Posted on 09/09/2004 6:38:26 PM PDT by freedumb2003
DALLAS -- A candlelight vigil took place Wednesday night to remember U.S. war dead in Iraq during the week of the 1,000th casualty. One North Texas family, whose relative -- Chad Drake -- was killed outside Baghdad Monday, was among the mourners at Dallas City Hall Plaza.
The vigil, though, turned abrasive toward the family members, according to a family friend. The friend sent an e-mail message to NBC 5 News that described the treatment some vigil attendees directed at the family.
Drake's mother was "harassed and yelled at, booed and hissed, told her son died for nothing," the message read.
Drake's mother reportedly left the event in tears.
The family attended the vigil because they thought it was meant to honor U.S. casualties. The event was organized by the Dallas Peace Center, which opposes the war.
The Drake family was upset about the antiwar tenor of the assembled crowd. The director of the Dallas Peace Center said the event was not intended to be an antiwar rally, but said e-mail notifications of the vigil were sent to a broad audience. Because the venue is a public place, he said, a variety of people with various views on the war in Iraq attended.
He also said the event was planned to include political overtones, but the Drake family should have been informed.
The center, however, did issue an apology to the Drake family.
"I want to be clear in issuing an apology to the mother of the recent victim of that war," Lon Burnam, of the Dallas Peace Center, said. "I can certainly understand why she would not feel comfortable in that particular venue with that particular group of people."
Peace Center officials said they believe the Drake family left before the scheduled events started, and the family might not have seen the planned ceremony.
Drake's sister told NBC 5 News that the family thought some of the crowd was hostile, so the family departed the vigil.
Guess they have John Kerry to thank for that...
This is so sad.
Amen. You got that straight.
Nothing is sacred to the Enemy-Within Left but chaos and savagery.
Yep, Democrats support the troops. /s
You should send him some audio samples of Axis Sally and Lord Haw Haw's Nazi propaganda broadcasts from WWII (both were American born). Really helps to put things into perspective.
Remind him that England hanged Lord Haw Haw after WWII.
The email invite to Milwaukee's "tribute." Brought to you by the fine folks of Code Pink among others.
Please Join Us! Action Alert
1,000 U.S. Soldiers Have Died in Iraq
Candle Light Vigil for U.S. Troops - Thursday Sept. 9 7:30 pm
Veterans Park, Lincoln Memorial Dr.(Just North of the War Memorial Center)
One thousand young Americans have died in Iraq, almost seven thousand are
maimed, and many thousands of Iraqis have died. The President won't mourn
our dead, but we will this Thursday night on Milwaukee's lakefront at
Veterans Park.
Peace Action Wisconsin joins United for Peace and Justice, in coordination
with Win Without War, Military Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace,
CODEPINK, and hundreds of other peace and justice groups including Iraq
Veterans to say: Enough to Endless War and Suffering, Bring Them Home Now!
We will remember the 1,000 US servicemen and women who have died in Iraq.
We will remember the many thousands of Iraqis--civilians and combatants,
men and women, children the elderly--who have been killed.
We will remember that these deaths did not have to happen.
We know that the current administration has plunged us into this unjust and
unjustifiable war, driven by greed for oil and lust for power and fueled by
lie after lie.
We cannot remain silent.
We want an end to the occupation so the Iraqi people can determine their
own destiny free from foreign interference and control.
We want our troops brought home now. Don't ask these men and women to
continue to die for politicians' mistakes and lies.
And we want them treated right when they return. Give them the benefits
they were promised and give them the help they will need to heal their
bodies, their minds and their spirits.
We will be there to remember, to honor and to mourn. We will not forget!
George Martin
Peace Action WI
1001 E. Keefe Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414-964-5158
www.PeaceActionWI.org
likewise.
Right, 30 years ago John Kerry was doing approximately the same thing.
I may have gotten carried away, as I was remembering the Vietnam era, but I sent the following email:
THE DRAKE MEMORIAL
I have never in my life heard of such an atrocity...youáll rank with the demons of hell for hurting the family of this dead soldier. I believe you will reap the consequences of your obnoxious and disgusting behavior, how dare you call yourselves Americans.
I remember this same behavior of anti-war protestors in the 1960's& early 1970's led by that maggot John Kerry and Jane Fonda....slime not worthy to clean the shoes of this soldier. As you burn your flags and spew your communism JUST REMEMBER THIS IS ONE OF THE SOLDIERS WHO GAVE YOU THE FREEDOM TO ACT LIKE JACKASSES. THE UN, CHINA AND other communist/socialists countries don't allow you to do that.
I saw this post over at DU (it seems to have been buried in the last 1/2 hour or so).
These B@stards were saying that this is like Vietnam and so it is OK, since the anger is like Vietnam.
I am a boomer, but ya know, I think when we all get old and die at least we won't have old idiots with gray ponytails trying to relive their "glory."
I am tired of fighting the Gen-X'ers. There are too many fools who think 2004 is 1964.
The Vietnam POW's are up next, and I believe the WWII generation are going to believe them, even if they had questions about the SwiftboatVets...I have older relatives who are democrats and don't think the dems would do this, its an eyeopener. I hope the party splits over this, implodes from within.
I was in HS during Vietnam, and I remember the hippie protestors. I never was involved with their protests, I was taught to respect military service, and I too later did yrs as USNR.
I hope this gets covered in the media. The wonderful, sensitive, compassionate, anti-war, leftist democrats harassing a grieving mother and her family to the point where they had to leave out of fear for their safety. Nice.
I think the good old days will make a comeback---- the country and even the world is losing it's political correctness.
Hell has a special place for these scumbags.
"Your Leftist "Peace" Supporters At Work"
It's past time we went to work on them. I am sick of this filth living in this country.
Heh. Good one.
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