Among the many family members of U. S. soldiers serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both, who e-mailed comments to msnbc.com’s Gut Check America project, many said they feel that the American public is not interested or invested in the conflicts in which their loved ones are risking their lives. One such submission led us to a support group formed with the help of the Veterans Education Project in Amherst, Mass., which allows military family members to share their anxiety and experiences with others in the same situation. Click here to hear some of their stories. |
GSFSO is a chapter of MFSO MFSO is a 501(c)3 organization. All contributions are tax deductible. |
Robert Cray features the AFSC exhibit, Eyes Wide Open in his video "Twenty" View it here |
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| ©2005-2010, Gold Star Families Speak Out, gsfso.org, Gold Stars Speak All rights reserved © Formed in 2005, Gold Star Families Speak Out is a chapter of Military Families Speak Out and is a peace based organization for relatives of members of the military who have been killed or lost their life during the period including the build-up to the war in Iraq (fall, 2002) to the present. We believe the best way to support our troops is to bring them home now and take care of them when they get here. Contact us at gsfso@gsfso.org Our parent organization, MFSO is a 501(c)3 organization. All contributions are tax deductible. |
Cost of the War in Iraq
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| Gold Star Families Speak Out is a chapter of Military Families Speak Out, is comprised of members whose loved ones served in the military during the period including the build-up to the war in Iraq (fall, 2002) to the present, and have been killed or have died. We believe the best way to support our troops is to BRING THEM HOME NOW and to take good care of them when they get here. |
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Sgt Patrick Ryan McCaffrey Foundation for War Veterans a 501c3 Nonprofit Corporation |
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| SPECIAL NEWSWEEK ISSUE THE WAR IN THE WORDS OF THE DEAD What do they have to say to us? This special issue of NEWSWEEK is an attempt to answer that question. We have collected the correspondence of American soldiers at war in Iraq, accounts written not for the public but for those they loved—wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings. Each of the warriors whose words are excerpted here died in the line of duty. |
MYTHIC SOLDIERS OR PUBLICITY PAWNS (WATCH THE VIDEO) |
LAFAYETTE, CA MEMORIAL CROSSES a multimedia presentation David Mendelson © |
| Heroes at Home The stories of two remarkable women and how they are dealing with the realities of lives changed forever by war because loved ones were killed or injured fighting in Iraq. (watch video) |
| Gut Check America - The war at home Military Families Reflect on their children's service at war |
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From the March 14, 2008 "Crisis in Veteran's Healthcare" panel. Joyce and Kevin Lucey are the parents of Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, who killed himself on June 22nd, 2003 after returning from a tour in Iraq. Joyce and Kevin Lucey are currently suing the Department of Veterans affairs arguing the VA was negligent in caring for their son. A VA Inspector General’s Report notes VA officials turned Jeffrey Lucey a few days before he took his own life. JOYCE LUCEY Testimony KEVIN LUCEY Testimony |
February 28, 2009
February 27, 2009
| Pentagon Reviewing Coffin Photo Ban 2.15.2008 Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered a review Tuesday of a Pentagon policy banning media from taking pictures of flag-draped coffins of military dead, signaling he was open to overturning the policy to better honor fallen soldiers. At least two Democratic senators have called on President Barack Obama to let news photographers attend ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and other military facilities when military remains are returned to the United States. Obama told reporters Monday he was reviewing the ban. [more] |
| Grief for War Dead Shrouds Casket Photo Ban 2.17.2009 Military Families Want Sons' and Daughters' Stories Told -- but Privacy Respected Swept by a wave of national patriotism after Sept. 11, 2001, Patrick McCaffrey signed up for California's Army National Guard -- never dreaming that he would end up in Iraq. But in June 2004, just three months after the deployment of his unit, the 34-year-old father who had run two car repair shops was murdered at close range in Balad, Iraq, shot eight times in the chest. "His life was the American middle-class dream," said his mother, Nadia McCaffrey, 63, a veterans' rights activist who lives in the house her son left in Tracy, Calif. "He didn't realize war could happen." The family was besieged by the press nonstop for 10 days, and because they had so many unanswered questions about their son's death, they allowed the media to join them when Patrick's body arrived in Sacramento. [more] |
| Rep. Eshoo Statement on Reversal of Ban on Media Coverage of Soldiers’ Coffins 2.26.2008 Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) issued the following statement today after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced an end to the ban on media coverage of returning military coffins. “President Obama and Secretary Gates’ decision to reverse the ban on media coverage of the returning remains of our nation’s heroes is highly commendable and long overdue. Our remembrance of them should be made visible to every American. My friend and constituent Karen Meredith, a Gold Star Mother, has dedicated herself to reversing the ban in honor of her decorated son, First Lieutenant Kenneth Ballard, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.” |
| Moms Of Fallen Soldiers Discuss Coffin Photo Ban 2.25.2009 Tell Me More, NPR · Since 1991, with only a few exceptions, the media has been barred from filming or photographing the flag-draped coffins of service-members as they arrive back at Delaware's Dover Air Force Base from Iraq and Afghanistan. But the Obama administration is reviewing the practice to consider whether the media restrictions should be lifted. Karen Meredith and Merilee Carlson both lost children serving in the Iraq war —Meredith is the mother of Lt. Ken Ballard, who died in May 2004, and Carlson's son Sgt. Michael Carlson [more] |
| AP INVESTIGATION: Army charity hoards millions 2.23.2009 FORT BLISS, Texas (AP) — As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows. Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax [more] |
| Mom Says Lift Dover Media Ban 2.19.2009 Tracy Miller didn't go to Dover Air Base to greet her son's casket, but she doesn't think the media should have been banned. Miller says she was surprised to hear that President Obama is reviewing the media ban, but is confident he will act in the best interest of families. Miller's son, Marine Corporal Nicholas Ziolkowski, was killed in Iraq. She says media coverage would honor what the troops have done and bring home the cost of war. Not everyone agrees though. Veterans at the American Legion Towson Post 22 worry the pictures will be used to try and sway public opinion. Paul Moran says the ban should remain in place out of respect to the families. |
| Govt to pay in case of Marine who committed suicide 1.15.2009 (John Moroney, NECN) - A first of its kind settlement stemming from the suicide of an Iraq war veteran. The government is paying $350,000 to the parents of a Massachusetts Marine. It is still a very difficult subject for Kevin and Joyce Lucey. They say their lawsuit has never been about money. They just want to make sure their son Jeffrey did not die in vain. Jeffrey Lucey, a 23-year-old former Marine corporal from Belchertown, hanged himself in his parents' home in 2004, two weeks after he was released from the Northampton Veterans Medical Center. Kevin and Joyce Lucey filed suit against the VA in federal court in Springfield in 2007, alleging negligence. In the complaint, they alleged that VA personnel released their son after saying they could not make an assessment of his post-traumatic stress disorder until he was alcohol free. A few days later, the Luceys said they took their son back to the center, but the staff turned him away. [more] |
| GOLD STAR OPINION- TO THE GOLD STARS- AMY BRANHAM 1.19.09 Tomorrow, January 20, 2009, we will watch as a new President takes the Oath of Office and begins leading our nation. This is a monumental occasion in the history of our nation, a nation that we all love and whose values we all hold near and dear to our hearts. It is a nation to which all of us have given that which we hold most dear and precious – one of our children or family members. Tomorrow we will see the leadership of one President end and the leadership of a new President begin. I want to tell you, if you have not already come to the realization for yourselves, that you had a part in this. Every single one of us who has fought against the war in Iraq, every single one of us who has marched, written, given speeches, done interviews, traveled across the country and many other things have worked for this very moment. Every single one of us has put something more on the line and questioned the decisions of George W. Bush and his administration not only for the lead up to the war in Iraq, but also for the lackluster way in which this war has been managed. [more] |
| Army apologizes for "Dear John Doe" letters 1.7.09 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army apologized on Wednesday for sending 7,000 letters addressed to "Dear John Doe" to the relatives of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The letters, printed by a contractor and mailed in December, were intended to inform family members about private organizations that offer assistance to those who have lost relatives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Army said the letters should have contained specific salutations and addresses, instead of the anonymous greeting. It blamed a printing error for the mix-up. [more] |
| In Their Boots- The War Within- 12/3/08 Jeffrey Lucey joined the US Marine Corps Reserves in December 1999 while attending Holyoke Community College. He was 18 years old. Three years later he was driving a convoy through the desert during the initial invasion of Iraq. While he returned home physically unscathed, Jeff was mortally wounded, suffering from PTSD/combat operational stress. "Jeffrey slept little, ate little, was restless, hyper-vigilant, confused, angry, and frustrated," say his parents, Kevin and Joyce Lucey. "[He was] isolated in his mind, wracked with guilt, sadness, depression, rage; he was panicked, desperate, hopeless, overwhelmed, and full of rage, wanting to talk and yet at the same time wanting to be silent." Jeffrey went to the VA twice for help, but didn't get the care he needed. On June 22, 2004, 23-year-old Jeffrey Lucey decided he could no longer live with himself and took his own life. While his struggle has ended, his family's is far from over. |
March 1, 2009
| A family asks: How many more war dead? 3.08.09 Celeste Zappala and Dante Zappala are the mother and brother of Sgt. Sherwood Baker, the first Pennsylvania National Guard member killed in the war in Iraq On a warm Sunday afternoon in March 2004, our family tearfully held Sherwood in our arms for the last time and said goodbye to him as he left for Iraq. We could not have predicted what would happen to him. We had only our worst fears tempered by our faith in God. Sherwood deployed with his Pennsylvania National Guard unit and went to Baghdad, where he provided security for the Iraq Survey Group as it looked for the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. He was killed in an explosion six weeks after his arrival. Before and after that tragic day, we have protested and spoken out against this unjust war. We have raised our voices with crowds of half a million people marching past the White House. We have stood alone in the rain on the concrete partition of North Broad Street. Holding our signs and holding our truth that invading and occupying Iraq was a betrayal of a sacred trust, we have said: "End this war." [more] |
| Ohio Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can apply for new state bonus 8.24.2010 An estimated 200,000 Ohio veterans who served during the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars can now begin applying for one-time bonuses from the state. Similar to the bonuses the state has offered for service during past wars and conflicts, Ohio will spend up to $200 million on the one-time payments, which were approved by voters in November. Veterans are eligible to receive $100 for each month of service in any of the three wars, up to $1,000. Those who served elsewhere could get $50 monthly, up to $500, while family members of veterans who died during the recent conflicts are eligible for a payment up to $6,500. [more] |
| Brown’s Mixed Attendance Record Disappoints Some Vets 7.23.10 Sen. Scott Brown, right, shakes hands with Korean War veterans Wallace Decourcey, of Newton, left, Jack Dowd, of Somerville, center, and Joe McCallion, of Wakefield, on June 25, after a Korean War ceremony in Charlestown. (AP) BOSTON — There’s no argument the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s shoes were going to be hard to fill, especially when it comes to veterans. Many veterans and their families praise Kennedy and his staff for their speedy and compassionate responses to their requests for help. As a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, he was also instrumental in keeping Hanscom Air Force Base open and bringing [more] |
| McHugh Strengthens Arlington National Cemetery Management, Oversight 6.10.10 FORMER SENATORS DOLE, CLELAND WILL LEAD INDEPENDENT PANEL Secretary of the Army John McHugh today announced sweeping changes in the management and oversight of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) following completion of a months-long probe by the Army’s Inspector General. “While the Inspector General’s (IG) team found that ANC employees – under an extraordinarily high operational tempo of 27 to 30 funerals a day – performed their jobs with dedication and to a high professional standard, they also found them hampered by dysfunctional management, the lack of established policy and procedures, and an overall unhealthy organizational climate,” McHugh said. “That ends today.” [more] |
| Critics outraged that EA's new game lets players kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan 8.24.2010 By allowing players to assume the role of Taliban fighters killing U.S. troops, Redwood City-based Electronic Arts may have crossed the line with its latest first-person shooter game, a line that Mountain View resident Karen Meredith says was drawn with the blood of soldiers like her only son. "I don't see how shooting soldiers based on real Americans is entertainment while people are dying every day for this country," said Meredith, whose son, Army Lt. Ken Ballard, was killed in Iraq in 2004. "How can they say it's OK for someone to play the Taliban? You'll have people sitting at home, drinking beer, shooting at American soldiers, maybe missing, then starting over. Well, Ken didn't have a chance to start over." [more] |
| Mercury News editorial: Making a game of slaying Americans in Afghanistan crosses a line 8.25.2010 Callous realism is a trademark of video games, so maybe we should all be desensitized to the kind of gore and mayhem portrayed in Electronic Arts' new version of "Medal of Honor." But for families of men and women fighting and dying even now in the very real war against the Taliban, it's pretty tough seeing Taliban soldiers slaughtering American troops as fun and games. Call us old-fashioned, but we say this one crosses a line. The updated "Medal of Honor," scheduled for release Oct. 12, lets players take the role of Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan hunting down and slaying Americans. No wonder parents like Mountain View's Karen Meredith, whose son Ken Ballard died in Iraq, see the game as a personal insult. It's an affront to the more than 1,000 Americans killed in the Afghanistan conflict since it began in October 2001, nine years before the game's release. |
| Gold Star Families Speak Out Expresses Outrage at Video Game Based on Deadly Battle in Iraq 4.8.2009 Nationwide -- Members of Gold Star Families Speaks Out (GSFSO), family members of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, are expressing outrage at two companies that plan to release a video game that graphically recreates one of the Iraq war's bloodiest battles. Atomic Games and Konami plan to release "Six Days in Fallujah" next year. The game is based on videos, photographs, and diary entries from veterans of a battle that claimed the lives of 38 U.S. troops and an estimated 1,500 Iraqis between November 7 and December 23, 2004. Discussing the game, Atomic Games President, Peter Tamte recently told a reporter that “For us, the challenge was how to present the horrors of war in a game that is entertaining, but also gives people insight into a historical situation in a way that only a video game can provide” [more] |
| Philadelphia mother's fight for peace continues 8.31.2010 IN FIVE YEARS, she's rarely missed a protest. On the last Friday of each month, Celeste Zappala joins like-minded others on a Center City street corner to wave signs that urge drivers to "Honk for Peace" and to show their opposition to the war in Iraq. Sometimes there are as few as two people there. There are never more than 20. But someone is always there.[more] |
| Military Families Say: The War is Not Over 8.31.2010 Tonight President Obama will address the nation regarding the withdrawal of so-called combat forces from Iraq. While members of Military Families Speak Out are heartened that more troops will be coming home, we know that this would not have happened without the concentrated efforts of our members and other organizations around the country over the last 7 years. The harsh truth that we know is that this war is not over. The war in Iraq is not over for the families who’s loved ones never returned from Iraq, or who returned with significant physical and psychological wounds, or who took their own lives upon return. It is not over for the [more] |