Colonel attacked by seething spouses

Colonel attacked by seething spouses
August/September 2003

Ft. Stewart, Georgia, July 4, 2003-"Military families, so often the ones to put a cheery face on war, are growing vocal. Since major combat for the 150,000 troops in Iraq was declared over on May 1, more than 60 Americans, including 25 killed in hostile encounters, have died in Iraq, about half the number of deaths in the two months of the initial campaign.

"Frustrations became so bad recently at Fort Stewart, Ga., that a colonel, meeting with 800 seething spouses, most of them wives, had to be escorted from the session.

"They were crying, cussing, yelling and screaming for their men to come back," said Lucia Braxton, director of community services at Fort Stewart."

(Jeffrey Gettleman, "Anger Rises for Families of Troops in Iraq," New York Times, July 4, 2003.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/04/national/04FAMI.html)

"We have some issues with the fact that President Bush declared combat over on May 1. Combat is not over. We don't even know who's firing at us right now and all of our soldiers are at great risk of being picked off as Jim was. And that's a shame. And then President Bush made a comment a week ago and he said 'bring it on.' Well they brought it on and now my nephew is dead."
- Mary Kewatt of Shakopee, Minn., aunt of Edward James Herrgott, killed July 3 in Iraq, Kewatt's son is also stationed there (quoted July 14 by Minnesota Pubic Radio.)