IN MEMORIAM: Casey Austin Sheehan - Democratic Underground

Bluebear

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Mon Aug-08-05 03:53 PM
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IN MEMORIAM: Casey Austin Sheehan

I just felt compelled to post this: as Cindy Sheehan becomes a symbol of hope for so many, let us never forget that first and foremost she is a mother who lost a child. As I have been following the events at Bush's vacation estate I realized I knew nothing about her boy. This, then, is her son, this is who she lost. 3600 parents have their own story to tell, of their own sons and daughters lost in a war based on lies. This is the obituary of one of them:

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VACAVILLE -- The Casey Sheehan his friends and family remembered was the actively involved Eagle Scout and St. Mary's Catholic Church youth who "gave 1,000 percent and it always from his heart."

"Anything I ever asked Casey to assist me with, he was always willing to do," Father Benedict DeLeon said.

It was the same dedication the 1997 Vacaville High School graduate showed when he re-enlisted in August to serve his country and make his family proud.

"It was just another way of serving," his father Pat Sheehan said.

It was that life the gathering of friends and family at their West Avenue home talked about in the two days since military officials told the Sheehans that Army Spec. Casey Sheehan, 24, was killed in Iraq on Sunday.

Casey Sheehan was in Iraq only two weeks when he was killed while driving a Humvee just outside of southern Baghdad during the uprising there.

The family was told by the military that Casey Sheehan was one of eight soldiers killed by Shiite militia firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in an early morning ambush of the convoy.

He is the second person with Vacaville ties and the fourth person from Solano County to die in the war on terror.

Casey Sheehan grew up in Norwalk in Southern California and moved to Vacaville in 1993 with his parents, brother Andy, 18, and sisters Carly, 23, and Jane, 18. His family attended church at St. Mary's Catholic Church where Casey was very involved.

"His whole life revolved around the parish ministry," his mother Cindy Sheehan said.

After graduating from high school, Casey Sheehan attended Solano Community College for three years before joining the Army. He initially wanted to be a chaplain's assistant when he joined up, but went into mechanics training after the Army turned down his first choice.

DeLeon, who knew Casey Sheehan while serving as a pastor at St. Mary's from 1996 to 2001, described him as "always a model Christian, always willing to reach out to other people, always a gentlemen, always friendly and pleasant."

"Casey assisted me in various ways," DeLeon said. "He was on our high school youth group leadership team, also acted as alter server when we celebrated youth mass. When Casey got older, he served as a eucharistic minister."

Casey Sheehan was also active in scouting and when he became an Eagle Scout, "his faith was so important to him that he held the ceremony at church."

DeLeon described Casey Sheehan as "a personal friend of mine" and called the loss "difficult to cope with on an emotional level."

For the past two days, the family has been visited by large numbers of friends who knew Casey Sheehan or community members who wanted to express their sorrow at his loss.

One friend who worked with Casey Sheehan at Mervyns called to express her sorrow and say that Casey Sheehan was never late to work. One older lady drove by to hand the family a condolence card and $100 for a memorial fund.

"He was a well-known and loved young man," one family friend said.

"The community's support has been phenomenal," Pat Sheehan said. "This is a city thing too and not just family thing."

The family expressed their own sorrow for the other families who have lost loved ones in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We have had a terrible loss and we realize that at the same time there are other families who have lost those they love too," Pat Sheehan said.

Cindy Sheehan said her sorrow is also mixed with pride at seeing and hearing from so many people whose lives Casey Sheehan has touched.

Memorial services have not been set yet, but it is expected they will be held early next week at St. Mary's, the Sheehans said.

Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine visited the family Monday and plans to see the city's flags lowered to half mast in honor of Casey on the day of the memorial service.

The Sheehan family is asking that any memorial contributions be made c/o Casey Sheehan's Memory, Camp Pendola, Diocese of Sacramento, 2110 Broadway, Sacramento, CA., 95818.