend, I have been told, Ken was second to none. Everyone considered Ken to be their best friend. He had an "explosively outgoing, contagiously fun-loving personality that was always hungry for adventure". He would always be there when needed and more often when you didn't know you needed a friend. He lit up any room he entered with joy for life unparalleled.
As a son, Ken was the best. We left New York when he was 10 months old and headed for our new life in California. Being Ken's mom was always an adventure. When Ken was 3 years old, after my divorce, I changed my name to revert back to my maiden name. Ken asked me "when we get married, can you be Ballard again?" That's just the way things were with us. Ken was born with a spirit filled with mischief and love. When Ken left for the Army the fall after high school graduation, he left with a purpose & desire to serve his country. I cannot begin to describe my pride in being Ken's mom and in watching him grow to be the man he became.
Ken brought laughter and love to us in a million ways. I miss him every moment of every day, but these milestone days are the worst.
Let us never forget Ken or any of the 3468 soldiers killed in this horrible war/occupation.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Bring Troops Home Now
Monroe Anderson of the Chicago Sun-Times gets it right. His column from 5.20.07 should be mandatory reading by everyone in DC and every person who still thinks there is any chance for a military victory in Iraq. He said everything that I have been thinking.
In November 2006, there was a guarded sense of optimism when the Democrats took over in Washington. The message we sent for them to end the war seemed clear to those of us who oppose the occupation in Iraq. When Congress took their seats in January, Nancy Pelosi came out roaring like a lion telling us they had heard our message and now it seems as if they really weren't listening at all as they back down to the president on the issue of funding the war.
Next Monday, on Memorial Day I will be standing in front of my only child's grave at Arlington National Cemetery marking the 3rd anniversary of his death (we were notified on Memorial Day 2004). 1 Lt Ken Ballard was the 89th soldier to be buried at Arlington from these wars and now 336 of this nation's finest rest forever in Section 60 at Arlington. Ken was 26 years old when he was killed. He had been in Iraq for 384 days. 4 men in Ken's unit were killed; all of them after they had been extended. They all should have been home.
My heart breaks with every new death and every new casualty. It seems as long as it is someone else's son or daughter in harm's way, it is easy for Congress to walk away from this important conversation that will end this war; afterall, there is campaigning to be done.
Bring troops home now
In November 2006, there was a guarded sense of optimism when the Democrats took over in Washington. The message we sent for them to end the war seemed clear to those of us who oppose the occupation in Iraq. When Congress took their seats in January, Nancy Pelosi came out roaring like a lion telling us they had heard our message and now it seems as if they really weren't listening at all as they back down to the president on the issue of funding the war.
Next Monday, on Memorial Day I will be standing in front of my only child's grave at Arlington National Cemetery marking the 3rd anniversary of his death (we were notified on Memorial Day 2004). 1 Lt Ken Ballard was the 89th soldier to be buried at Arlington from these wars and now 336 of this nation's finest rest forever in Section 60 at Arlington. Ken was 26 years old when he was killed. He had been in Iraq for 384 days. 4 men in Ken's unit were killed; all of them after they had been extended. They all should have been home.
My heart breaks with every new death and every new casualty. It seems as long as it is someone else's son or daughter in harm's way, it is easy for Congress to walk away from this important conversation that will end this war; afterall, there is campaigning to be done.
Bring troops home now
We're waist-deep in George W. Bush's nightmarish Middle East misadventure as the new, theoretically empowered Democrats are difficult to distinguish from the old, hamstrung Dems of a year ago. They're still too timid.
Rather than deftly acting to bring the troops home, the Democrats continue their eye-shifting and throat-clearing while the killing and dying go on and on. Last week, the new majority party yielded to the oxymoron argument that we have to support the troops by keeping them in the line of fire. The Feingold-Reid Iraq Bill that would have cut the funding and thereby forced the
president to bring the troops home was defeated Wednesday in the Senate. On a procedural vote, the proposal that would have cut off money for combat operations in Iraq after March 31 of next year fell 31 votes short of the number needed to advance, losing 29-67.
The bill was defeated even as three U.S. soldiers remain missing and the death toll in Iraq is rising. The bill was defeated even as our puppet Iraqi government continues with its plans for a two-month vacation while the American men and women serving in their country are getting three months added to their yearlong tours of duty. The bill was defeated even as reports of poor care at Walter Reed Hospital for the mounting number of wounded troops is barely yesterday's news.
The Americans who voted the Democrats into power have been let down. Instead of counting on the Democrats to deliver on their implicit promise to end the occupation, we continue to count the costs of not correcting Bush's calamitous course. Those costs have been enormous in human casualties and financial resources. More than 3,300 U.S. military killed and more than 25,000 wounded -- nearly 1,000 of those amputees. A minimum of 63,796, a maximum of 69,850 civilians have been killed, according to the Iraqi Body Count Web site. More than 400 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars squandered. And we're not getting much bang for our buck. Daily attacks in Iraq have fallen only slightly to 149 in April from 157 in March. Mortar rounds are now battering the Green Zone, Baghdad's last presumed safe refuge.
Last week's vote was a loss for Wisconsin's Sen. Russell Feingold and other Democrats who want to bring the Iraq occupation to a halt. But the undertaking forced Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, previously reluctant to limit war funding, to come out in favor of the measure. Unfortunately, 19 Dems couldn't or wouldn't heed the distress signal that the American electorate fired last November, joining 47 Republicans in the vote to end the occupation funding. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is one of those Democrats. He said he opposes any measure that cuts off money for the war because ''we don't want to send the message to the troops'' that Congress does not support them.
That argument -- made smugly by legislators sitting safely and serenely in Washington, D.C. -- is about as logic-defying as others buzz-worded by the incompetent and corrupt Bush administration. We know them by heart. They play well to our emotions but not as well when we step back to question them. For example, could it be that setting a deadline to bring the troops home benchmarks the end of Americans dying for a continuously changing cause? What job are we staying to get done? Why are we staying where we're not welcomed? How are we supposed to secretly withdraw our troops without the insurgents knowing we're leaving?
We shocked and awed our way into Iraq four years ago, so if Baghdad should become an al-Qaida stronghold, what's to stop us from shocking and awing the city again? If 6 million Jews, surrounded by more than 200 million Arabs, have not been annihilated, why do we believe that an Iraq withdrawal will lead to a pitched battle with invading terrorist forces on Main Street in Peoria?
And, one last question: How much American blood has to flow to drown out the civil war in Iraq or cut through the hollow patriotic sloganeering here at home?
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Sick & Tired
I'm feeling beat up tonite. For those of you who attend street fairs, or art & wine festivals, you gotta know that being an artist at one of those venues is a lot of hard work; physical and mental. As if I don't have enough on my plate, I am one of those artists and I spent the weekend peddling my wares. Beyond the fact of having to be at a site at around 6 a.m. Saturday a.m. to put up my tent; my home for the weekend, it is physical work toting all the worldly possessions needed to put on this show. Physically, I call them the "art fair" muscles. You don't use them except when you are putting up an EZ up canopy, which really isn't that E-Z and it really can't be put up by one person regardless of what the manual says. So, I'll stop the whining about that right now. Those are the physical aches and pains, and it doesn't cover the heartbreak and the anger of the news we hear from these past several days.
The news from Iraq is just bad; no matter how you slice it or dice it, nothings going well. Last Thursday, the number of US casualties in Iraq was 3406. On Friday & Saturday 15, plus one more on Sunday. Now the number stands at 3422, just like that! 18 families have not been notified yet. These 6 months have been the worst 6 months of the war. That would be about 400 casualties since Bush announced his surge. The surge that hasn't been fully implemented yet, so God only knows what the number of casualties will be then.
Last week, it was reported that the administration was "strongly opposed" to a 3.5% pay raise proposed for the military.
The White House is trying to kill a Democratic plan to increase the size of a military pay raise next year, contending it would be too costly and that members of the armed forces are already sufficiently compensated.
In a letter from the White House Office of Management and Budget to congressional committees overseeing the military, OMB director Rob Portman said Wednesday that the administration "strongly opposes" a Democratic plan to bump up military salaries by 3.5 percent instead of Bush's request for a 3 percent jump.
That .5% adds up to $6 month for each service member. Whoever said the armed forces are sufficiently compensated has not tried raising a family on an enlisted man's salary. The next time Bush stands with military families as his backdrop, keep in mind who supports the troops.
Today, the Washington Post reports that Assessments Made in 2003 Foretold Situation in Iraq
Two intelligence assessments from January 2003 predicted that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and subsequent U.S. occupation of Iraq could lead to internal violence and provide a, boost to Islamic extremists and terrorists in the region, according to congressional sources and former intelligence officials familiar with the prewar studies.
Now that these reports are being declassified, we have some indication of what was going on in the bony heads of this administration prior to the start of the war. None of them seem capable of telling the truth about anything.
We've got 5 soldiers identified as DUSTWUN; that's Army speak for Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown. Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass. Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif., and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich. are missing since May 12, 2007. Please do not forget SPC Ahmed K. Altaie, DUSTWUN since October 2006 and SSG Keith Muapin, DUSTWUN since April 9, 2004. The only think I can think of worse than having a child be killed in Iraq, is to have them classified as missing or DUSTWUN. My conversations with Keith's parents do not indicate forthright behavior coming from the Pentagon.
It doesn't seem like we will ever leave Iraq, especially when more details are coming to light about the US 
embassy being built in Baghdad. The Guardian reports:
embassy being built in Baghdad. The Guardian reports: Rising from the dust of the city's Green Zone it is destined, at $592m (£300m), to become the biggest and most expensive US embassy on earth when it opens in September.
It will cover 104 acres (42 hectares) of land, about the size of the Vatican. It will include 27 separate buildings and house about 615 people behind bomb-proof walls.
The story about the midnight mafia-like raid on Ashcroft's hospital room was more devious than anything Richard Nixon could have come up with. The writers for the Soprano's may have written such a scenario but figured it as implausible. Time describes it like this
White House counsel Alberto Gonzales went to John Ashcroft's hospital room on the evening of March 10, 2004 to ask the ailing Attorney General to override Justice Department officials and reauthorize a secret domestic wiretapping program, he was acting inappropriately, Ashcroft's deputy at the time, James Comey, testified before Congress earlier this week.
The administration brushes off questions about this story, hoping we'll move on, counting on the attention span, or lack thereof from the American public, as if this is just another non story that the "liberal media" is trying to use to make them look bad. (note to administration, we don't need to try to make you look bad; you are doing fine on your own) We have no idea how bad this administration is yet. We have heard of some egregious acts from this administration, but we haven't heard the half of it. God help this country.
I could go on, but my brain is just too full about how this administration thumbs it's nose at this country, the constitution and for that matter, the rest of the world. I am just tired of this occupation. I am tired of the lies from this administration. I am tired of hearing every single day that more soldiers have died. I am tired of Congress and the President, who won't stand up and do the right thing for the troops, with money, or armor or length of deployment or medical care for ALL of them, each and every one who served their country when asked. As for the supplemental budget, I am sick and tired of Congress playing footsie with the president, who seems likely to veto anything except a blank check to continue his misadventures in Iraq. People are dying!
And I'm tired of the month of May; I wish it would be over. May is a rewind of every single one of Ken's last days. May is Mother's Day and I didn't get a call or a card from Ken this year and I never will, thanks to this so called occupation. No one will ever call me mom, ever, ever again. Mother's Day weekend is the anniversary of Ken's commissioning and college graduation in 2002 and it is also the anniversary of his leaving for Iraq in 2003. In 2004 Lt Ken Ballard was killed in May, so what is there to like about May? Next week, is Jonathan's birthday, Evan's birthday, Patrick's birthday and Casey's birthday. The problem is, none of them are here to celebrate with their families because they were all killed in George Bush's war. I send my love and hugs to Vickie, Jane, Nadia and Pat, all Gold Star parents who are amazing people, but I'd trade them in a minute if only...........and they know it and so do I.
Oh yeah, I'm whining, but I'm just getting started; I've still got 9 more days until the 3rd anniversary of Ken's death. I can't believe it has been 3 years since that awful day. My brain hurts, my body hurts and my heart hurts. I just don't know why anyone can't just figure out how to end this damned war and bring the troops home to be with their families and in their communities.
Bring 'em home, just bring 'em home NOW! PLEASE!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Spring Report from our Florence Nightingale
Here is our semi regular report from a hospital in the Green Zone of Baghdad. Our Forence Nightingale is an Army Nurse, who is halfway through her deployment, but may find out soon that she, in addition to every other soldier serving in Iraq or preparing to deploy will now be serving for 15 months rather than the 12 months they had been told.
=============
Hello All!
I realize it has been another two months since I last wrote an update. These last two months have practically flown by! It's funny to me as I sit here and think about what has happened in the last two months and to be honest not too much has changed.
About mid month in March I went home on R&R. I don't think it could have come at a better time for me. I was getting to the point of some mild burn out. After you deal day in and day out with broken bodies and spirits it starts to break you down as well. You lose your compassion as you care for the new patients that arrive daily. You compare severity of injuries and wonder why the guy with a broken arm is complaining when the guy next to him is 45% burned, intubated, and is missing a limb. That may be an extreme, but it happens all the time.
They teach you in nursing school and in practice that pain is what the patients tell you it. It doesn't matter if they are sitting there with a blank expressionless face telling you that they are in the most severe pain or if they are writhing in bed. They get treated equally for pain with what the doctor has written for pain. You often question yourself if your patient really understands what you are talking about when you ask them to rate their pain on a scale of one to ten. You also have to consider the language barrier that exists too. Most frequently they tell you a high number which leaves you skeptical as they drift off back to sleep and have to actually be woken up to take their pain medicine. I realize too that certainly they can have pain even though they are asleep. It is often that they get to the state of exhaustion from the pain they are experiencing along with the emotional and physical stress they are under from their wounds. Eventually, something has to give. They get a moment where their body shuts off for a minute to try and recharge to better help them cope.
So, R&R could not have come at a better time for me. I left the night before on a helicopter to arrive to Baghdad International Airport. From there I would fly to Kuwait and then on to Germany and finally Atlanta. It is quite the journey from the CSH. It takes about 3-4 days. I luckily traveled with another female from the CSH that was good company on my trip. You sit around and wait a lot. The ever popular Army slogan of "hurry up and wait" was in full effect. It amazes me how backwards the Army does some things. I don't know if it is done like that on purpose or that no one can change the system for the better.
Anyway along my travels home, I was all curled up in my seat like the 360 other people on the plane with me when I was woken up suddenly. Keep in mind that I had my boots off, glasses off, ACU top off, and I was under my little airline blanket dreaming of nothing. I was in la la land. As I woke up, I am staring at my chalk commander reconfirming that I was a nurse and could I go and check out a soldier that was sick and throwing up. Here I am trying to go home on R&R and I'm still treating patients. Only me! So I pull on my boots and put my top back on along with my glasses and make my way to the front of the plane. The soldier is an older man that is sitting hunched over a bag throwing up. I kneel down next to him and start asking him some questions like how long have you been throwing up? I asked him about his past medical history and allergies. I asked him what had happened preceding his vomiting. I had lots of questions to ask. They are my typical questions I ask someone to help me put the pieces together of why they present in the manner that they do.
The flight attendants on the plane were very nice in assisting me. I asked if they had a first aid kit and they were able to give me the little book that lists everything that comes in it. I luckily was carrying some Phenergan with me which is a medication that helps with nausea and vomiting. It also can make you very sleepy as well. I gave him one and hoped that he would keep it down. He did end up vomiting again, but no evidence of the pill came up. I made the determination that he probably needed some fluids and the only way I was going to get them into him so that he could keep them down was by IV. The funny part was because we were on an airplane I had to talk to a doctor via phone that would allow me to open and use the first aid bag. Apparently there is paperwork to fill out and the airline attendants have to call a doctor to get permission to use the kit and be told what to do. Needless to say I got permission after speaking with the doc on the phone. The other comical part of this was as I was preparing the IV stuff; a Brigade Surgeon (a doctor) came up and asked what was going on with the guy. He said he had just woke up and noticed I was setting up an IV and thought he should see if there was something he could do. I was thinking to myself, “Oh, now you come up!” It was funny to me. Anyway to wrap it up, I started an IV on this guy while in flight gave him some fluids, and monitored him the rest of the way to Germany where we were met by the paramedics. I updated them on what had happened with the soldier and they offered to take him to the hospital, but he refused because he was just as eager as everyone else to get home on leave. I got to take some supplies from the Germans with the signature of the MD, who reported to everyone that I was the one caring for the patient and had everything covered. It was certainly an interesting way to start my leave!
I have postponed taking my CCRN exam until I return home. I actually arrived on the date the test was being given upon returning from leave. I got in at 0400 and the test was at 0900. I though it would be better if I threw away my 300.00 for the exam another day! =) I think it was a better decision on my part to reschedule and give myself a chance to get adequate rest and more study time as well. I still have other courses I need to complete while I am here to keep myself busy with. I have the Captain’s Career Course and the ECCO course which is actually phase one of the ICU course the military offers.
My R&R went well and I did exactly what I wanted, REST. I enjoyed shopping with my Mom, getting tortured by my brother, hanging out with my Dad, visiting my Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, and Grandfather, and chilling with my dogs. I spent much of my time sleeping and trying to figure out what time zone I was in. I spoiled myself with a manicure, a pedicure, and a facial. I also got my hair cut and colored. I actually felt like a girl for the first time in awhile. I ate home cooked meals, sushi, and dined at some of my favorite places. I got my steamers and a couple of cold ones. I got my Panera Asiago bagel and my Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee.
I also made a trip to Charleston, SC to visit one of my best friends, Laura and Chris. I had a great time. We visited many of the tourist spots and just relaxed. We got some of the best pizza I have had in years and watched movies. We studied for my CCRN exam. We hung out on the beach and ate bagels and took pictures. It was a very nice end to my leave. I hated getting back on that plane to head back here. Traveling back here went much more smoothly though.
The soldier I treated on our way over to the states found me and thanked me. I was also then recognized by several of the other soldiers as the “medic” and was asked for things for headache and nausea before getting on our plane ride home. It was pretty funny and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
So another two months have gone by and again not much has changed. We got the news that we may be extended, but not definite word from our Chain of Command has come out yet. Apparently they have yet to extend any of the medical assets at this point, but there is always a chance. I have begun to mentally prepare myself to stay. I figure if we head home on time it will literally be like Christmas early and if we stay then I am already prepared and won’t be disappointed.
I will try and be better at giving out more updates and sending out some pictures. I have been busy on and off and have not taken that many pictures lately. I will send some along from my R&R when I get to my room tonight. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support, packages, and letters. I will write back soon; I promise. Please know that all of you are in my thoughts and in my prayers at night. I can’t wait to come home and just be ME! Talk to you soon and keep in touch!
=============
Hello All!
I realize it has been another two months since I last wrote an update. These last two months have practically flown by! It's funny to me as I sit here and think about what has happened in the last two months and to be honest not too much has changed.
About mid month in March I went home on R&R. I don't think it could have come at a better time for me. I was getting to the point of some mild burn out. After you deal day in and day out with broken bodies and spirits it starts to break you down as well. You lose your compassion as you care for the new patients that arrive daily. You compare severity of injuries and wonder why the guy with a broken arm is complaining when the guy next to him is 45% burned, intubated, and is missing a limb. That may be an extreme, but it happens all the time.
They teach you in nursing school and in practice that pain is what the patients tell you it. It doesn't matter if they are sitting there with a blank expressionless face telling you that they are in the most severe pain or if they are writhing in bed. They get treated equally for pain with what the doctor has written for pain. You often question yourself if your patient really understands what you are talking about when you ask them to rate their pain on a scale of one to ten. You also have to consider the language barrier that exists too. Most frequently they tell you a high number which leaves you skeptical as they drift off back to sleep and have to actually be woken up to take their pain medicine. I realize too that certainly they can have pain even though they are asleep. It is often that they get to the state of exhaustion from the pain they are experiencing along with the emotional and physical stress they are under from their wounds. Eventually, something has to give. They get a moment where their body shuts off for a minute to try and recharge to better help them cope.
So, R&R could not have come at a better time for me. I left the night before on a helicopter to arrive to Baghdad International Airport. From there I would fly to Kuwait and then on to Germany and finally Atlanta. It is quite the journey from the CSH. It takes about 3-4 days. I luckily traveled with another female from the CSH that was good company on my trip. You sit around and wait a lot. The ever popular Army slogan of "hurry up and wait" was in full effect. It amazes me how backwards the Army does some things. I don't know if it is done like that on purpose or that no one can change the system for the better.
Anyway along my travels home, I was all curled up in my seat like the 360 other people on the plane with me when I was woken up suddenly. Keep in mind that I had my boots off, glasses off, ACU top off, and I was under my little airline blanket dreaming of nothing. I was in la la land. As I woke up, I am staring at my chalk commander reconfirming that I was a nurse and could I go and check out a soldier that was sick and throwing up. Here I am trying to go home on R&R and I'm still treating patients. Only me! So I pull on my boots and put my top back on along with my glasses and make my way to the front of the plane. The soldier is an older man that is sitting hunched over a bag throwing up. I kneel down next to him and start asking him some questions like how long have you been throwing up? I asked him about his past medical history and allergies. I asked him what had happened preceding his vomiting. I had lots of questions to ask. They are my typical questions I ask someone to help me put the pieces together of why they present in the manner that they do.
The flight attendants on the plane were very nice in assisting me. I asked if they had a first aid kit and they were able to give me the little book that lists everything that comes in it. I luckily was carrying some Phenergan with me which is a medication that helps with nausea and vomiting. It also can make you very sleepy as well. I gave him one and hoped that he would keep it down. He did end up vomiting again, but no evidence of the pill came up. I made the determination that he probably needed some fluids and the only way I was going to get them into him so that he could keep them down was by IV. The funny part was because we were on an airplane I had to talk to a doctor via phone that would allow me to open and use the first aid bag. Apparently there is paperwork to fill out and the airline attendants have to call a doctor to get permission to use the kit and be told what to do. Needless to say I got permission after speaking with the doc on the phone. The other comical part of this was as I was preparing the IV stuff; a Brigade Surgeon (a doctor) came up and asked what was going on with the guy. He said he had just woke up and noticed I was setting up an IV and thought he should see if there was something he could do. I was thinking to myself, “Oh, now you come up!” It was funny to me. Anyway to wrap it up, I started an IV on this guy while in flight gave him some fluids, and monitored him the rest of the way to Germany where we were met by the paramedics. I updated them on what had happened with the soldier and they offered to take him to the hospital, but he refused because he was just as eager as everyone else to get home on leave. I got to take some supplies from the Germans with the signature of the MD, who reported to everyone that I was the one caring for the patient and had everything covered. It was certainly an interesting way to start my leave!
I have postponed taking my CCRN exam until I return home. I actually arrived on the date the test was being given upon returning from leave. I got in at 0400 and the test was at 0900. I though it would be better if I threw away my 300.00 for the exam another day! =) I think it was a better decision on my part to reschedule and give myself a chance to get adequate rest and more study time as well. I still have other courses I need to complete while I am here to keep myself busy with. I have the Captain’s Career Course and the ECCO course which is actually phase one of the ICU course the military offers.
My R&R went well and I did exactly what I wanted, REST. I enjoyed shopping with my Mom, getting tortured by my brother, hanging out with my Dad, visiting my Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, and Grandfather, and chilling with my dogs. I spent much of my time sleeping and trying to figure out what time zone I was in. I spoiled myself with a manicure, a pedicure, and a facial. I also got my hair cut and colored. I actually felt like a girl for the first time in awhile. I ate home cooked meals, sushi, and dined at some of my favorite places. I got my steamers and a couple of cold ones. I got my Panera Asiago bagel and my Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee.
I also made a trip to Charleston, SC to visit one of my best friends, Laura and Chris. I had a great time. We visited many of the tourist spots and just relaxed. We got some of the best pizza I have had in years and watched movies. We studied for my CCRN exam. We hung out on the beach and ate bagels and took pictures. It was a very nice end to my leave. I hated getting back on that plane to head back here. Traveling back here went much more smoothly though.
The soldier I treated on our way over to the states found me and thanked me. I was also then recognized by several of the other soldiers as the “medic” and was asked for things for headache and nausea before getting on our plane ride home. It was pretty funny and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
So another two months have gone by and again not much has changed. We got the news that we may be extended, but not definite word from our Chain of Command has come out yet. Apparently they have yet to extend any of the medical assets at this point, but there is always a chance. I have begun to mentally prepare myself to stay. I figure if we head home on time it will literally be like Christmas early and if we stay then I am already prepared and won’t be disappointed.
I will try and be better at giving out more updates and sending out some pictures. I have been busy on and off and have not taken that many pictures lately. I will send some along from my R&R when I get to my room tonight. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support, packages, and letters. I will write back soon; I promise. Please know that all of you are in my thoughts and in my prayers at night. I can’t wait to come home and just be ME! Talk to you soon and keep in touch!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Mother's Day for Peace
Mother’s Day has long been celebrated as a day to honor your mother. It is important to celebrate all your mom has done for you. Originally, way back in 1870, Mother’s Day was put together by mothers (who at the time had no political clout) as a call to unite women for peace. When we discovered this, it became clear that the time was perfect to put together a piece highlighting Julia Ward Howe’s inspirational proclamation from 1870 and honoring the foresight and courage of the women who stated ‘We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.’
With the help of Gloria Steinem and celebrity moms Christine Lahti, Felicity Huffman, Vanessa Williams and Alfre Woodard, Brave New Foundation has created a piece that tells the story of this important holiday. Although this proclamation was written 137 years ago, the emotions and concerns of mothers today have not changed. Mothers past and present do not want to see their children lost to war.
We are all grateful to our mothers for the long hours they have spent teaching, loving, laughing and crying with us. Please join us in honoring your mother with a message of hope for peace. http://www.mothersdayforpeace.org
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Let's take a break from this war- how about 2 months off?
As we move into May, we leave behind a month with the highest number of US casualties in Iraq in about 17 months. We mark the 4th anniversary of "Mission Accomplished". As painful as it might be to walk back in time, let's revisit what the President told us from the deck of the USS Lincoln.
He believed it at the time and he still believes it. I'd like to think he wonders why we don't, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't give us a thought.
Mission Accomplished has turned into Mission Impossible or What the Hell is the Mission? We still don't know.. 3350 US military have been killed since the initial invasion and 3215 since those famous words "Mission Accomplished". 1671 Iraqis were killed in April 2007, at least that's what we are told. How can we know for sure?
General's are coming out with strong rebukes of Bush's actions or non-actions this week. Lt General William E Odum spoke to the country this week and said this:
and Maj General Paul Eaton spoke out with this:
The president vetoes a supplemental war funding bill sent to him by Congress insisting he wouldn't accept "false" timetables. While we're talking about the Supplemental, can I ask why this war is being funded with supplemental budget and not as part of the official annual funding budget? Oh, wait, I know- this administration doesn't want us to know because we might not support the occupation. At $5 billion per month for fighting in Iraq & Afghanistan, that's no chump change.
So, it's been a pretty bad week. But the cherry on top of all this sweetness is hearing that the Iraqi politicians are considering a lengthy break this summer.
"If they go off on vacation for two months while our troops fight — that would be the outrage of outrages," said Rep. Chris Shays, a Republican. The Iraq parliament's recess, starting this July, would likely come without Baghdad politicians reaching agreements considered key to easing sectarian tensions. Examples include regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because of Baath party membership.
Thousands took to the streets to protest the veto, no one in DC can agree on a strategy to end this war, and the Iraqi politicians want to take a vacation. Our military is being extended to serve deployments of 15 months, and the Iraqi leaders are planning their 2 month vacation?
Unbelievable!
Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (Applause.) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment -- yet, it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other, made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free. (Applause.)
Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision and speed and boldness the enemy did not expect, and the world had not seen before. From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division, or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground, in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American Armed Forces.
He believed it at the time and he still believes it. I'd like to think he wonders why we don't, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't give us a thought.
Mission Accomplished has turned into Mission Impossible or What the Hell is the Mission? We still don't know.. 3350 US military have been killed since the initial invasion and 3215 since those famous words "Mission Accomplished". 1671 Iraqis were killed in April 2007, at least that's what we are told. How can we know for sure?
General's are coming out with strong rebukes of Bush's actions or non-actions this week. Lt General William E Odum spoke to the country this week and said this:
“To put this in a simple army metaphor, the Commander-in-Chief seems to have gone AWOL, that is ‘absent without leave.’ He neither acts nor talks as though he is in charge. Rather, he engages in tit-for-tat games…I hope the President seizes this moment for a basic change in course and signs the bill the Congress has sent him. I will respect him greatly for such a rare act of courage, and so too, I suspect, will most Americans.
and Maj General Paul Eaton spoke out with this:
This administration and the previously Republican controlled legislature have been the most caustic agents against America's Armed Forces in memory. Less than a year ago, the Republicans imposed great hardship on the Army and Marine Corps by their failure to pass a necessary funding language. This time, the President of the United States is holding our soldiers hostage to his ego. More than ever apparent, only the Army and the Marine Corps are at war - alone, without their President's support.
The president vetoes a supplemental war funding bill sent to him by Congress insisting he wouldn't accept "false" timetables. While we're talking about the Supplemental, can I ask why this war is being funded with supplemental budget and not as part of the official annual funding budget? Oh, wait, I know- this administration doesn't want us to know because we might not support the occupation. At $5 billion per month for fighting in Iraq & Afghanistan, that's no chump change.
So, it's been a pretty bad week. But the cherry on top of all this sweetness is hearing that the Iraqi politicians are considering a lengthy break this summer.
"If they go off on vacation for two months while our troops fight — that would be the outrage of outrages," said Rep. Chris Shays, a Republican. The Iraq parliament's recess, starting this July, would likely come without Baghdad politicians reaching agreements considered key to easing sectarian tensions. Examples include regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because of Baath party membership.
Thousands took to the streets to protest the veto, no one in DC can agree on a strategy to end this war, and the Iraqi politicians want to take a vacation. Our military is being extended to serve deployments of 15 months, and the Iraqi leaders are planning their 2 month vacation?
Unbelievable!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
No Tears for George Tenet
Back in Dec 2004, George Bush presented George Tenet the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This medal is the Nation's highest civil award presented by the President of the United States to persons who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
There was much discussion and derision back then with people wondering why retired General Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer and George Tenet, as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, were honored with this medal. These men who the president said "played pivotal roles in great events and whose efforts have made our country more secure and advanced the cause of human liberty." Indeed. In 2007, we know now the pivotal role each of them played in accommodating the march into Baghdad. We also know now that our country is not more secure and the condition of human liberty worldwide has suffered.
These supposed men of honor should go directly to Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery and place those medals at any one of those headstones, where more than 300 of our nation's best and brightest who were killed in Iraq & Afghanistan are buried. Any of those men & women will always have been more honorable than the 3 men who stood with the president that December day in 2004.
On 60 Minutes tonite, George Tenet complains that the administration used him as a scapegoat to make their case for the invasion of Iraq. He accused Andrew Card of this:
There was much discussion and derision back then with people wondering why retired General Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer and George Tenet, as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, were honored with this medal. These men who the president said "played pivotal roles in great events and whose efforts have made our country more secure and advanced the cause of human liberty." Indeed. In 2007, we know now the pivotal role each of them played in accommodating the march into Baghdad. We also know now that our country is not more secure and the condition of human liberty worldwide has suffered.
These supposed men of honor should go directly to Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery and place those medals at any one of those headstones, where more than 300 of our nation's best and brightest who were killed in Iraq & Afghanistan are buried. Any of those men & women will always have been more honorable than the 3 men who stood with the president that December day in 2004.
On 60 Minutes tonite, George Tenet complains that the administration used him as a scapegoat to make their case for the invasion of Iraq. He accused Andrew Card of this:
You've gone out and made me look stupid. It's the most despicable thing I've ever heard in my life. Men of honor don't do this.
and
You don't do this. You don't throw people overboard. You don't call do this — you don't call somebody in. You work your heart out. You show up every day. You're going to throw somebody overboard just because it's a deflection. Is that honorable? It's not honorable to me. OK and that's how I feel. Now had it happened and who orchestrated it and what happened, you know, at the end of the day the only thing that you have is trust and honor in this world. It's all you have. All you have is your reputation built on trust and your personal honor.
No one in the Bush adminstration is a man or woman of honor, period. That word is not in their dictionary. What is despicable is the devastation that this war in Iraq has caused to our country. My only child, Lt Ken Ballard and 3340+ other US soldiers have been sacrificed because Tenet and others wouldn't stand up to the President and tell the country the truth. For 3 years until Tenet signed a book contract, the truth was held close to Tenet's cold heart. How many lives could have been saved had Tenet had the courage to stand up and be the honorable man that he presents himself to be?
It was George Tenet who threw all of our military overboard when he didn't stand up before this country and tell us the truth that there was no planning. George Tenet complains about his loss of reputation, but where is his concern for the loss of life his silence caused?
Tenet, who for four years briefed the president nearly every day, acknowledges that the CIA made grievous errors in its assessment of Baghdad's alleged weapons programs, but argues that the agency was dismayed by equally disastrous mistakes that took place after the invasion."Our analysis assumed there was a plan for ensuring the peace," he writes in one section of a chapter called "Mission Not Accomplished," a pointed reference to Bush. "In fact, there was no strategy for when U.S. forces hit the ground."
In 2003, our military was sent into battle without adequate training and protection or a clear and defined mission. In the 5th year of the war, our military is still without the resources they need to complete the mission; whatever that mission may be.
George Tenet has a new tell all book out, so he's telling the truth now, spilling his guts. Where was the truth back in 2002-2003 when his conscience would have saved 3300+ US soldiers and countless Iraqi citizens? Now he tells us what he knew and when he knew it. Until the price was right, he chose to keep that to himself. He followed Paul Bremer's lead, who did the same thing when his book, My Year in Iraq was published a few years back. I have no patience for people whose conscience comes clean only when signing a book contract.
The money that George Tenet is receiving for writing this book and baring his pathetic soul is blood money, plain and clear. In California there are laws to prevent a criminal from profiting off his crimes. George Tenet should donate all of the profits from his book to support the troops and their families.
Tenet is not the only one who betrayed this country and betrayed the troops. He's not the first one to come clean and he won't be the last. My only question is why they waited so long and the common answer is clear- money. Tenet seems to be asking for our forgiveness, but there are some things that are unforgivable.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
No one suffers more than Laura & George Bush
We would be better off without Laura Bush in the White House but if she is going to stay, she should just keep her mouth shut. Our First lady must have missed the lesson that said "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"
Laura Bush was interviewed on the Today Show this morning and said "no one suffers more than she and her husband when it comes to watching what goes on in Iraq". Unfortunately, when I heard about this, my first thought was NOT, they must have gotten it wrong; no one would say something like that. But indeed, the current First Lady of this country has sunk as low as her mother-in-law when Barbara Bush said before the beginning of the war in Iraq: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Let's listen in:
What is wrong with these people? How far removed can you be from reality? Oh, I forgot, they live in George's world.
Let's hear Laura say this in her own voice:
Not to be real picky, but I'd like to make one little correction. Laura's husband, the Commander in Chief did not "ask" our sons and daughters to go to Iraq- he "ordered" them to participate in an illegal invasion and occupation of a sovereign country.
I really wish these Bush people would go away for a very long time. This country needs to do some serious healing and it will never happen on these ignorant people's watch.
Laura Bush was interviewed on the Today Show this morning and said "no one suffers more than she and her husband when it comes to watching what goes on in Iraq". Unfortunately, when I heard about this, my first thought was NOT, they must have gotten it wrong; no one would say something like that. But indeed, the current First Lady of this country has sunk as low as her mother-in-law when Barbara Bush said before the beginning of the war in Iraq: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Let's listen in:
ANN CURRY: Do you know the American people are suffering… watching
[Iraq]?
LAURA BUSH: Oh, I know that very much, and, believe me, no suffers more
than their president and I do when we watch this. And certainly the
commander-in-chief who has asked our military to go into harm’s way.
AC: What do you think the American people need to know…
LB: Well, I hope they do know the burden of worry that’s on his
shoulders every single day for our troops. And I think they do. I think if they
don’t, they’re not seeing what the real responsibilities of our president are.
AC: It must be hard for you to watch him in this.
LB: It’s hard. Of course, it’s absolutely hard.
What is wrong with these people? How far removed can you be from reality? Oh, I forgot, they live in George's world.
Let's hear Laura say this in her own voice:
Laura Bush said that no one suffers more than Bush and Laura herself watching what's going on in Iraq.
Neither Laura or George Bush will never, ever know how hard it is to bring your son or daughter home from Iraq in a flag covered casket. They will never know because no one in the Bush family will ever fight in this war, or any war, so her opinion is disingenuous.
It's not so bad that she says what she says; we've come to expect stupidity and insensitivity from the Bush White House. To say that Laura thinks that she and her husband would know how difficult it is to bury your child is even more patronizing to those of us who have had to bury our children who were killed in George Bush's occupation of Iraq. It's worse that she truly believes what she says and that she would find my distress confusing.
It's not so bad that she says what she says; we've come to expect stupidity and insensitivity from the Bush White House. To say that Laura thinks that she and her husband would know how difficult it is to bury your child is even more patronizing to those of us who have had to bury our children who were killed in George Bush's occupation of Iraq. It's worse that she truly believes what she says and that she would find my distress confusing.
Not to be real picky, but I'd like to make one little correction. Laura's husband, the Commander in Chief did not "ask" our sons and daughters to go to Iraq- he "ordered" them to participate in an illegal invasion and occupation of a sovereign country.
I really wish these Bush people would go away for a very long time. This country needs to do some serious healing and it will never happen on these ignorant people's watch.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Video Vets Project
I work with many organizations in the peace community to speak about this war and to spread the message "Bring Them Home Now and Take very good care of them when they get here". I always speak for Gold Star Families Speak Out, a chapter of Military Families Speak Out, of which I am on the national board of directors.
I have worked with AFSC, American Friends Service Committee, who sponsors Eyes Wide Open, the display of empty combat boots. I work with our local peace groups, Mountain View Voices for Peace, Los Altos Voice for Peace and Peninsula Peace & Justice. I have participated at rallies for United for Peace & Justice and many other organizations. Members and leaders of these organizations work tirelessly for peace and have all welcomed me to speak about my son and my experience.
Some organizations stray from my main message of Bring Them Home Now and I always think long and hard about what my message is and if an organization has the same message. I try to be aware of the dynamics at any rally and make sure it will be safe to tell Ken's and my story. If, when I speak, one person get's it, the cost of this war, then I have done my job. I will continue to tell our story until they all come home.
There are many good organizations and good people who are working very hard for peace and while we may not always all be totally aligned; our message is getting to Washington and even many local legislators.
With the able assistance of Videographer, Stephen Conway and his amazing talent, I recently recorded a video as part of a project for MoveOn (see below). Here's how MoveOn describes the Video Vets project:
I have worked with AFSC, American Friends Service Committee, who sponsors Eyes Wide Open, the display of empty combat boots. I work with our local peace groups, Mountain View Voices for Peace, Los Altos Voice for Peace and Peninsula Peace & Justice. I have participated at rallies for United for Peace & Justice and many other organizations. Members and leaders of these organizations work tirelessly for peace and have all welcomed me to speak about my son and my experience.
Some organizations stray from my main message of Bring Them Home Now and I always think long and hard about what my message is and if an organization has the same message. I try to be aware of the dynamics at any rally and make sure it will be safe to tell Ken's and my story. If, when I speak, one person get's it, the cost of this war, then I have done my job. I will continue to tell our story until they all come home.
There are many good organizations and good people who are working very hard for peace and while we may not always all be totally aligned; our message is getting to Washington and even many local legislators.
With the able assistance of Videographer, Stephen Conway and his amazing talent, I recently recorded a video as part of a project for MoveOn (see below). Here's how MoveOn describes the Video Vets project:
VideoVets: Bring Our Troops Home is an important new project that will use the power of internet video to help spread the stories that folks need to hear most: the truth about how veterans and military families feel about the war and why we need to bring our troops home safely and quickly.
Every day at MoveOn we get letters from military families and veterans who’re outraged that the president hides behind the troops to justify his policy—a policy that’s leaving tens of thousands of them stranded in the middle of an unwinnable civil war. So we teamed up with our friends at VoteVets.org to give these folks a platform to speak out.
You watch the videos and tell us what you think. We’ll take the one you select and Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone will turn it into a TV ad—spreading this message even further. Believe us, once you get started watching these you won’t be able to stop. You have until midnight (Pacific Time), April 25th, to log your ratings.
Karen Meredith
Watch this video and vote for your favoriteHere are some of the comments that MoveOn forwarded to me:Paul B. Buffalo, NY
Dear Karen, I was very moved by your video. I am so sorry for your loss. My son is Sgt John Bruhns, who also made a video. Your message is what has been in my heart since day one of the Iraq war. I, too was against this war from the moment it began, and I listened to your message, I so vividly remembered those nights, praying, not knowing, crying, and promising God anything to just keep my son alive. My heart is heavy with grief for you and the other mothers who lost sons and daughters. I want to thank you for your powerful and eloquent message.
Esther M. Queens NY
Thank you for that incredible video and for sharing your story. It takes great courage to speak up. I am sorry for your loss. I hope that all the military mothers can have the strength and resolve you seem to have, and tell this administration- no more.
Bonnie B. Portland, ME
Dear Karen, I am so sorry for the loss of your son. Thank you for speaking out. We lost our niece, Capt. Jen Harris, USMC, on Feb. 7, 2007. It was her third tour and she was due to finally come home the week her helicopter was shot down over Baghdad. The pain to our family, and thousands of other families, American and Iraqi, is indescribable as you well know. I can't believe what our government has done. I pray that my sister finds the strength to eventually speak out as you have done so eloquently. Peace to you, Karen, and to all of us - especially our brave and honorable soldiers.
Katherine B. Brooklyn, NY
Dear Ms. Meredith, I feel compelled to let you know how very moved I was by your remarkable grace and eloquence in telling this story. I am so very sorry for your loss, so thankful to you for sharing it.
Benjamin P., Ellicott City, MD
I really thought your video was moving. And I am really thinking a lot about your tragic loss. I hope no other mothers have to suffer like this. God bless you.
John L. Hamlet, IN
I am a former marine Sgt. who served during the Viet Nam war with honor. When i saw your video clip. it brought back so many memories of what the Viet Nam war did to our young men and women of that time area. So many young people died for a worthless war. It’s just like this war is in Iraq. I cry as i watch you kneel down by your son’s grave It reminds me of all the mothers before you who lost a son or daughter to war. This war in Iraq is so much like Viet Nam was and this government of our’s is doing the same thing all over again. We haven’t learned at all from our mistakes of the past. GOD BLESS you for standing up for what is right by bringing an end to this damn war. I am sure if your son is watching from above he’s saying thank you mom. And I as a former marine Sgt thank you for your stand to help stop the war in Iraq. I am so sorry for your loss.
Dan M. Oakland CA
Dear Karen: i watched several of these videos for moveon, and your interview is by far the most thoughtful and moving. i feel for your loss and cried for the first time since i can remember.
Ann M., Phoenicia, NY
Thank you for sharing your story—I m so sorry for your loss.
Christine K., Claremont, CA
Karen - I am extremely sorry for your loss but want to thank you for your willingness to share your story so publicly. Hopefully something better can come of that by helping to bring the troops home!
John C., Miami FL
I just watched your video. I liked it a lot and gave it a very good rating. Thanks for making it. I admire you for that (and I'm sure a lot of other people will too).
Aisha K. Lawrenceville GA God Bless You. I wish that more mothers would be as courageous as you to help end this fruitless war.
Susan B. Harrisonburg, VA
Thanks you so much for making this message to bring our troops home. I cried so hard when I heard your message. I am a mother of two sons and I cannot image what you are going through. My heart goes out to you and my prayers are with you.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
3301 US dead
Before I left the house this morning, I checked http://www.icasualties.org/ for the current number of US troops killed in Iraq, as I do everyday. By all accounts, icasualties is not the official Department of Defense count, but it is the site that I check during the day for the number that I refer to.
This morning the number was 3299. I've been out and about for a few hours and now the number is 3301. The numbers keep increasing- tick tock, Knock Knock. Those uniformed members of the military, the notification team has yet to notify 6 families. Those families think their life is still normal. They may be sitting down to Sunday dinner, holding close to the fact that there is an empty seat at the table, but just for the deployment, not for ever. They may be washing the dishes, or letting the dog out for the evening when that dreaded knock on the door comes. Knock, Knock. We regret to inform you....
In April so far there have been 4.15 deaths per day, more than most months- even since the invasion in March 2003. Since George Bush announced the surge in January, 300 soldiers have died. How's that surge working for you now, George? The only promise that this president has kept is when he told us that there will be hard times, difficult times in his Global War on Terror. But he doesn't know the meaning of difficult as it relates to burying a child. As much as I would like to have this president know the pain, really understand what it means to bury your only child; I don't think he, or other members of his PNAC infested administration have the emotional wiring to feel the pain of losing a child in a war you do not support. If I thought they would be profoundly changed by the experience; if I thought they were capable of having any empathy, I would gladly share my grief, but it would be wasted and they wouldn't know what to do with human feelings anyway. The lot of them, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith or Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, or Dick Cheney; not one of them has a soul. They only care for themselves, their egos & greed and I suspect, they don't really care that much for their families, despite what it may look like. They just don't know how.
I guess my feelings of melancholy, or bitterness or anger- you choose which, I'll just wallow in it, come from this weekend. On Saturday, I attended the memorial of Spc James Coon Walnut Creek, CA. Even in the cool, rainy weather, hundreds of people attended and honored Jimmy's life. Jimmy was only 22 and while the ceremony was lovely and you just knew he was the kind of child that loved and was loved, I had to keep asking WHY? Why did Jimmy have to die and leave his family with such a big hole in their hearts. On my way home, I stopped by the memorial crosses that sprouted up on a hillside in Lafayette, CA last winter. A cross had been labeled with Jimmy's name already; I left flowers for him and for Ken & Patrick McCaffrey. With 3289 crosses (they update the number on Sundays) organically placed, remembering and honoring the US dead in George Bush's Iraq adventure, all I can think is WHY? Why did they have to die?
This afternoon, I attended a reunion of Gold Star families who had taken part in a project called Stories of Service sponsored by the Digital clubhouse in San Jose, CA. Since the summer of 2005, about 20 digital stories have been written, narrated and documented by family members of soldiers and Marines who were killed in Iraq. None of the stories have been political, they've all been about the little boys who grew up to serve their country. This is a time to honor our sons & daughters, husbands and wives. I've seen Ken's story dozens of times, heck, I wrote the danged thing, but it sill makes me cry. Imagine watching a dozen of these stories in one sitting, which we did today. I was the project leader on the most of the stories to date and I am grateful that each Gold Star family took that leap of faith and painfully went through photos and music so their story would represent their loved ones just so. The loss of these young men was so unnecessary, I kept asking myself WHY they had to die?
None of the Sunday evening news shows mentioned the new milestone number that passed 3300 sometime this afternoon our time. I guess it's not news anymore; I guess it's not important to most people. But I promise you, every Gold Star family feels the pain for each new casualty as the numbers keep mounting, tick tock; knock, knock.
This morning the number was 3299. I've been out and about for a few hours and now the number is 3301. The numbers keep increasing- tick tock, Knock Knock. Those uniformed members of the military, the notification team has yet to notify 6 families. Those families think their life is still normal. They may be sitting down to Sunday dinner, holding close to the fact that there is an empty seat at the table, but just for the deployment, not for ever. They may be washing the dishes, or letting the dog out for the evening when that dreaded knock on the door comes. Knock, Knock. We regret to inform you....
In April so far there have been 4.15 deaths per day, more than most months- even since the invasion in March 2003. Since George Bush announced the surge in January, 300 soldiers have died. How's that surge working for you now, George? The only promise that this president has kept is when he told us that there will be hard times, difficult times in his Global War on Terror. But he doesn't know the meaning of difficult as it relates to burying a child. As much as I would like to have this president know the pain, really understand what it means to bury your only child; I don't think he, or other members of his PNAC infested administration have the emotional wiring to feel the pain of losing a child in a war you do not support. If I thought they would be profoundly changed by the experience; if I thought they were capable of having any empathy, I would gladly share my grief, but it would be wasted and they wouldn't know what to do with human feelings anyway. The lot of them, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith or Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, or Dick Cheney; not one of them has a soul. They only care for themselves, their egos & greed and I suspect, they don't really care that much for their families, despite what it may look like. They just don't know how.
I guess my feelings of melancholy, or bitterness or anger- you choose which, I'll just wallow in it, come from this weekend. On Saturday, I attended the memorial of Spc James Coon Walnut Creek, CA. Even in the cool, rainy weather, hundreds of people attended and honored Jimmy's life. Jimmy was only 22 and while the ceremony was lovely and you just knew he was the kind of child that loved and was loved, I had to keep asking WHY? Why did Jimmy have to die and leave his family with such a big hole in their hearts. On my way home, I stopped by the memorial crosses that sprouted up on a hillside in Lafayette, CA last winter. A cross had been labeled with Jimmy's name already; I left flowers for him and for Ken & Patrick McCaffrey. With 3289 crosses (they update the number on Sundays) organically placed, remembering and honoring the US dead in George Bush's Iraq adventure, all I can think is WHY? Why did they have to die?
This afternoon, I attended a reunion of Gold Star families who had taken part in a project called Stories of Service sponsored by the Digital clubhouse in San Jose, CA. Since the summer of 2005, about 20 digital stories have been written, narrated and documented by family members of soldiers and Marines who were killed in Iraq. None of the stories have been political, they've all been about the little boys who grew up to serve their country. This is a time to honor our sons & daughters, husbands and wives. I've seen Ken's story dozens of times, heck, I wrote the danged thing, but it sill makes me cry. Imagine watching a dozen of these stories in one sitting, which we did today. I was the project leader on the most of the stories to date and I am grateful that each Gold Star family took that leap of faith and painfully went through photos and music so their story would represent their loved ones just so. The loss of these young men was so unnecessary, I kept asking myself WHY they had to die?
None of the Sunday evening news shows mentioned the new milestone number that passed 3300 sometime this afternoon our time. I guess it's not news anymore; I guess it's not important to most people. But I promise you, every Gold Star family feels the pain for each new casualty as the numbers keep mounting, tick tock; knock, knock.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The "E" word
Extension. The rumors had been flying for weeks. No one knew just how deeply and directly it would affect every member of the military who is now or will be doing time in Iraq or Afghanistan (oh, and don't think Afghanistan is any better than Iraq). It is the latest move by the Pentagon to cope with the strains of fighting two wars simultaneously and maintaining a higher troop level in Iraq as part of President Bush's revised strategy for stabilizing Baghdad. What good does a high troop level do if they are demoralized, devastated and just plain exhausted from their expected 12 month deployment?
The hard, ugly truth is that these soldiers will be staying in Iraq for 15 months, not the 12 months on their orders. They say, 15 months "in country" to assure that they will have 12 months with their families when they get home. Yeah, right, if there is a family left still waiting. Divorce rates are soaring among military families; who can sustain a relationship, married or not if the deal is you keep having to go through that revolving door to Iraq, back home, only to return to Iraq. It is obscene that this administration thinks that 15 months in the hell hole that is Iraq is okay. No big deal, it's just 3 months longer than they were expected to serve. No big deal.
The administration says this country is at war; there have to be sacrifices, but I wonder why it has to be the same 1% who are bearing those sacrifices? No, this country is not at war; our military is, and Bush should just stop saying that.
That many service members heard the news of the extension via email from their spouses or family members just shows how little regard this administration has for the military they lead. There was no advanced notice from the Department of Defense to the families so they could process this tough news. There was no consistent, timely message from their commanders to the troops in the field so that all who were affected would find out at the same time. They can find out from the news media, just like everyone else. What does it matter? They all volunteered.
Back in April 2004 when my son, Lt Ken Ballard was still alive and the 1st Armored Division was extended for 120 days, the families were devastated. When Ken called to tell me of the extension, I put on a good face for him, but I just wanted to scream and howl! He should have heard me 11 timezones away; a sound that no wounded animal could make, a sound that I did not recognize coming from me and a sound that I would soon become familiar with. My heart was fragile already and with this news it nearly broke into a million pieces. If only I knew what another phone call would reveal in 6 weeks. If only I knew what a broken heart really felt like.
During the 384 days that Ken served in Iraq, we frequently talked about conditions, the mental status of Ken and his guys. I told him that they could do anything for a finite period of time; as long as they knew the end date. What could I say when we found out he would have to be there for 120 more days when they had already turned in their weapons, only to have them reissued? What could I say when I knew they had sent their personal possessions home and were literally counting the days in single digits to marching out of Baghdad? How could the Army keep moving that date, the day that they all lived for, focused on getting the hell out of Iraq and coming home? And how could they extend the date when all of the soldiers of 2-37 had survived that year in hell? Calculating the luck to time ratio was not spoken, but I did it and I'm sure Ken did, too. But, Ken explained, they had not completed their mission and when they did, they would come home. Ken apparently completed his mission on 5.30.04 when he was killed in Najaf and that's how he was able to come home.
This extension is get another way to use and abuse the troops and their families. The new speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said, "The Bush Administration has failed to create a plan to fully equip and train our troops, bring them home safely and soon, and provide our veterans with the quality care they deserve," "Extending the tours of all active-duty Army personnel is an unacceptable price for our troops and their families to pay."
Hey George, who supports the troops?
The hard, ugly truth is that these soldiers will be staying in Iraq for 15 months, not the 12 months on their orders. They say, 15 months "in country" to assure that they will have 12 months with their families when they get home. Yeah, right, if there is a family left still waiting. Divorce rates are soaring among military families; who can sustain a relationship, married or not if the deal is you keep having to go through that revolving door to Iraq, back home, only to return to Iraq. It is obscene that this administration thinks that 15 months in the hell hole that is Iraq is okay. No big deal, it's just 3 months longer than they were expected to serve. No big deal.
The administration says this country is at war; there have to be sacrifices, but I wonder why it has to be the same 1% who are bearing those sacrifices? No, this country is not at war; our military is, and Bush should just stop saying that.
That many service members heard the news of the extension via email from their spouses or family members just shows how little regard this administration has for the military they lead. There was no advanced notice from the Department of Defense to the families so they could process this tough news. There was no consistent, timely message from their commanders to the troops in the field so that all who were affected would find out at the same time. They can find out from the news media, just like everyone else. What does it matter? They all volunteered.
Back in April 2004 when my son, Lt Ken Ballard was still alive and the 1st Armored Division was extended for 120 days, the families were devastated. When Ken called to tell me of the extension, I put on a good face for him, but I just wanted to scream and howl! He should have heard me 11 timezones away; a sound that no wounded animal could make, a sound that I did not recognize coming from me and a sound that I would soon become familiar with. My heart was fragile already and with this news it nearly broke into a million pieces. If only I knew what another phone call would reveal in 6 weeks. If only I knew what a broken heart really felt like.
During the 384 days that Ken served in Iraq, we frequently talked about conditions, the mental status of Ken and his guys. I told him that they could do anything for a finite period of time; as long as they knew the end date. What could I say when we found out he would have to be there for 120 more days when they had already turned in their weapons, only to have them reissued? What could I say when I knew they had sent their personal possessions home and were literally counting the days in single digits to marching out of Baghdad? How could the Army keep moving that date, the day that they all lived for, focused on getting the hell out of Iraq and coming home? And how could they extend the date when all of the soldiers of 2-37 had survived that year in hell? Calculating the luck to time ratio was not spoken, but I did it and I'm sure Ken did, too. But, Ken explained, they had not completed their mission and when they did, they would come home. Ken apparently completed his mission on 5.30.04 when he was killed in Najaf and that's how he was able to come home.
This extension is get another way to use and abuse the troops and their families. The new speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said, "The Bush Administration has failed to create a plan to fully equip and train our troops, bring them home safely and soon, and provide our veterans with the quality care they deserve," "Extending the tours of all active-duty Army personnel is an unacceptable price for our troops and their families to pay."
Hey George, who supports the troops?
Friday, April 13, 2007
My bad!
My bad- We deleted 5 million emails even though it is against Federal law.
The White House email policy reads "Federal law requires the preservation of electronic communications sent or received by White House staff," All staffers are given the handbook and are expected to read and comply with these policies.
Dana Perino, the Valley Girl who's filling in as the White House spokesperson told reporters that the e-mails from those accounts should have been saved, but said policy has not kept pace with technology. She said computer experts were trying to retrieve any records that have been deleted. "We screwed up, and we're trying to fix it," she told reporters. Ya think?
And don't think this is destruction of electronic communications is news to members of this administration. Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, recently wrote a letter to Jack Fitzgerald, the special investigator into the Valerie Plame leak saying, "It looks like Karl Rove may well have destroyed evidence that implicated him in the White House's orchestrated efforts to leak Valerie Plame Wilson's covert identity to the press in retaliation against her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson," Sloan said. "Special Counsel Fitzgerald should immediately reopen his investigation into whether Rove took part in the leak, as well as whether he obstructed justice in the ensuing leak investigation." I think this is called a pattern.
My bad- I called the women of the Rutgers basketball team "nappy headed ho's".
Don Imus offered a seemingly heartfelt apology for his comments and said "I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person, but I said a bad thing". But this isn't the first time he "misspoke" and how many times do we have let racism be brushed off as humor?
My bad- John McCain said, "General Petraeus goes out there (into Baghdad) almost every day in an unarmed Humvee." and "There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today."
Was it really that safe? When questioned why his stroll through the Baghdad market required wearing body armor, dozens of armed US soldiers and snipers plus Apache helicopters flying overhead, "Of course I'm going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do in the future. I regret that when I divert attention to something that I've said from my message but you know that's just life, and I'm happy frankly with the way I operate, otherwise it would be a lot less fun," McCain said. Sounds a little too much like something the 43rd president would say and who wants 4 more years of that?
McCain and his fellow shoppers used the US military as a backdrop to their little adventure to show how well things are going in Iraq. How little they think of the troops who were put at unnecessary risk as the photo op took place so that a video postcard could be sent to the folks back at home telling them how well things are progressing in Iraq. wink, wink
It's been a bad week! Why is it when something incredibly stupid is said, some people think the acceptable response is "my bad". Where is the personal responsibility and integrity? Where is the civilized tone? We deserve better than this and we should continue to demand it.
The White House email policy reads "Federal law requires the preservation of electronic communications sent or received by White House staff," All staffers are given the handbook and are expected to read and comply with these policies.
Dana Perino, the Valley Girl who's filling in as the White House spokesperson told reporters that the e-mails from those accounts should have been saved, but said policy has not kept pace with technology. She said computer experts were trying to retrieve any records that have been deleted. "We screwed up, and we're trying to fix it," she told reporters. Ya think?
And don't think this is destruction of electronic communications is news to members of this administration. Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, recently wrote a letter to Jack Fitzgerald, the special investigator into the Valerie Plame leak saying, "It looks like Karl Rove may well have destroyed evidence that implicated him in the White House's orchestrated efforts to leak Valerie Plame Wilson's covert identity to the press in retaliation against her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson," Sloan said. "Special Counsel Fitzgerald should immediately reopen his investigation into whether Rove took part in the leak, as well as whether he obstructed justice in the ensuing leak investigation." I think this is called a pattern.
My bad- I called the women of the Rutgers basketball team "nappy headed ho's".
Don Imus offered a seemingly heartfelt apology for his comments and said "I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person, but I said a bad thing". But this isn't the first time he "misspoke" and how many times do we have let racism be brushed off as humor?
My bad- John McCain said, "General Petraeus goes out there (into Baghdad) almost every day in an unarmed Humvee." and "There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today."
Was it really that safe? When questioned why his stroll through the Baghdad market required wearing body armor, dozens of armed US soldiers and snipers plus Apache helicopters flying overhead, "Of course I'm going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do in the future. I regret that when I divert attention to something that I've said from my message but you know that's just life, and I'm happy frankly with the way I operate, otherwise it would be a lot less fun," McCain said. Sounds a little too much like something the 43rd president would say and who wants 4 more years of that?
McCain and his fellow shoppers used the US military as a backdrop to their little adventure to show how well things are going in Iraq. How little they think of the troops who were put at unnecessary risk as the photo op took place so that a video postcard could be sent to the folks back at home telling them how well things are progressing in Iraq. wink, wink
It's been a bad week! Why is it when something incredibly stupid is said, some people think the acceptable response is "my bad". Where is the personal responsibility and integrity? Where is the civilized tone? We deserve better than this and we should continue to demand it.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Oh no he didn't!
Senator Barack Obama told the Associated Press in an interview on Sunday that if President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops,"
Say it ain't so! Obama is trying to show that he is different than Hillary Clinton when it comes to the war in Iraq. Hilary says she would end the war if elected and won't apologize for her vote to attack Iraq back in 2002. She said she understands the the frustration and outrage people are feeling about the lack of progress in Congress to end this war. Obama says that he was against the Iraq invasion from the beginning.
It seems to me that both of them have given up on bringing the troops home during the next 2 years until one of them gets into the White House.
I understand there is a narrowly divided Senate. I understand when both the House and the Senate say the resolutions they put forward were the best they could do, although I don't agree. It is not time to throw their hands up and say "My bad, I'll end it when I am president". It is not time to abandon the troops and support them by letting them sit in this undefined mission until *they* get elected as president.
With 9 months until the first primary in 2008, I am already tired of the campaign for president. I am tired of the campaign overshadowing the issues the took them to Washington. And I am really tired of them asking me for money. They aren't doing what I asked; *they* are not bringing the troops home. Why would I send them back to DC again for the next term if they didn't do the job I sent them there to do in the first place. If Obama & Clinton, especially, are courting the American people for their vote, they need to listen to the people. If this is the best leadership that the Democrats can offer this country, then we are in sad shape.
Leadership is setting the record straight and making sure people know that the appropriations money that remains from the last supplemental will last into July and will not undermine U.S. troops and the war in Iraq if it did not approve approximately $100 billion within weeks.
According to a Congressional Research Service memo dated March 28 and sent to the Senate Budget Committee, "The Army could finance the O&M (operations and maintenance) of both its baseline and war program ... through most of July 2007" by shifting around money in existing accounts.
Leadership is making it very clear to George Bush that he is the one that is undermining the US troops. Leadership is standing up to the president and letting him know that he is no longer the "decider" and that Congress holds the purse strings now and they will use them. Leadership is letting the president know that the he and his warmongering cronies *will* be held accountable of the mismanagement of this war, because this Congress will hold them accountable. Leadership is telling the 43rd president of these United States NO. No more troops, no more money.
Another presidential hopeful, John Edwards said "Silence is a betrayal" "It is a betrayal not to stop this president's plan to escalate the war when we have the responsibility, the power and the ability to stop it. We cannot be satisfied with passing nonbinding resolutions that we know this president will ignore."
We can do better for the troops. Obama is ceding his responsibility as a member of the US Senate when he says no one "wants to play chicken with our troops," Of course no one does, but by giving unnecessary and continuing power to the president, Obama is turning his back on the troops and buying in to the presidents false claims just as Karl Rove planned. How dare he?
Say it ain't so! Obama is trying to show that he is different than Hillary Clinton when it comes to the war in Iraq. Hilary says she would end the war if elected and won't apologize for her vote to attack Iraq back in 2002. She said she understands the the frustration and outrage people are feeling about the lack of progress in Congress to end this war. Obama says that he was against the Iraq invasion from the beginning.
It seems to me that both of them have given up on bringing the troops home during the next 2 years until one of them gets into the White House.
I understand there is a narrowly divided Senate. I understand when both the House and the Senate say the resolutions they put forward were the best they could do, although I don't agree. It is not time to throw their hands up and say "My bad, I'll end it when I am president". It is not time to abandon the troops and support them by letting them sit in this undefined mission until *they* get elected as president.
With 9 months until the first primary in 2008, I am already tired of the campaign for president. I am tired of the campaign overshadowing the issues the took them to Washington. And I am really tired of them asking me for money. They aren't doing what I asked; *they* are not bringing the troops home. Why would I send them back to DC again for the next term if they didn't do the job I sent them there to do in the first place. If Obama & Clinton, especially, are courting the American people for their vote, they need to listen to the people. If this is the best leadership that the Democrats can offer this country, then we are in sad shape.
Leadership is setting the record straight and making sure people know that the appropriations money that remains from the last supplemental will last into July and will not undermine U.S. troops and the war in Iraq if it did not approve approximately $100 billion within weeks.
According to a Congressional Research Service memo dated March 28 and sent to the Senate Budget Committee, "The Army could finance the O&M (operations and maintenance) of both its baseline and war program ... through most of July 2007" by shifting around money in existing accounts.
Leadership is making it very clear to George Bush that he is the one that is undermining the US troops. Leadership is standing up to the president and letting him know that he is no longer the "decider" and that Congress holds the purse strings now and they will use them. Leadership is letting the president know that the he and his warmongering cronies *will* be held accountable of the mismanagement of this war, because this Congress will hold them accountable. Leadership is telling the 43rd president of these United States NO. No more troops, no more money.
Another presidential hopeful, John Edwards said "Silence is a betrayal" "It is a betrayal not to stop this president's plan to escalate the war when we have the responsibility, the power and the ability to stop it. We cannot be satisfied with passing nonbinding resolutions that we know this president will ignore."
We can do better for the troops. Obama is ceding his responsibility as a member of the US Senate when he says no one "wants to play chicken with our troops," Of course no one does, but by giving unnecessary and continuing power to the president, Obama is turning his back on the troops and buying in to the presidents false claims just as Karl Rove planned. How dare he?
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