-DAY #1: Text Message, Sunday, June 19, 2011 @ 9:50 am-

Mom: Did you make it to your new base okay? Call when you can. Love you.
Son: Everything is good
Mom: Keep me posted! Let me know when and how we can communicate.
Son: Okay I will

-1:59 pm-

Son: Hey the 3-71 Cav 3rd Brigade 10th Mountain left in Feb or March. Some guys are leaving late next month. It’s 50/50 if I go.
Mom: How do they decide? Did they go to Afghanistan? Kandahar?
Son: I don’t know how they decide. They went to Kandahar.

-DAY #2: Text Message, Monday, June 20, 2011 @ 9:19 am-

Son: I was told I would be going some time in the next 30 days
Mom: That soon? Are others going? Will you be able to give us a date?
Son: Yes there are others going. No date yet
Mom: How do you feel about going to Afghanistan? Do you feel prepared? Does it scare you?
Son: I really don’t want to talk about it right now

-DAY #3: Text message, Tuesday, June 21, 2011 @ 4:15 pm-

Son: I leave July 25th for Afghanistan
Mom: Can I come with you?

Hi, my name is Patty. I am the Mom of a 10th Mountain Division U.S. soldier. My 21-year old son graduated from his AIT (Army Intensive Training) on June 9, 2011. On June 18th, he re- ported to Fort Drum, NY. On July 25th he is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.

3-days was all it took for my world to crash. 3-days was all it took for the U.S. military to change my son from the “new soldier on the block” to “the next soldier to be deployed”. I still have not wrapped my mind around the fact that my son is really going to Afghanistan. Only a few days ago I listened as President Obama publicly announced his “plan” to bring home 33,000 U.S. troops by September 2012, leaving 68,000 to continue in this war that has no promise of end in sight. I had small hopes as I listened, that President Obama would hear the cries of a nation to bring their children home. I had small hopes that President Obama would see the desperation of a nation plagued by unemployment, loss of homes, lack of health care, declining educational insti- tutions, communities devastated by natural disasters, and bring the war dollars home. I had small hopes that President Obama would speak to a nation of people with words of encouragement and hope. I had small hopes that President Obama would say “Troops, job well-done. It is time for you ALL to come home.”

Small hopes, while small, are still hopes. Yet this morning, as I write this, my small hopes have become unstoppable tears. Tears for the more than 6,000 soldiers that will not be walking through doors to be embraced by their loved ones. Tears for the many soldiers wounded, whose lives will forever be impacted and changed by this “war on terror”. Tears for the thousands of civilians wounded or killed under the guise of imposing self-determination. Tears for the loved ones who sit by the phone waiting to hear the voice of their soldier. Tears for the loved ones fear- ful to answer that knock on the door. Tears for those that may still be lost.

As the President’s drawdown plan begins to permeate my life, many questions arise.

Mr. President, if you are really planning on bringing our troops home, why are there soldiers now waiting to be deployed?

I understand the theory of rotating troops. I understand the advantages of rotating the troops; rested soldiers have higher morale and are better suited to keep the enemy engaged. I also under- stand the disadvantages of rotating the troops; the strategy requires additional planning and man- agement skills. It also requires a heavier investment in personnel, training and equipment.

Mr. President, as U.S. soldiers return home, shouldn’t it be the responsibility of the Afghan gov- ernment to fill their replacement? We’ve been there for 10-years, surely we have provided enough training to allow the Afghans to begin to defend themselves and define their own road to self-determination.

Mr. President, what do you consider victory in Afghanistan? Are you “holding out” on bringing our troops home until we have reached your definition of victory? How long can you continue to ignore 73% of the nation wanting the war in Afghanistan to end? How many more soldiers must sacrifice their lives for you to bring them home? How many more dollars that are needed here at home, must be deflected to a cause that fewer and fewer believe in?

And many other questions that still remain to be answered.

In the meantime, my hopes that became tears, quickly becomes rage. Rage at feeling helpless to make a difference. Rage at feeling hopeless that the people will ever be heard by a government removed. Rage that as a Mom, I can’t make the journey to Afghanistan with my son. I’ve been there through all of the other scary situations he has faced; sometimes to alleviate the fear, some- times to help heal the wound, sometimes to show the way, and sometimes to just hold his hand. Now I am being asked to stay behind. Now I am being asked to trust. Now I am being asked to wait as my son makes a journey to a land where outcomes are unknown.

I now start almost every conversation the same. My name is Patty, and I AM the Mom of a 10th Mountain Division U.S. Soldier. I now begin and end my day with the same prayer;

“Please help me find a way to be heard. Please let me find a way to help end this war and to bring them all home. Help me find a way to get up everyday and do what I have to do and to not be frozen by my fears. Please help me find a way to support my son.”

Hopes, while small, are still hopes. Tears while they become rage, are still empowering. I will not be quiet. I will not go away. I will not let the powers-that-be forget what is at stake. I will not let anyone forget that ending this war matters to me. I will not let anyone forget mine or anyone else’s soldier. It is time to bring them all home now!

Patty Bennett Mom of 10th Mountain Division U.S. Soldier & Member of Military Families Speak Out

Anna Berlinrut, whose son is currently in Afghanistan, was interviewed on Between the Lines radio program.

Pat Alviso, Southern California chapter leader, whose son recently returned from Afghanistan, was interviewed on NBC before Obama’s speech presenting his plan for a slow withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Pat Alviso and her husband, MFSO Board Member Jeff Merrick, hosted a viewing party at their home in Long Beach attended by members of MFSO, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace, and the media.  Photos of the viewing party were picked up by the Associated Press and run alongside the articles about Obama’s speech in many newspapers and websites around the country.

The LA Times used a photo of MFSO Board Member Rossana Cambron at the viewing party, whose son is currently serving in Iraq.

Reuter’s quoted MFSO’s official response in their international article on the President’s withdrawal plan – in English and Spanish.

Below you will find some talking points to assist you when speaking to press, legislators, friends, and family about Obama’s new Afghanistan withdrawal plan.

A few things to remember…

Statistics can change minds, but only stories can change hearts. Commonly held beliefs about the war are often based on emotional reactions, not logic.  The most powerful tool you have is your own personal story – the facts are here to back you up.

We are more powerful together than alone. While it’s your individual story that changes hearts, showing that there is a movement of military families speaking out against the war can change the power structure.  Make sure to mention Military Families Speak Out whenever you speak to the press or legislators. Most of our members found us because they heard someone like you mention their membership in a local paper, at a rally, or online!

People care most about what impacts them directly (and remember, journalists and legislators are people too), so always try to make a local connection.  The National Priorities Project has a great new report out on “U.S. Jobs and Budget Crises” with reports for each individual state “provid[ing] current data to help you understand the depth of the problems confronting your state and community, and see the local impact of federal policies.”  Visit http://www.nationalpriorities.org/jobs-and-state-budget-crises to download your state report.  Also, make sure to check out National Priority Projects’ “Cost of War” database to find out how much money your community has spent on the wars and what that money could have paid for instead – http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

Talking points are not a script.  Try to put them in your own words so they sound natural.  If there’s something on here you’re not comfortable saying, don’t say it!

Main Points

In December of 2009, President Obama announced that he would begin bringing our troops home from Afghanistan in July of 2011.ⁱ Now as that deadline approaches, the President has reiterated his pledge for a “significant” reduction of U.S. combat forces. On Wednesday, Obama announced plans to bring home 10,000 troops by the end of 2011, followed by another 23,000 in 2012.ⁱⁱ While we applaud any service members returning home, this plan maintains 70,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan through 2014. 3 more years is unacceptable for a military community who have already suffered through 10 years of war, multiple deployments, deteriorating troop morale, and extremely high rates of suicide and Post Traumatic Stress.

Keeping America safe does not require 100,000 troops (or 70,000 troops) in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistanⁱⁱⁱ but scattered around the world. According to CIA Director Leon Panetta, there are less than 100 members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. It did not take 100,000 troops to find Osama bin Laden and it does not take a military occupation of Afghanistan to protect us from terrorist threats.

The American public is overwhelmingly in favor of bringing our troops home now. Public opinion polls have consistently shown that 73% of the American people favor bringing our troops home beginning this summer^iv and ending the war in Afghanistan. Americans overwhelmingly understand that U.S. soldiers have done their job and driven al Qaeda from Afghanistan. After 10 years, it is time for our troops to come home.

This weekend, US mayors joined the chorus calling on the federal government to end the wars, and redirect military spending to fund human needs at home.^v

Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate have come out strongly in support of a “sizable and sustained” withdrawal of troops. Over 200 Representatives supported McGovern’s amendement and 27 Senators signed a letter to the President, asking for the troops to be brought home as soon as possible.^vi

The financial and human costs of continuing the war are indefensible. With over 1,600 troops killed and tens of thousands more wounded, the human toll of the war continues to mount every day. And while Congress fights over every penny of domestic funding, it is time to admit that we can no longer afford over $100 billion a year – $2 billion each and every week^vii – in additional debt from the war.

Now is the time to end the war in Afghanistan, bring our troops home, and make sure there are jobs and a functioning VA system for them to come home to.

Tell Your MFSO Story

Speak from your experience and your heart. Your personal stories of how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have impacted your family’s lives contain compelling reasons for bringing our troops home now. This is especially effective when you explicitly explain how your own experience parallels the situation of hundreds of thousands of others.

Try to always mention MFSO when you speak, write, or give interviews – it lets other military families who oppose these wars know that they are not alone and that there is an organization that can help us make our voices heard. We’re more powerful as a movement than we are alone.

If getting the support of other MFSO members has helped you, please tell those stories.

When representing MFSO, please focus your responses on our points of organizational agreement, and if asked about other political questions (especially regarding electoral choices), make clear that we are a nonpartisan organization with diverse views. You can give whatever opinions you want as an individual.

We all agree about:

• Pulling our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan now.
• Taking care of veterans when they get home.
• Preventing future illegal and/or immoral wars

from KPCC in California – click here for full recording of the show

Can I earn enough to pay the bills?
How can I take care of the kids and work at the same time?
Can I keep the household running without my wife?
He always fixes the car, but now that he’s gone…
He’s so changed.
She needs help.
We miss him.
We miss her.
I feel so alone.

Military families face so many challenges, many amplified by the unknown: finding and keeping a good job, caring for children, staying connected while separated by thousands of miles, helping a loved one who has returned from the war with wounds to the body or brain. Every family has a story; we would like to hear yours.

Guests:

Tom Tarantino, senior legislative associate of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; retired Army Captain and veteran of tours in Iraq & Bosnia

Tim Kahlor, father of Ryan Kahlor, an Army sergeant who served two deployments – 26 months, in Anbar province, Iraq, working with both the Army and the Marines. He left for basic training on March 18, 2003, the first day of the Iraqi invasion. He was 19 years old at the time. Ryan returned with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage in both arms, a detached retina, and back and neck injuries

Friday, after eight more men died Thursday in the war on Afghans and Representative Jim McGovern’s Amendment calling to end the war was narrowly defeated, a soldier’s mother has taken a stand and spoken out against the war.

Mary Hladky, a mother of a Soldier serving in Kandahar explains about the eight deaths, “The trap was set: first a small IED went off which injured some soldiers, other soldiers rushed in, and then the big one went off.”

The men were members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Hladky, a member of Military Families Speak Out, asked in a written statement today, “What are they dying for? A corrupt Karzai government the Afghan people don’t want?”

“No one ever gives a good answer to why our servicemembers keep dying – because there simply isn’t one.”

The number of U.S. Military Casualties In Afghanistan has reached 1,551 and foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2011 has reached 189 according to Kashmir Watch.

Last year was the deadliest year for ISAF with 711 NATO-led soldiers killed.

This Memorial Day weekend, to honor men and women in uniform and those no longer with us, Hladky is urging the public to do two things:

1. Click here to send an email to the White House. Tell them why you want our troops brought home now.
2. Then, send the President & Vice President a handwritten letter. (They carry a lot more weight than an email.)

“This has got to stop. We must apply ‘people pressure’ and show our President that the American public will not remain apathetic.

“Join me in standing up and speaking out.”

If you have family members or loved ones in the military and you oppose this war, you can JOIN Military Families Speak out by clicking here or by sending an e-mail to mfso@mfso.org

Continue reading on Examiner.com 8 soldiers died Thurs. Soldier’s mother: ’What are they dying for?’ – National Human Rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/8-soldiers-died-thurs-soldier-s-mother-what-are-they-dying-for#ixzz1NwpS6NkH

Black Hills FOX – Memorial Day weekend played host to a not-so-traditional observance in the Northern Hills. Military members and families from all across the country came together this weekend to be a part of a Sioux holistic healing retreat.

It’s well off the beaten path and that’s what makes it the perfect venue for a healing retreat. The 3-day retreat was hosted by members of the Sioux nation and utilized some non-traditional methods of treatment to help past and present military members, along with their families, cope with the devastating realities of conflict.

Healing ceremonies, drum circles and reflective painting were all a part of the prescription for the weekend. Arturo and Rossana Cambron traveled from Los Angeles to be at the retreat just three days after their son deployed for Iraq.

The Cambrons say, “I think it’s a very holistic way to approach this thing. Doctors tend to just treat the symptoms and here it’s a recognition that you need to be well inside before you can deal with all these other issues.”

Sunday was the final day of the retreat and coordinators say that they can already see changes taking place in those who participated.

Mike Bissonette says, “I’ve noticed some differences in their behaviors and their facial expressions and how they carry themselves and it’s more positive.”

Healers from the retreat say that the treatment will continue long after their guests depart and plan to offer their services through long distance communication if needed.