Truthout: Veteran's Mother's State of Our Family Address

[Hissyspit]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013106R.shtml

Veteran's Mother's State of Our Family Address
By Georgia Stillwell
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Tuesday 31 January 2006

My brothers and sisters in peace, I wish I could tell you that since my son has returned to civilian life our family is whole and happy, but this is not the case. My 21-year-old son is homeless, unemployed and on January 11th in the early morning he drove his car over an embankment. Anyone who has seen the car says he shouldn't have survived the crash.

I remember the day I got the phone call ... My son was back in the states. I fell to the floor sobbing, thanking the creator that my son was alive. Little did I know at the time that all that returned was a physical shell. My son's spirit and soul must still be wandering the streets of Iraq.

- snip -

The next morning I called my son's ex-girlfriend. They had been dating since their sophomore year in high school, but he had recently x'ed her out of his life. She stated my son had been arrested over the weekend for fighting. My son has only had one speeding ticket in his entire life ... Certainly not violent. Then, 2 hours later, my mother called. When my son returned from Iraq he bought a car with his combat pay, my mother cosigned. My mom stated that the bank had contacted her about a week ago and he was behind in payments. The car was up for repossession. I was becoming increasingly worried. When I got in to work the next day I had an emergency phone call from my sons ex-girlfriend. She told me through her tears that my son had driven his car over an embankment. She saw the car and said she couldn't believe he survived. She had talked to some of his friends who told her that he was crying that night and talking about the war. Whenever my son gets a few beers in him his friends tell me he talks about the war. They describe it as "crazy talk." He wants the blood of the Iraqis he killed off his hands. He then left and drove his car at high speed over an embankment.

- snip -

George Bush is going to give us his state of the union ... well this is the state of my family. People say to me he volunteered, he knew what he was getting into. My son was still a teenager, he had no idea what he was getting into. Can anyone really comprehend war unless they've been there? The war has come home ... it is coming home with each soldier.
My son's body survived Iraq ... nothing else.

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[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. This is heartbreaking

and sadly, I know her son isn't the only one. As for those who coldly say, "He volunteered", I'm wondering how mnay of them served, or have members of their family serving.

[tom_paine]

2. Powerful. At least if it had been in a just cause...

Nothing can mitigate this tragedy for both mother and son. But if he had died trying to corner Bin Laden or anything besides this pointless Iraq Invasion, at least it would have had meaning in the larger sense.

[Hissyspit]

3. kick - this is what Cindy Sheehan is about