Letter From a Peace Mother

My son is currently serving in the 1-25 Weapons Company and I am so proud of him I sometimes can’t even say it out loud. He’s a young man of privilege who signed up for various reasons, as all of you did, but one main reason was because he felt it was not fair for only poor kids to have to go into the military because it is one of the few ways left to get ahead nowadays. He didn’t need to go in to get his education - he joined after he graduated from college. And that is why I am a Peace Mother, and, frankly, a protester.

Please don’t tune me out just yet. There is something very important that I want to say to all you marines and others reading this. You see, I feel that you soldiers who all are serving our country so honorably have a right to expect respect from our politicians. And, I don’t think you are getting it. You have all volunteered to take a huge risk by becoming marines - knowing full well that you could be called to make the ultimate sacrifice. And, you know what? You have the right to be sent into battle only when it is worth it. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t think that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was worth the risk you are taking. From all accounts, all the WMD’s were removed in 1992 after the 1st Gulf War, and President Bush did not even wait for the inspectors to finish their job and make a report before he attacked. There was no good reason that I can think of that we went in the first place, except that the oil companies are right now making obscene profits - the biggest quarterly profits ever recorded by any company anywhere. I don’t think the building of 1,000 schools in Iraq is worth the risk to your lives. And I don’t believe that my son’s life is worth 100 brand new democracies. And I certainly don’t think he should make the ultimate sacrifice so that Exxon Mobile can make over 10 BILLION DOLLARS profit in ONE QUARTER!!!!!

What I really want to say here is that I belong to three different peace groups and I participate in three separate actions each week trying to bring about awareness in my small town so that citizens will make the right choices in November - and I believe we have to vote on one issue, and that is the war. By being out on the streets holding my sign I am not in any way, shape or form disrespecting you soldiers. I am trying to support you. All the members of all three of my groups feel exactly the same way. And, I think all over the country the peace protestors feel the same way. This is not Vietnam. We know that you have no choice but to be where you are and to try and survive. I know this because of my son, and I want him to do whatever is necessary to get out of Iraq in one piece and to help his buddies do the same.

So, please, when you see us out on the streets, don’t mistake our protesting to be against any of you. We are there on the streets because of you, because we love and support all of you, but most of all because we respect the choices you made and feel you deserve the respect of our current administration - and we feel you are not getting it.

Sincerely and with Gratitude to All of You,
Annie
MilitaryFamiliesSpeakOut.org
mfso.org NashuaPeace.org
MoveOn.org

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