March 23, 2003
DISHONORING THE DEAD:
Family grieves for Marine, questions need for invasion: Casualty: Kendall D. Waters-Bey's death prompts criticism of U.S. motives in the attack on Iraq. (Tom Pelton, March 23, 2003, Baltimore Sun)Nakia Waters and two of her sisters stood on the concrete porch of their parents' brick rowhouse in Baltimore yesterday, laughing about their memories of knock-down pillow fights and all-out water-gun duels with their brother, Kendall D. Waters-Bey, a Marine who was one of the first U.S. casualties of the Iraq war.But tears started streaming down Waters' cheeks when they began to talk about whether their brother died for a good cause. All three said they are angry at President Bush for sending their brother to die in what they regard as an unjust and pointless war.
"This war is all about oil and money," said Waters, 26, wiping the tears away. "But he [Bush] has already got oil and money. It's about greed. ... He ought to send his daughters over there to fight. See how long they'd last over there."
Their brother, a 29-year-old staff sergeant who supervised the maintenance of combat helicopters, was one of four U.S. Marines and eight British commandos who died Thursday when their CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter crashed and burned south of the Iraqi town of Umm Qasr.
Another of Waters-Bey's sisters, Sharita Waters-Bey, 23, said she was unmoved when Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed his condolences during a televised press conference.
"That was just a show. They don't care. If they really cared, they [Bush or Rumsfeld] would call or send something. They wouldn't go on national television to express that to us," she said. "They don't know what we're going through as a family."
While several politicians praised Waters-Bey's sacrifice in fighting for freedom, those words rang false among neighbors up and down the block of Northeast Baltimore rowhouses where Waters-Bey grew up.
Many in this stable, hardworking community north of Morgan State University agree with Waters-Bey's sisters, who believe their brother died for oil prices.
One can only imagine and sympathize with their pain and regret what they're going through. And it is a disturbing practice of the media to track down families for immediate reactions to the loss of loved ones. But what they're saying--and I believe it is their father that NPR has been playing a clip from saying" "Mr. Bush, you took my son"--cheapens the noble sacrifice that their brother made. Staff Sergeant Kendall D. Waters-Bey is a hero, who died serving a grateful nation in the cause of freedom, and deserves to be remembered that way, not as some pitiable victim of the gas companies. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 23, 2003 1:03 PM
It disgusts me professionally, but the customers eat that stuff up.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at March 23, 2003 1:44 PMHence our skepticism about democracy.
Posted by: oj at March 23, 2003 2:02 PMTom Brokaw had an interview with a mother of a lost serviceman a few days ago, and she gave a lecture about American service and the military that would have made any patriot proud. Truly beautiful. Brokaw was broken up for at least ten minutes, and nearly started crying. But in general, yes -- the press should let the families grieve at moments like this, and stay away.
Posted by: Kevin Whited at March 23, 2003 2:09 PMParents' comments immediately after a traumatic event often can be extremely harsh, so I'd just wait an see if the family is still saying these things several weeks down the line.
In any event, the actions over the past 24 hours -- the hand grenade attack, the firefight in southern Iraq and the capture and reported execution of U.S. troops by Iraqis -- will overshadow whatever the Waters' say in the mainstream media, though the extreme anti-U.S. TV, radio print and Internet outlets will latch onto it and milk it for all it's worth among the true believers.
">http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/peter_carlin/index.ssf?/base/living/1048164908318790.xml
"Is that my son?" On NBC, anchor Tom Brokaw spoke on the telephone to Nancy Chamberlin of Winslow, Maine. Her son, Marine Capt. Jay Aubin, was one of the first American soldiers to die in the conflict.Posted by: Kevin Whited at March 23, 2003 4:58 PM
Brokaw greeted her gently, telling her how hard it must be on this, the darkest day of her life. She thanked him, sounding sad but remarkably composed. Her strength, it seemed, did something to Brokaw.
"The country deserves to know about Jay," he said, his voice starting to fray.
So she spoke, recalling how she couldn't afford to send her son to college, so he signed up for the Marines and fell in love with the service. "When he left he reminded me that . . . if he died he would die doing what he absolutely loved and believed in."
Brokaw was sitting with four of NBC's military analysts, a star-spangled array of retired generals and admirals. They're tough guys, accustomed to talking about war in terms of strategy, ordnance and duty. But the words of this woman, her courage in the face of tragedy, shattered their steel. Or maybe it just revealed their molten core.
Gen. Barry McCaffrey wept openly, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. Lt. Gen. Michael Short, on the other side of the desk, also cried, while Adm. Dennis McGinn stared grimly forward, his eyes dark and pained.
Speaking directly to Brokaw, Chamberlin said she admired all he and his TV news colleagues were doing to bring news of the war home to America.
"But for mothers and wives it's murder," she said. "It's heartbreak. We can't leave the TV, because with every tank and every helicopter, you're thinking: Is that my son?"
Was she criticizing the blanket coverage? Or just expressing the helplessness of being half a world away from a child in mortal danger? It wasn't clear. It didn't matter.
"I just need you to be aware that . . . there are moms, dads and wives out there suffering because of this. That's all. That's why I'm doing this."
After she hung up, Brokaw and his team of military brass tried to compose themselves. When he could speak again, Brokaw looked into the camera and spoke directly to his audience.
"Just because you don't have someone directly involved doesn't mean you're not involved," he said. "No matter how you feel about how we got involved in this war, we all have obligations to each other."
These comment boxes are in dire need of an edit function.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at March 23, 2003 6:31 PMand they need to load faster
Posted by: oj at March 23, 2003 11:29 PM