Posted on 08/24/2005 5:38:52 PM PDT by salenaz
Casey’s Dash
By Salena Zito
Headstones tell a short story. Those icy cold markers carry the date of our birth and the date of our death, separated by a dash. The dash is what we do with our lives, it is what we are remembered for; our laughter, tears, loves, losses and mistakes compacted into a single horizontal line.
Casey Sheehan was a young man that had a tragically short dash, but it was his to form.
By all accounts Casey grew up a natural leader; he was devoted to his parish’s youth group, an active Eagle Scout and had just re-enlisted in the Army when he lost his life in Iraq. He was whom his parents had raised him to be; a practicing Christian that was proud to be a warrior for his country. His life ended all too soon, but his dash was elevated because his cause had been noble. Casey had served his country bravely, his community with heart. His moral compass pointed him towards these goals and he lived them fully.
It is goes against all the forces of nature when a child passes before his parents; Casey’s death was no exception. The grief is all consuming and can rupture lives and fracture the strongest of relationships. Far too many families have suffered this loss during times of war; all are grief stricken, all have had their lives altered forever. Rarely is the case that their grief is used as a political springboard.
Yet in Crawford Texas a spectacle is unfolding that is marking what was only Casey’s to define; his dash. Casey Sheehan no longer holds the key to his dash; he has become a frenzied movement.
Although none of us can speak for Casey; everyone seems to be. Those that are appear to be no one that he would have associated with in life. From MoveOn.org and Code Pink to Michael Moore and savvy PR firms, those that live on the fringe now define Casey’s dash.
No one would challenge that Casey’s mother is within her rights to protest, this is America after all. When it comes to the loss of her son and the disintegration of her family we all wish we could take that pain away. As a nation that is surrounded by unseen zealots that plot unthinkable horrors, we thank her son and the other’s that have lost their lives protecting our country.
It is an awkward situation for the Media to point a finger at Casey’s mom and cry foul; some have gingerly stepped around this mounting rally or placed a gentle spin on the saga. There are those that have coronated her as a symbol of the anti-war movement, others have cast a jaundiced eye to her subversive rhetoric.
But as the singular protest morphed into a gathering, which morphed into a frothing faction of kool-aid drinkers, our sympathy is running thin. And hate from the fringes is seeping through the boundaries that we have allowed her. Casey Sheehan’s legacy has now become a residual bi-product of the anti-Bush movement. Like leftovers in a dorm fridge that only Mr. Science would appreciate, this rhetoric is a stale moldy waste that smells of political maneuvering.
Other members of Casey’s family are trying to keep his dash intact. But since they do not use the tactics of guerilla marketing as their message crafters, their simple point is buried.
Watching Casey’s Mom stock rise in the land-of-the-left is sad. To witness her giddily spill out the list of magazine cover’s that she will grace this week crossed the margins of good grace.
There are no happy endings here, but one thing can be salvaged, and that is Casey’s dash. Gather up the roadies and tear the freak show down. If Casey’s mom wants to start a grassroots movement to work with elected officials to make a difference, she certainly has honed those skills. She should use them in a productive way that does not cast a shadow on an honorable soldier.
Casey Sheehan deserves the legacy that he created using his own free will. He was a patriot; he was a twice-enrolled member of the Armed Services. He was a son, a grandson, a brother and respected member of his community. He served his country bravely and with honor. That is Casey’s dash. Not that space of occupied land in Crawford Texas that serves as ground zero for the culture of innuendos.
Thoughtfully and gracefully written, Salena. The only calm, reasonable, poignant voice I've heard emerge from the tortuous Sheehan saga so far.
Mr. Sheehan, we're VERY proud of your son.
Casey's "dash" is being TRASHED....by his own mother! Hey Cindy.....Casey was a HERO!!!! Revel in it....don't bring him down to your lowly little status.
Amen!
Casey has spoken for himself, the dash was his and his Savior's to define and nothing anyone says or does now can diminish that dash by the smallest amount.
R.I.P Casey.
I like this young man. I'm glad I came to know of him, however that had to happen.
Interesting observation.
I saw a video of her saying that "my son is not a hero...he is a victim". How sad...how pathetic...how utterly untrue to the memory of her own son and everything he stood for.
What beautiful thoughts and facts of Casey's life, salenaz.
Thank you.
The poem titled "The Dash" asks:
What will others say about how you spent your dash?
Casey laid down his life in to rescue fellow soldiers. He was a part of a truly noble effort that succeeded in freeing millions of tortured and terrified people.
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