Cindy Sheehan (Common Dreams): Casey Austin Sheehan: 1979 - 2004

[Jack Rabbit]

From CommonDreams.org
Dated Friday March 31

Casey Austin Sheehan: May 29, 1979 - April 04, 2004
By Cindy Sheehan

As far as we can piece things together, March 31st, two years ago is the day that the First Cavalry arrived in Sadr City, a slum in Baghdad, formerly named "Saddam City," Iraq. I say "as far as we can piece together" because we have heard many different stories, but this date seems to be the one that we have heard most often.

Casey began a letter to us, his family, on April 1, 2004, telling us that he finally had an address where we could send letters and packages, and most of all, calling cards. The one and only time he called home from Kuwait, it had cost him 400 minutes just to connect the call and he didn't have much time to talk. That was the last we heard from him. He called about 12:30 one morning and said it was "hot" he was on his way to mass, and they should be convoying to Iraq at the end of that week. In his letter he mentioned that he had talked to me that morning, but I probably wouldn't remember it, because he had awakened me. Little did he know, I will never forget that call and I pray fervently that I never forget the sound of his voice.

In his letter he also expressed regret that he wouldn't be home for his baby sister, Janey's, high school graduation that June. Little did he know that he would be home. He also told us that the First Cav was expecting a pretty "smooth year" because the unit that they were replacing had only 2 casualties for the entire year before. Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't know that the day he arrived in Baghdad, four mercenary soldiers from Blackwater Security Company were hanging off of a bridge in Falluja and the proverbial doo-doo was about to hit the fan in Iraq and less than 5 days later he would draw his last breath in an alley thousands of miles away from home, shot dead by a rebel who didn't welcome him with "flowers and chocolates." I wonder what his last thought was as he lay dying for George and the other Chickenhawks.

I would beg Casey not to go to Iraq before he left because we both knew it was wrong. He would say: "I wish I didn't have to, Mom, but the sooner I get there the sooner I will be home." Little did Casey know that not even 4 weeks after the First Cavalry left Ft. Hood, that he would be coming home in a cardboard box in the freight area of a United Airlines 747.

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[AndyTiedye]

1. and for what?

:cry:

[MasonJar]

2. Cindy, that is so heart-rending. I pray that your stewardship for

peace will work and that you will then have inner peace yourself by knowing that Casey's death was no totally in vain.