Home > Parents of fallen Marine make plea to Bush
Wars and conflicts International USA
CLEVELAND (AP) - The parents of one of 16 Ohio-based Marines recently killed in Iraq want President Bush to take note of mounting casualties and come up with a new plan to bring the troops home.
"The war is not going well. There have to be changes made," Rosemary Palmer, mother of Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder II, said on Tuesday. "Bush is digging himself a foxhole. He can’t do that. He’s got to move on. Whether he leads them out by putting more troops on the ground or pulling them out - he can’t just let it continue."
Palmer and her husband planned to hold a news conference at their home later Tuesday, a day after they buried their son, who died two weeks ago in a roadside explosion in Iraq.
"We want to point out that 30 people have died since our son. Are people listening?" Palmer said.
Schroeder, 23, known to friends and family as "Augie" based on his middle name of August, was eulogized by a college friend Monday as a man who had "no enemies, only friends." Dozens of people, including several holding large American flags, lined the streets leading to his funeral service.
"Yesterday, it was Augie’s day and we didn’t want to intrude upon his day with politics," Palmer said. "We have to move on and keep his spirit alive by helping to protect his buddies who are still out there."
The young Marine went to Iraq filled with optimism about the mission, but he gradually became disillusioned with the war’s progress, his parents said.
"He said the longer it went on the less and less worth it seemed," she said. "They’re not doing the job right now. It’s not the fault of the troops. It’s the fault of the plan."