The Death of Charles Warren

[Citizen Jane]

I don't usually get to hear details about the soldiers dying in the Iraq because I rarely am able to access the news while out and about with my two year old and the corporate media I am able to access at odd times does not, as we all know, readily give out the details it is able to glean from the administration.

Just now, getting ready to go get my daughter from daycare (I literally have to leave in less than 5 minutes) I had the local news on (Atlanta) while cleaning up the kitchen and running a load of laundry, etc.

They were running a piece on Charles Warren. I don't know him, but they provided plenty of details.

He was killed in Iraq.

He will be buried on what would have been his 6th wedding anniversary.

He never got to see his infant daughter born 6 weeks ago because he was denied a leave to be there for her birth.

He was a much loved nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

His wife will now have to raise their 1.5 and 6 week old children herself.

His brother has established a trust fund for the children.



Mark my words, I am NOT saying that we should grieve him any more than the other war dead. I do, however, think that we need to put faces to the names and put details out there too so that people are affected.

What is it going to take to get people to notice that our neighbors, our friends, our family members and their neighbors, friends, etc. are dying?

Is it going to have to be like breast cancer where almost everyone you talk to has a friend or relative who has dealt with it? I don't want that to be the case.

We have got to get the word out and in people's faces. Supporting Cindy Sheehan is a beginning, but if the media won't cover the others, we will have to do it ourselves.

Many of you, no doubt, realized this long ago. I thought I had, but the story of Charles Warren made me realize that the suppression of the images of coffins and stories about the victims of this war really are vicious, bad things. Sorry if I came to the depth of my understanding late, but I am glad I am here now.

Thanks for letting me rant. Off to get my baby.

More info:

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=1&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=4916&change_well_id=2

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=67168