Mother of Sailor Killed in Iraq Tells Seattle Paper: 'Needless Loss Of Life Must Stop'

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Editor & Publisher

Increasingly in recent months, the parents of American troops killed in Iraq have reacted with anger or outrage. The latest example comes after a petty officer from the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station (in the state of Washington) became the sixth member of a bomb disposal unit to be killed in Iraq.

Kevin Bewley, 27, of Hector, Ark., died Monday of wounds from a bomb that detonated in Sala ad Din Province. He was on his second deployment to Iraq.

Bewley's mother, Connie Whitaker of Greenbriar, Ark., said the death of her son was devastating.

"The needless loss of life of our American servicemen and women is something that we as a nation must stop now," she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "My son was precious to me, but so are the lives of everyone who has died needlessly, been maimed or who will suffer the trauma and horror of this senseless war."

Bewley, who was divorced, leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.


Read more: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003669921

[Captain Hilts]

1. "Sailor killed in Iraq." A sailor killed in the desert. That's just wrong. nt

[aquart]

3. See? That was what I was coming to post.

WTF was a sailor doing onshore in Iraq?????

WHY was an AMERICAN SAILOR killed in the Iraq desert???

Because Georgie bled our army dry, and now the vampire is feeding on our navy.

[Captain Hilts]

4. I went to a funeral at Arlington of a submarine officer. Most senior naval officer...

to be killed in a war since Vietnam.

There were his former crewmates and captain of submarine Dallas. There was a lot of anger at what happened. He worked at a naval supply depot in Penn. and they needed a volunteer from there to go to Iraq, and he did. He left three children under the ages of 13 and as young as 4. It was very sad.

We pay millions to train submariners, then we send them to the desert. Sub sailors given three days firearm training at Bragg then sent to Iraq for convoy duty. It's WRONG.

[Marrah_G]

7. Was he a Commander? 42 years old?

I remember that death, it scared me so bad I almost passed out at work.

[Captain Hilts]

11. I think he was 43. A pork chop. The ceremony attracted...

more senior chiefs and 0-6s than I've ever seen in one room. No one below E-7 or 0-4.

A lot of gold in that room. And folks like the former skipper of Dallas were in civies.

It was really sad and there was a lot of anger. Lindsey Graham was there and I tried to catch up with him afterwords, but he must have made a quick escape.

[Marrah_G]

12. Yup I remember that one.

My 42 year old brother is a Naval commander,lives right outside Philly and was in Iraq. When I saw that headline I almost fainted. Then I realized that if it was him I would have already been called.

I felt horrible for his family. Damn now I am in tears again.

[Captain Hilts]

13. That would have scared it out of me too...

What's he actually doing in Iraq? His job?

[Marrah_G]

14. He just got home last month

He was recalled to active duty last year. He commanded Navy Reserve Battalion Sierra doing customs work in Iraq. Fortunately for his family he made it home to meet his newest son for the first time. This Thanksgiving is extra special for us.

[Marrah_G]

6. There are MANY Sailors serving in the desert right now

In fact the Customs Division is now staffed by Navy reservists on the ground in Iraq. 450 of them at a time. The last group just went over in Oct where they relieved the Battalion my brother Commanded, after he was recalled to active duty (he actually retired 10 years ago).

So every 7 months or so they rotate in another 450 Sailors (after putting them through ground combat, weapons, ect., training)

Alot of people have no clue just how stretched the military is in both personnel and equipment.

[DRoseDARs]

2. "Clearly she's making it up. I'm so sick of these drama queen parents and their phony soldier kids."

Go on, Limbaugh, I dare you to say that. I double-dog dare you. Work in a reference to global warming and you'll hit trifecta. :)



Edit: Damn, that was supposed to branch off of MookieWilson's post #1.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Go ahead, go straight to the triple dog dare. nt

[BrklynLib at work]

8. Uh-oh. She better be ready for the Cindy Sheehan treatment by the repukes.

Nothing more appetizing to them than a mother who has lost her child, and is not swelling with pride over it.

[lonestarnot]

9. Join the ranks with the rest of us who do not matter.

[gratuitous]

10. I'm sorry, Ms. Whitaker

But our country loves war more than it loved your son. And so, in order for the war that we love so much to go on, he had to die. Please join the other thousands of grieving, angry families over there, and please don't make too much noise about it, because this country simply will not listen to anyone badmouth war.