Senator Edward M. Kennedy
2400 JFK Federal Building
Government Center
Boston, MA 02203
Dear Senator,
I recently saw a copy of a letter that your office sent to Mrs. Hutchins, the mother of one of the Marines who is being held pending charges at Camp Pendleton, California.
I can only say that your answer to this woman’s pleas for help have left me disgusted. If you believe it was enough for you to provide her with a phone number and then tell her there was nothing you could do, you are sadly mistaken; this woman wrote to you for support, not a brush-off.
I am well aware that you are not able to intervene in military legal matters; however, that does not prevent you from making inquiries to ensure that this Marine, one of YOUR constituents, is treated fairly and that the Marine Corps follows the law in adjudicating his case.
Imagine the effect your words had on this woman, compared to the effect you could have enjoyed by simply providing a few words of support and encouragement. Imagine the consolation you could have provided by simply making periodic inquiries on her behalf and assuring her that you would keep her informed of her son’s situation.
It is well known that you hold the members of the military in unwarranted disdain. Yet the fact is that this woman sent her son off to fight for your liberties, wrong war or not, that’s what he understood his task to be. YOU ARE INDEBTED TO THIS YOUNG MARINE, AND YOU OWE HIS MOTHER MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER CONCEIVE TO REPAY.
I was once charged with an offense while in the military; my mother contacted our elected officials. She was so relieved when one of those officials, while letting her know he could not intervene, made inquiries on my behalf and kept her informed of my situation. But then again, he was a man of honor. In contrast, your character is visibly reflected in your unsatisfactory reply to Mrs. Hutchens, to whom you owe both an irredeemable debt as well as a sincere apology.
Mxxxxxxxx x. Sxxxx
Gunnery Sergeant,
U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)