And the President slipped the blue bracelet with the name of her dead husband on his wrist and then went on TV to address 25 million people.
Those who believe George Bush has no guts, should read this chronicle of his meeting with the families of soldiers who have died in Iraq. How do you console the inconsolable? How do you comfort the totally bereft? How can you look people in the eye who have lost so much, knowing in your heart of hearts that somewhere in those tortured eyes is an accusation?
“I know people are pushing you, but please don’t pull the guys out of Iraq too soon,’ ” said Crystal Owen, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Mike Owen, was killed in Iraq last year.“Don’t let my husband—and 1,700-plus other deaths—be in vain,” she added during a private meeting with Mr. Bush at the North Carolina base. “They were over there, fighting for a democratic nation, and I hope you’ll keep our service members over there until the mission can be accomplished.”
It’s because of people like Mrs. Owen that the President is able to face those whose loved ones gave that “last full measure of devotion.” Yes, we’ve seen family members who have been understandably bitter toward the President, who lash out in their anger and their pain at the man whose orders sent their beloved into harms way. We’ve even had word that these confrontations take place during the little gatherings at military bases the President has with the relatives of the deceased before he goes ahead and speaks to the troops. What can you say to a loved one who holds you personally responsible for the death of their spouse or their child?
You can stand there and take it. You do it because history has reached out and tapped you on the shoulder and whispered in your ear a song you didn’t want to hear but is now too late to shut out. You’ve committed your country to a path, the first steps of which are being taken in a place where it seems all of the evil and hate that led to nearly 3,000 of your fellow countrymen being incinerated on a beautiful September morning is being concentrated and focused.
So much evil. So much hatred.
And the hatred is not confined to your enemies abroad. Demonstrating an unreasonableness bordering on clinical psychosis, your political foes portray you as an uncaring monster, a war lover, a liar, a schemer of Machiavellian proportions whose associations with shadowy, powerful men are the cause of all the nation’s problems. As their conspiracy theories get wilder and more fanciful and their rage grows at you and your supporters, it seems as if all the political furies in the world have been let loose to torment and afflict you.
And then Mrs. Owen slips the blue bracelet with the name of her husband on your wrist and you remember. You remember the other gatherings like this one, at other military bases across the country whose place names evoke the emotions and virtues of the heartland of America: Fort Stewart, Georgia, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Hood, Texas, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, Camp Pendleton, California.
A river of tears has been cried at these gatherings. And surprisingly, you’ve found yourself awash in an ocean of love. It amazes you that they care deeply about your feelings, about your psyche. They look into your eyes and seek the comfort that only you can give them. And when they connect, their gratitude gives you the strength to go on.
It doesn’t surprise us that you get choked up when talking about these men and their families. The bond between a Commander in Chief and his soldiers is a special one, going back to the earliest civilizations that had armies. The bond is based on trust. You trust them to carry out orders. They trust you to ask them to die only when the cause is worth it. The fact that re-enlistment among Iraq veterans is so high says something about the trust the soldiers hold for you. And that trust extends to the families who, even when they disagree with you and your policies, honor the service of their beloved.
I wonder if you looked at the blue wrist band Mrs. Owen gave to you before you went before the cameras and spoke to 25 million of your fellow citizens. I wonder if you thought of her husbands sacrifice and repeated your vow that he and his fellows will not have died in vain.
For all the Mrs. Owens, I hope you can stay the course until the job is done.
8:01 pm
The President we don’t get to see
Near the end of his address to the soldiers of Fort Bragg on Tuesday night, when declaring that our enemies are “no match for the men and women of the United States military,†the President grew visibly emotional and nearly wept.
Now we know why.
...
9:11 pm
Damn fella, you can WRITE… great job! Rick, you NEVER cease to amaze me with your insights.
10:12 pm
In 1979, I had the honor of escorting a fellow officer’s remains home from Korea. He had died in an aircraft accident when his F4 lost a 3rd stage turbine wheel and disentigrated. At his funeral his mother came up to me and told me she knew her son died doing what he know to be right – serving his country. When I saw the president give his address, I thought of this grieving mother. When I saw him “visibly emotional” I understood in a small way the burden he carries and my heart reached out to him. Thank you for this column – well written and from the heart.
10:58 pm
well written…
12:53 am
What a beautiful tribute to a great and caring President. My son in law is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He told me before he left that he wanted to go back to Iraq and finish the job. We have such wonderful men and women in our armed forces. I am so proud of them.
1:06 am
Nice post, Rick. This kind of story is so rarely told. Not because it doesn’t happen, but because the president doesn’t think it’s appropriate to use private grief for public consumption. Would that his opponents in Congress felt the same way.
The real, heartfelt, in-your-bones recititude of this guy continues to astonish me—as does the shallow, baseless criticism of his motives from the Democrats.
Lincoln was hated in his day as well. He barely won re-election. He was ridiculed in every way possible. Twenty-five years from now, GWB will be on a coin.
8:20 am
These four years have brought moments I could not foresee and will not forget. I have tried to comfort Americans who lost the most on September 11th people who showed me a picture or told me a story, so I would know how much was taken from them. I have learned first-hand that ordering Americans into battle is the hardest decision, even when it is right. I have returned the salute of wounded soldiers, some with a very tough road ahead, who say they were just doing their job. I’ve held the children of the fallen, who are told their dad or mom is a hero, but would rather just have their dad or mom.
And I have met with parents and wives and husbands who have received a folded flag, and said a final goodbye to a soldier they loved. I am awed that so many have used those meetings to say that I am in their prayers to offer encouragement to me. Where does strength like that come from? How can people so burdened with sorrow also feel such pride? It is because they know their loved one was last seen doing good. Because they know that liberty was precious to the one they lost. And in those military families, I have seen the character of a great nation: decent, and idealistic, and strong.
8:42 am
Bush 41 asked Ronald Reagan how he is able to give emotional speeches without choking up. He told him to read the words enough times to desensitize them. Bush 43 is so hated by the Left and they keep trying to make him seem like a monster. The first debate, the President met with Hurricane survivors during the day. He was so emotionally drained, he appeared in the debate as failing. Seeing real people that have lost so much and then having to listen to a litany of criticism from a liberal two bit Senator from Massachusetts, would make anyone angry.
This is why he won Ohio,
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/06/loc_moment06.html
“This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11.”
Bush stopped and turned back.
“He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man,” Faulkner said. “He looked right at her and said, ‘How are you doing?’ He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest.”
Faulkner snapped one frame with his camera.
“I could hear her say, ‘I’m OK,’ ” he said. “That’s more emotion than she has shown in 21/2 years. Then he said, ‘I can see you have a father who loves you very much.’ ”
“And I said, ‘I do, Mr. President, but I miss her mother every day.’ It was a special moment.”
7:45 pm
Such a real president we have, Rick. And, such a true writer you are!
2:14 am
This is something that every American should watch. We are so complacent about the freedoms we enjoy.
Click on the URL below then select the video and learn the truth about Islam.
Shortcut to: http://americancongressfortruth.com/
4:06 pm
You guys buy into every PR moment the White House puts out for the teflon president? Amazing. Enjoy yourselves, because the rest of us out here in the real world wish we could delude ourselves the way you folks do as well. You have a gift.
4:49 pm
I’ll add my compliments to a well-written piece.
I’ll also observe that well-written pieces tend to come from real heart-felt emotion. This genuine Heart-felt emotion comes from a solid belief in the real good that is occasionally found in man (And, that man being George W. Bush and that “real-good” inside him being that of his Lord, Jesus Christ), which is why we are so sure of his ability to be the leader of this great nation.
May God Bless our President
...and may God Bless the United States of America
6:57 pm
Thank you for the posting on
President Bush. The tears flowed
as I read all of the comments as
well.
The president is a man we come to
love and care about as he is so
real and honest. He cares, and has the strength and perseverence
of few people in the world.
He and his family are role models
to follow and I hope the children
of this time see this and feel
they too, can be like them.
This is my first visit to your
site, but I will be back, you
are bookmarked.
Thank you.
10:40 pm
unmixed form—silver
Silver is a fragile alloy in its unmixed form
6:30 pm
Thank You, Your story has been written with the true feelings and emotions of that day and so many others I have experienced as the wife of a solider who has been Killed In Action.
8:50 am
[...] I don’t care what you think of the man, but going through with those sessions knowing that some of the survivors are likely to accuse you of what amounts to murder takes guts. And, of course, there are many who report that the President’s words and actions comforted them during these private meetings. [...]
9:16 am
[...] I don’t care what you think of the man, but going through with those sessions knowing that some of the survivors are likely to accuse you of what amounts to murder takes guts. And, of course, there are many who report that the President’s words and actions comforted them during these private meetings. [...]