Another Mother begs for end to killing: "It's too late for my son"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Mary Ann MacCombie didn't protest Vietnam. She was in her early 20s and wasn't sure she understood that war well enough to take a stand. And she didn't know anybody who died there. When the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, she was "cautiously supportive." And when her son's Army unit joined the fight, she thought it would be like the Gulf War in 1991 — few casualties, "in and out." In April 2004, MacCombie's son was killed in Iraq. Suddenly the war became personal.

On Thursday, two years after the invasion of Iraq, MacCombie spoke out at an anti-war demonstration for the first time. It took her more than a year to trust herself to talk about her son without breaking down, a year spent in a state of shock and coping with the bureaucratic details that follow death in a faraway place.

She joined about three dozen protesters who gathered in front of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur to show support for Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who lost a son in Iraq and has camped out on a road leading to President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he is vacationing. Sheehan has vowed to stay until he meets with her personally.

She's thinking about going to Texas to join Sheehan.



"Sgt. Ryan Montgomery Campbell visits his mom in Kirksville, Mo., during his last two-week leave in February 2004. He was killed April 29, with seven others from his unit. In previous weeks his e-mails home had betrayed growing bitterness."



"Sgt. Ryan Campbell asked that this photo of him with an Iraqi child, be placed on his coffin if he died in the war."

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0805/12iraqmom.html

[annabanana]

1. .. so much unnecessary death..

May it end soon..

[deadparrot]

2. In less than two weeks, I'll be moving to Kirksville

for college (Truman State University). It would be an honor to live in the same tiny farm town as this woman.

I grieve for her, her son, and her family. :(

[kwolf68]

3. Oh my

What a great soldier this guy was. Caring about the country we are attacking. A picture with an Iraqui girl. This almost makes you want to cry and I try to be a "manly man"...unless Im talking about politics then Im a "girly man".

It appears we lost one of America's best.

[Justitia]

4. I can't take the HORROR of this anymore!

Seeing that picture of that young man w/his mother has absolutely sent me over the edge today.

My son is 22, and I remember when I dropped him off at his military academy and watched him walk away, in his uniform, waving good-bye to me - like it was yesterday.

My son is fine and not in the military today.

Seeing this pic of this woman and her handsome young boy, and knowing he's gone forever is just horrifying beyond belief.

I just can't stand it any longer - I have no idea how these women can go on, not to mention put up with all the abuse they suffer from the pro-war crowd.

Today, it is just more than anyone can bear. :cry:

[movonne]

6. I know how you feel...I look at our young boys being killed and

the thousands of Iraq people either living in misery or dead and I go into a rage...

[kwolf68]

9. The picture with the Iraqi girl is what does it for me

You can tell this young man, this TRUE American hero, had a very special place in his heart. To be buried with this picture speaks volumes of this soldiers integrity.

If we had people LIKE THAT running our country and making the decisions we’d probably not be burying them.

For those who voted for this war…Bush and the entire Congress….if this war is just then send your kids. Or do you want them to be here to cash in on the spoils of those who actually do the suffering.

I hope the seeds being planted can carry the weight of our crimes.

[calimary]

28. Tell me about it. EVERY time I drive by the large VA cemetery

in my general neighborhood, I don't see headstones and grave markers. What I see are pools of mothers' tears. EVERY DAMNED ONE of those grave markers represents the sorrow and anguish of some mother, some wife, some grandma, some nameless, faceless woman left behind to grieve.

My prayer is that bush will eventually have to make as great a sacrifice for his country as these mothers already have. NO MORE sitting back in his easy chair on another month-long vacation, having his grapes hand-peeled for him, while others suffer for his shitty, selfish, arrogant, cock-eyed, damnable decisions.

DETESTABLE, DISPICABLE "man." Dear GOD I want him to pay. I want him to PAY. Enough of the mothers' suffering. It's HIS turn to suffer, for a change.

[Iris]

30. But we need more pictures like this out in the mainstream.

I know it's heartbreaking for people with a heart. I was joked up when I saw it on the front page of the AJC. But I'm glad they did it - it may help some people get a heart when they can see real faces rather than just the occasional mention of soldiers killed.

[CWebster]

5. Leave it to the Mothers to remind us of our humanity

and may it be a lesson to Hillary Clinton who thinks she can only win popularity contests by wearing a dildo:

Liberation of women is NOT in adopting the stupidity of men, but in embracing the feminine virtues of compassion and nurturing.

[kwolf68]

7. Amen

And my wife last night (who is usually fairly reasonable although CONSErvative on gay issues, although Im getting her off that...and imperialism) said she only wanted white men running the country. As a white male I was horribly offended and sarcastically said, "yea...we've done a real bang up job haven't we?"

[faithnotgreed]

20. good response... best wishes kwolf

[kwolf68]

35. U 2 friend

DU is total therapy, almost like a cyberspace Woodstock. :)

[arewenotdemo]

25. Excellent post.

[Mad_Dem_X]

8. The picture of him and his mom made me cry...

My heart goes out to her...as it does to all parents and loved ones of soldiers. I, too, do not know how they find the strength to go on after someone they love dies in this senseless, unnecessary war.

God damn Bush to Hell!

[SaveAmerica]

17. You can tell she hadn't been sleeping well...

[FreedomAngel82]

10. So sad

So many lives destroyed and ruined because of Bush. :(

[tk2kewl]

11. Can we help pay her way to Crawford?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

14. You could try e-mailing the article's author, Anna Varela, and asking...

[e-mail]

:toast:

[tk2kewl]

15. I just emailed her. We'll see what happens.

[tk2kewl]

23. Ms. Varela has passed my email on to Mary Ann MacCombie

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

27. EXCELLENT!

I just figured from the tone and subject matter of the article that Ms. Varela was a class act and would assist you. Please keep us informed as this progresses.

:patriot:

[tk2kewl]

33. I made contact with Mary Ann and she would like our help

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4332705&mesg_id=4332705

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

34. Great. You may also want to contact Skinner and / or the admins...

...because there is an "appropriate" way to go about helping people on DU, and an "inappropriate" way...

Two examples: Ben Burch's efforts to raise funds for the Guy James Show (sanctioned by Skinner) and the Andy situation (a combination of smooth sailing and locked threads).

Maybe Skinner needs to consider sending an e-mail to Mary Ann. I don't know. Skinner does. Start with him and please keep us posted.

:patriot:

[faithnotgreed]

21. fantastic - let us know

[tk2kewl]

24. Ms. Varela has passed my email on to Mary Ann MacCombie

[faithnotgreed]

26. excellent - im sure we can show her some DU love

if she wants it that is...

[tk2kewl]

32. I made contact with Mary Ann and she would like our help

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4332705&mesg_id=4332705

[Imagevision]

31. WE have to help our people all we can - Bush will allow the killing

fields to go on indefinitly -- What's Bush got for a plan with winning the invasion of Iran?? Bush, a renegade government!

[Booster]

39. YES! You can send a check for any amount to:

Mary Ann MacCombie
c/o The Crawford Peace House
P. O. Box 710218
Dallas, Texas 75371-0218

This was on an earlier thread and I just made out a check to send. Be sure any put in the memo section of the check "for Mary Ann
MacCombie's airfare". The Crawford Peace House has agreed to get the money to Mrs. MacCombie.

[City Lights]

12. Heartbreaking...

:cry:

So much unncessary death and desctruction. I hope she decided to join Cindy in Crawford, and I hope she continues to speak out.

[CWebster]

13. Probabily much more common than realized

Around these parts:

http://www.patridiots.com/000896.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/17/politics/main644005.shtml

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/20/143259

[maxsolomon]

16. didn't understand vietnam well enough to protest?

in her early 20's?

lady, i was in a protest march in 72. i was EIGHT. i understood it well enough. war is unhealthy for children & other living things.

[checks-n-balances]

38. I'm her age and I didn't understand it either; neither did a lot of adults

who were older than that. Besides that, people change throughout the years. Not everyone is all that enlightened that early in life. It sounds like the death of her son has helped her to catch up even with you. :eyes:

Anyway, this story is heartbreaking and I know it's just the tip of the iceberg of human beings lost (on both sides) in this tragic madness. I hope the story goes worldwide.

[SaveAmerica]

18. Read the article everyone, how does extending their tour affect

their ability to protect themselves? If they're told they are going home by a certain date, send their personal belongings home and then are told they're staying, what is that going to do to their psyche (sp)?? Also note he told his sister not to vote for Bush, yeah Bush has the military's votes. From the article:


The 25-year-old swapped gossip with his mother about friends back home in Kirksville, Mo. They talked about the intense heat of the Baghdad summer and the college classes she was taking. Toward the end of the tour, Campbell e-mailed his mother to suggest she meet him at his base in Europe so they could see Germany and Spain together.

But a few days before he was to leave Iraq in April 2004, he e-mailed her with bad news: The Army had ordered his unit to stay for four more months.

Morale 'at an all-time low'

The extension was a shock. The soldiers in his unit had already packed and shipped their personal items to their home base in Germany. Campbell dropped plans to re-enlist, intentions based on assurances that he could be stationed in Hawaii. Now, he wrote his mother, he couldn't trust the Army to keep its word.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. I am so sorry!

[Catherine Vincent]

22. What a sweet picture of her and her son.

So sad.

[Iris]

29. This was on the front page of the AJC. Beautiful boy. What a loss.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

36. And what does it SAY about this man to know...

"Sgt. Ryan Campbell asked that this photo of him with an Iraqi child, be placed on his coffin if he died in the war."

THAT is how he wanted to be REMEMBERED. That's why he gave his life. FUCK Bush and HIS reasons. THIS man wanted to help that kid, and all of the other kids who are innocent victims of this debacle.

THIS mom raised a HERO.

:patriot:

[neuvocat]

37. I was in the army.

I'm glad for my mother's sake that I made it out alive because I think if I died then the emotional impact would have killed her.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

40. GO MARY ANN GO TO CRAWFORD....PLEASE GO?