I Met A Dead Soldier Named Casey

The mother of a dead soldier stood in front of me and told me about her son. She told me his name was Casey. Casey Sheehan. She asked me to meet him. I agreed. I came to Crawford, TX to meet him.

The debate about Cindy Sheehan rages on and I’ve sat down and reflected on a lot of things.

When I was growing up, my parents always told me that you’re supposed to respect people. When you go to your little friends’ houses to play, respect their parents and abide by the rules that are set in those homes. And never talk shit about somebody’s momma. Why? Because it’s rude. If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all. As I look at what all is being said about and to Cindy Sheehan, I wonder if any of those people ever were taught what I was taught.

My parents both served in the U.S. Army. My dad was in Vietnam. My great uncle was in WWII. My grandpere was in the French Resistance. I served in the U.S. Air Force. When someone dies, it’s a painful event for their loved ones, especially their mothers. When it’s a violent death, it’s even worse. It’s like swallowing a brick and having it sitting on the bottom of your stomach. I think what makes me sick to my stomach is the fact that people are talking shit about the mother of a fallen soldier. Someone who was killed in combat. As a military veteran, I find it sickening and downright vile. So maybe you don’t agree with her views. Tell her you don’t agree with her but you will honor her son. Let it go at that.

People always talk about supporting the troops. Is this the way these GWBers support the troops? Talking shit about a dead soldier’s mother? Not only are you disrespecting a dead soldier’s mother, but you’re disrespecting the dead soldier as well. Aren’t they supposed to be honoring our dead soldiers? You can’t honor a dead soldier if you don’t honor a dead soldier’s mother. Is this what our soldiers have to face? The GWBers always yell about sending a message to the troops. Well the message they’re sending to these troops is if they die over there and their parents publically voice their feelings and thoughts about this war that doesn’t coincide with the views of the GWBers, then the GWBers will talk shit about them. Great message. Let’s face it, some folks love the violence and brutality of war and others oppose it. That’s always been the way it is. Don’t talk shit about a dead soldier’s mother.

To me, this particular situation goes beyond what side of the war you’re on, whether or not you love GWB, whether you vote one way or the other. This is about talking trash about a woman who’s lost her son in a war. Maybe you agree with her on her views or maybe you don’t. The fact of the matter is, she has the right to say how she feels. When I joined the Armed Forces, I swore to uphold the Constitution and protect people’s right to say how they feel. I don’t have to agree with them. I just have to protect their right to say how they feel. I agreed to do so. Isn’t that supposed to be why her son died? So she could state her feelings? That’s what I’m told at least. Isn’t that why we’re sending our young people off to Iraq? Isn’t that why we’re killing Iraqis? But yet, GWBers hiss and growl and hate this woman. I’ve wondered why and now I think I know why.

She put a human face on this war. Before, it was just a war thousands of miles away from here. People could be totally disconnected if they wanted to be. If they didn’t want to be bothered by this war, they could change the channel on TV. Someone who returned from Iraq recently told me "people can just jump into their SUVs with their magnetic We Support The Troops yellow ribbon stickers, put a cell phone on their ear, and go eat at Red Lobster. They’re secure in their smug, arrogant attitude of being ’a nation at war’ as though that makes them something special. It’s like a badge of honor. Thing is, they want to be ’safe’ from some vague anonymous boogey man but they don’t want to put on a uniform and get involved because it will interfere with their hair appointments. We’re a faceless anonymous entity known as ’the troops’." Yeah, that’s pretty much the way it is.

But Cindy Sheehan decided to connect people and bring the war home. She stood up in front of America and said "I want you to meet my son Casey. This is who he was and he died in Iraq in his best friend’s arms. I would like to know why." The GWBers started hissing and yelling and snarling because this woman dared to talk to us about her son. Because she dared to show us his photograph. Because she dares to oppose a war that many people are questioning. Instead of being a good, obedient grieving mother who keeps her opinions to herself and should feel satisfied that her son died for a "noble cause", because according to the GWBers her son died so she could speak out loud, she chose to speak out loud about her grief and her anger and demand that GWB answer her.

Which isn’t such an unreasonable demand. I mean, she voted for the man. I figure if you take the time to ensure a politician gets into office, he/she owes you something in return. If you take the time to punch a hole in a ballot you should get something called representation and accountability in return. After all we’re a government for the people by the people which means if we question our representatives, they owe us answers. Apparently with the advent of the Bush administration that is no longer the case. Now if you ask GWB questions, you’re practically a criminal. My question is why can’t this guy talk to her? Hell, maybe he can convince her this war is necessary. But he won’t even face her. Makes me wonder. I have a representative who happens to be a Republican and every time I ask her questions she answers them. I might not agree with her answers but she answers me. That’s what these people are supposed to do. That’s their job. That’s what I pay them for.

I wondered why the GWBers were showing such animosity and hostility over the crosses that are erected in Crawford at Camp Casey. It wasn’t until I went down there and walked among them that I saw why. They have names on them. Each cross bears the name of a fallen soldier. I knelt down at one cross to straighten the name on it and it was a young man named Ricky. I wondered about Ricky. Who he was, what he looked like, who his family is, how old he was. I still think about Ricky. I wonder what hopes and dreams Ricky had. I will always remember Ricky. But now I understand why they are so hateful. I know they won’t walk among the crosses and read the names of the fallen like I did. Because there are names there and anyone can walk among the crosses and read them. You don’t have to be against the war. Anyone can pay their respects. I see the reason for the hostility. That anonymous faceless vague group called "the troops" turns into a group of individuals with names. And if they have names, they have faces and families and loved ones. That makes the war real. That makes these young people real. Flesh and blood. And for GWBers, that brings the war in their faces. Bad idea.

I have heard some of the comments these GWBers have made.

"Oh well, her son would be ashamed of her." Would he now? How do you know? Did you know him? I’m willing to bet you never knew him while he was alive and you didn’t want to know about him after he died. Stop speaking for a young man who can’t speak for himself because he’s dead. He’s not thinking anything anymore. She loves her son and I truly believe he loved her. Good boys usually love their mothers. And to disrespect their mothers is to disrespect them. Don’t talk shit about a dead soldier’s mother.

"Oh well she’s aiding and comforting the enemy." Is she? Since when is expecting someone you voted for to answer a few questions aiding and comforting anyone? Last time I checked GWB worked for me and if I want to ask him a question or two then I can expect an answer. Stop trying to scare people from asking questions. Asking questions is an American way of life. Isn’t that why we’re in Iraq? Because these people are some kind of threat to our way of life?

"We don’t care, we don’t care." You don’t care about what? This grief stricken fellow American? Her dead son? Our fallen troops? Is that why someone ran over those crosses and American flags? Because he didn’t care? Maybe you don’t care about our maimed and wounded troops. Maybe you don’t care about anything but yourselves and your hero, idol, and god, GWB.

"Cindy go home". Why? This is a free country. If she wants to hang out in Crawford that’s no skin off my nose. If the GWBers want to hang out there, that’s no skin off my nose. Why should anyone go home?

"We’re fighting for freedom and democracy in Iraq." Why don’t we practice a little of that here at home. People follow by example.

"We don’t want the names of our loved ones on those crosses. We don’t want them affiliated with that group." Since when is honoring the fallen an affiliation with any group? Since when is it a special privilege of a few? Can’t we all honor the fallen?

I decided to accept Cindy Sheehan’s offer to meet her son. I drove down to Crawford and entered the Peace House. I walked up to a table and I looked at a photograph of her son. He was a very handsome young man. He had a very kind face and a very nice smile. I wonder how many GWBers will walk into that house and look at that boy’s photo. They should. I bet the girls were just wild about him. I bet they’re heartbroken now. I met a lot of people at the Crawford Peace House. Some of them were young people. College people. Anti-war people. The majority of them were military veterans like myself and people who are currently serving in our military. You ask why we were there? We were there for our fallen brother. His name is Casey. Casey Sheehan.

I guess what I really wonder about is why 1500 GWBers are hanging out in Crawford when they could be at Walter Reed Hospital visiting the troops there. The guys and gals who are wounded and maimed. Missing legs and arms. If you can make the trip to Crawford, you can make the trip to Walter Reed. I intend to make that trip at some point. I wonder why those 1500 GWBers are not in Iraq. I guess it’s easier to howl and rave about how wonderful war is when you’re in Crawford, Texas.

The GWBers call their camp "Camp Reality". I guess Casey isn’t a part of reality.

I think the GWBers are there to worship GWB. It’s not about a dead boy. It’s not about dead soldiers. It’s about GWB. Their beginning and their end. Their alpha and their omega. They could be in Iraq fighting for a "noble cause". Instead they choose to be in Crawford where bombs don’t fall and bullets don’t fly. They choose to worship GWB and demand that people shed their blood for him, but they stop shy of shedding their own. They want to howl and rave at a woman who waits for GWB to come talk to her. Even GWB says he respects her right to protest. Shouldn’t the GWBers abide by what their god says and do the same? Instead they choose to talk shit about a dead soldier’s mother.

The mother of a dead soldier stood in front of me and told me about her son. She told me his name was Casey. Casey Sheehan. She asked me to meet him. I agreed. I came to Crawford, TX to meet him. I wish I could have met him a year ago when we could have shaken hands. Unfortunately I had to meet him in a photograph. Better late than never. I’m glad to have met Casey and I promise I will never forget him.

If there’s one thought I want people to take with them, after they read this, is this. Don’t talk shit about a dead soldier’s mother.

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