Tucson Mom Heads to Iraq

Arizona Daily Star ^ | Nov 29, 2003 | Dan Purvis

[maica]

------------------------------------------------------------------------  Saturday, 29 November 2003

Tucson mom heads to Iraq

Anabelle Valencia, whose son, Chuveny, and daughter, Giselle, are serving in Iraq, will join nine others who have come to oppose the U.S. presence there.

Group taking friendship, doubts By Bob Purvis ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Tucson parents Anabelle and Jesús Valencia sat next to each other in the living room of their South Side home Friday afternoon, quietly sifting through the cards and letters sent to them by a son and daughter stationed in Iraq.

Until now the Valencias have depended on the letters - along with increasingly grim media reports - to learn about the war being fought by their children.

But on Sunday, Anabelle Valencia expects to arrive in Baghdad.

Valencia will join others around the country who will leave their hometowns today, forming a small delegation with other relatives of servicemen to bring a message of friendship for the people of Baghdad. They also will bring doubts about the United States' involvement in Iraq and the Bush administration's handling of the war.

The group of 10 includes two wives of soldiers based at Fort Bragg, N.C., and four veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf wars, two of whom have children deployed in Iraq. Many sought donations to pay for the trip, and though no special government permission was needed, 25 members of Congress wrote letters of support.

"I want to go to see my kids," Anabelle Valencia said, crying softly and wearing a small stars and stripes lapel ribbon to show her support for the U.S. troops.

Valencia, a bilingual teaching assistant at Sunnyside High School, says while the trip has her too worried to sleep at night, she is excited for the chance to spread a message of peace from the United States to the Iraqi people.

"I want to talk with them and tell them that we here in the U.S. are their brothers," she said. "We do not want any more blood to be spilled."

Her journey begins at 1 p.m. today when she departs for Amsterdam to met with the rest of the delegation. They will board another plane to Jordan, before setting out on a dangerous, 12-hour drive to Baghdad, hoping to avoid detection by opposition forces by traveling in the dark.

Jesús Valencia will not accompany his wife to Iraq, where their children say they've had close calls during the war.

Their son, Sgt. Chuveny Valencia, 22, a paratrooper with the Army's 82nd Airborne, narrowly missed an explosion triggered by a land mine on the outskirts of Baghdad. Their daughter, Pvt. Giselle E. Valencia, 24, a U.S. Army Fourth Infantry Division truck driver in Tikrit, called home recently, telling her mom that she'd come under fire.

Both have asked their mother not to take the trip because they worry for her safety. Chuveny Valencia repeated his effort during a recent visit before heading back to Baghdad last week.

"He tried to convince me not to go. He said, 'I don't want you to look for me in Iraq.' Now that I have seen him, I will respect that," Anabelle Valencia said.

Her son's plea, however, has not weakened Valencia's desire to find her daughter, whom she has not seen in more than three years.

"I want to see how Baghdad is. How the people live, how they dress, how they talk," Valencia said. "I want to see American soldiers, to talk with their commanders and to see my daughter."

Valencia will pay half the travel expenses, about $1,000, for her five-day trip to Iraq. The rest of the trip will be paid for by a San Francisco-based human rights group, Global Exchange.

< snip >

[maica]

I have not seen any mention of this on FR yet, but ABC radio news is including this trip in their every half-hour updates. while I would wish not to have to draw attention to Medea Benjamin in any way, we need to be informed.

[maica]

My first post! I am the anti-Medea!

[boxerblues]

This was posted over the weekend. Pity the families have so little faith in their soldiers that they feel they have to go to Iraq

[DumpsterDiver]

They also will bring doubts about the United States' involvement in Iraq and the Bush administration's handling of the war.

Just what the troops need. Can't the State Dept. stop these people?

[LurkedLongEnough]

"We do not want any more blood to be spilled."

Then why are YOU going? You could get injured, taken hostage or killed. How does that help?

[boxerblues]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1030758/posts


interesting comments here as well

[Khurkris]

Momma getting her 15 minutes of fame. What a crock of caca.

* Star reporter Michael Marizco and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact reporter Bob Purvis at 629-9412 or bpurvis@azstarnet.com.

Freep?

[Fudd]

Momma will get killed by bad guys in Iraq. U.S. will get blamed.

[VRWC_minion]

Most non politicians who go to Iraq to protest end up converts.

[Falcon4.0]

Imagine the embarrassment. There you are, a soldier deck out in your fighting fatigues and your Mommy is coming to fetch you home.

[maica]

I'll have to update my searching skills -

Here is the list of the Progressive Caucus in Congress.
This list must include the 25 members of congress who are in support of this trip.


Congressional Progressive Caucus

officers

Dennis Kucinich
(CO-CHAIR, OHIO-10)
Barbara Lee
(CO-CHAIR, CALIFORNIA-09)
Lynn Woolsey
(VICE-CHAIR, CALIFORNIA-06)
Peter DeFazio
(OFFICER, OREGON-04)
Jesse Jackson, Jr
(OFFICER, ILLINOIS-02)
Major Owens
(OFFICER, NEW YORK-11)
Bernie Sanders
(OFFICER, VERMONT)
Hilda Solis
(OFFICER, CALIFORNIA-31)
members

Neil Abercrombie
(MEMBER, HAWAII-01)
Tammy Baldwin
(MEMBER, WISCONSIN-02)
Xavier Becerra
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-30)
Corrine Brown
(MEMBER, FLORIDA-03)
Sherrod Brown
(MEMBER, OHIO-13)
Michael Capuano
(MEMBER, MASSACHUSETTS-08)
Julia Carson
(MEMBER, INDIANA-10)
William "Lacy" Clay
(MEMBER, MISSOURI-01)
John Conyers
(MEMBER, MICHIGAN-14)
Danny Davis
(MEMBER, ILLINOIS-07)
Rosa DeLauro
(MEMBER, CONNECTICUT-03)
Lane Evans
(MEMBER, ILLINOIS-17)
Eni Faleomavaega
(MEMBER, AMERICAN SAMOA)
Sam Farr
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-17)
Chaka Fattah
(MEMBER, PENNSYLVANIA-02)
Bob Filner
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-50)
Barney Frank
(MEMBER, MASSACHUSETTS-04)
Raul Grijalva
(MEMBER, ARIZONA-07)
Luis Gutierrez
(MEMBER, ILLINOIS-04)
Maurice Hinchey
(MEMBER, NEW YORK-26)
Sheila Jackson-Lee
(MEMBER, TEXAS-18)
Marcy Kaptur
(MEMBER, OHIO-09)
Tom Lantos
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-12)
John Lewis
(MEMBER, GEORGIA-05)
Jim McDermott
(MEMBER, WASHINGTON-07)
James P. McGovern
(MEMBER, MASSACHUSETTS-03)
George Miller
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-07)
Jerry Nadler
(MEMBER, NEW YORK-08)
Eleanor Holmes Norton
(MEMBER, D.C.)
John Olver
(MEMBER, MASSACHUSETTS-01)
Ed Pastor
(MEMBER, ARIZONA-02)
Donald Payne
(MEMBER, NEW JERSEY-10)
Nancy Pelosi
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-08)
Bobby Rush
(MEMBER, ILLINOIS-01)
Jan Schakowsky
(MEMBER, ILLINOIS-09)
Jose Serrano
(MEMBER, NEW YORK-16)
Pete Stark
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-13)
Bennie Thompson
(MEMBER, MISSISSIPPI-02)
John Tierney
(MEMBER, MASSACHUSETTS-06)
Tom Udall
(MEMBER, NEW MEXICO-03)
Nydia Velazquez
(MEMBER, NEW YORK-12)
Maxine Waters
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-35)
Diane Watson
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-32)
Mel Watt
(MEMBER, NORTH CAROLINA-12)
Henry Waxman
(MEMBER, CALIFORNIA-29)

[KC_Conspirator]

You mean the same ABC news that called Bush's trip on Thanksgiving a publicity stunt?

[riri]

Valencia will pay half the travel expenses, about $1,000, for her five-day trip to Iraq. The rest of the trip will be paid for by a San Francisco-based human rights group, Global Exchange

Lovely.

[boxerblues]

My son would shoot me himself if he saw me coming in like this!

[Russ]

I can just imagine my grandmother heading over to Belgium in 1944 to see my dad and tell the Germans we mean them no harm.

Sometimes I think we're headed for a national nervous breakdown.

[Gamecock]

What was the name of the idiot, I mean misguided gal who was run over by a bulldozer while bringing peace to the West Bank?

[maica]

I did email this author. Feedback is welcome, isn't it?

bpurvis@azstar.net



Dear Mr Purvis,


> They will board another plane to Jordan, before setting out on a dangerous,
> 12-hour drive to Baghdad, hoping to avoid detection by opposition forces by
> traveling in the dark.


I wonder who this group you wrote about believe are the "opposition." Did you have the opportunity to ask anyone? Medea Benjamin and Global Exchange are rabidly anti-American and anti-Democracy. She is pro-communist in every breath of her body, and every action of her daily life.

The sad mother who is part of this delegation is a classic 'useful idiot,' for Ms Benjamin's campaign against a strong and healthy America.

Sincerely,
< maica >

[maica]

thanks for posting the link

continued -


Valencia said she was inspired to take the trip after meeting Fernando Suarez del Solar, a small-business manager from San Diego County who has become an outspoken critic of the war after the death of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar. He was killed in March when he stepped on an undetonated U.S. cluster bomblet near Baghdad.

Suarez del Solar's efforts caught the attention of Medea Benjamin, director of Global Exchange. Over the past two months, they've linked other parents and family members willing to travel to Iraq.

The Valencias met Suarez del Solar in October during his talk at Sunnyside High School.

When she leaves this afternoon Valencia's luggage will be filled with a few clothes, toys and gifts for Iraqi children. She'll pack a flashlight to use in case the shaky Iraqi power gives out. And she'll take a tape recorder and journal with her to document all that she sees.

From Iraq, Valencia will head to Washington, D.C. where she hopes to be part of a news conference recounting what she will have learned during her trip to Iraq before meeting with members of Congress opposed to the war.

The Valencias supported the war when it began, but say they've lost faith as the conflict has dragged on and the chance of discovering weapons of mass destruction has waned.

"When the war came, we supported the war, but then the war ended but my children are still there," said Valencia, who has joined local anti-war marches.

"We want this to end," she said. "They told us my children would be gone six months, but they lied to us."

While Valencia says she is scared to make the trip, she is confident that it will help her to see for herself what is happening in Iraq and share it with people when she gets back.

"Many people will listen to us, primarily in Washington," she said.

"I am sure I will see my daughter and I am sure we will return home safe."

* Star reporter Michael Marizco and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact reporter Bob Purvis at 629-9412 or bpurvis@azstarnet.com.

[CaptainK]

Her son's plea, however, has not weakened Valencia's desire to find her daughter, whom she has not seen in more than three years.

Why a three year separation between mother and daughter? Would the daughter rather be in the middle of a war zone than in the same room as mom?

[maica]

My thought exactly - not too close, were they!