I have to take a moment today to remember someone who I never met but who means a lot to me. Casey Austin Sheehan died 4 years ago today in Iraq. A day I will never forget 04/04/04. (Forgive me for not knowing how to add his picture)
I think of Casey often. I think about how he didn't want to go to war but he did. He did it because he always did the right thing. He was that kind of person. He was a good guy who came from a wonderful family.
Being a parent I can't imagine having one of my children missing from my life. It happens to so many. Cindy, Casey's Mom spoke about the masses of death and also told us some telling things about Casey....things I think we should all remember. A mother knows her child best
Cindy spoke about Casey and the masses of death
I have been drinking from the fountain of sorrow for almost fours years now since my oldest child, Casey (number 614), was killed in Iraq on April 04, 2004. I was in Vacaville today spending Easter with my surviving children and I stopped to put Easter flowers on Casey's grave on the way back to San Francisco. Today four more American families have been sent into the deep well of never-ending sorrow by the lies and greed of BushCo and Congress, Inc. as we reach yet another unthinkable, unnecessary and tragic milestone in Iraq: 4000 US troops killed. In a relevant and related story, dozens of Iraqis were also killed today---many of those innocent victims in the evil US game of imperial conquest. Conservative body counts for the Iraqis (which have to be done by independent agencies since the US military does not "do" civilian body counts) is somewhere between 600,000 and 1.2 million. Everyone in Iraq has lost a family member---many have lost multiple family members. The numbers of wounded are staggering on both sides.
A mother knows a child. I know my children very well. I know what they are going to do, what their going say at the time they are doing it.
From what I know of Casey, everything in my being told me he shouldn't have been there. And Cindy knew it too. A mother knows their child.
After the initial shock of having a cherished part of me violently torn away, the story that the Army told us about Casey's death did not ring true. When a former-Lieutenant of Casey's called a few days after his death to express his condolences, Patrick asked him the question that had been on all of our minds: "Casey was a mechanic, what was he doing in combat?" The Lt. replied: "Didn't you know, Casey volunteered." That story about Casey "volunteering" never set right with me. It did not resonate with Casey's Chaplain's heart or his reluctance to go to Iraq in the first place and his vow before he left that he would not "kill anyone," because he could not. Then to put the icing on the cake baked with lies, when the Lt. and one of Casey's Sergeants came to his funeral, they told us what a great mechanic Casey was.
This lie was the one that I found so hard to swallow. Casey joined the Army to be a Chaplain's Assistant and when he reported to boot camp in September of 2000, he was told that specialty was "full" and he would have to be a "cook or a humvee mechanic." Casey picked the specialty that was the least abhorrent to him, but he didn't like it. When the Lt and Sgt told me that he was a "great mechanic," I said: "really, he didn't even know how to change his own oil." This was just a small matter, but if the two soldiers would lie about a simple thing like Casey's job to try and do damage control, then they would lie about how he died, too.
Like I said, Casey had been dead for exactly five weeks on that early Mother's Day morning in 2004 and I hadn't dreamed about him yet. In this dream, I was at an outdoor amphitheater looking at the stage and I heard a booming voice over the loudspeakers say: "Specialist Casey Sheehan." I looked up, surprised and overjoyed that he was alive. Casey walked out on stage with a can of Diet 7-up in one hand and an M-16 in the other. He was wearing briefs and nothing else. He nonchalantly put his rifle in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I collapsed on the ground screaming: "The Army made Casey kill himself." I awakened from the dream and instantly there was an earthquake in Santa Barbara that shook our hotel room.
THERE'S NO TRUTH IN WAR
Of course, the dream fueled my suspicions that the story the Army told us was not true. Since Casey's death, we have heard so many stories.
About six months after Casey died, one of his "buddies" came to visit. He said that Casey volunteered for the mission and he said: "Sheehan you don't have to go, and Casey said: "Where my Sgt goes, I go." Then this Sgt claimed that Casey died in his arms. A year later, the medic who held Casey's brains in said he was alive when he got to the medic station and the doctor who tried to keep him alive confirmed that story independently from the medic.
I spoke to two un-embedded journalists who told me that Casey's unit, the First Cavalry, was on a "search and destroy" mission and after Casey was killed in the ambush, they went driving through Sadr City slaughtering anything that moved and strafing apartment buildings in the Shi'a slum that was built for three-millions of people, but contained ten-millions. Martha Raddatz, ABC correspondent, wrote a book that repeated the blatant US military lie that the Mahdi Army was using women and children as "human shields" forcing the US to kill civilians. First of all "human shields" are not a very good barrier (unless the First Cav was using sling shots and pebbles). Secondly, insurgencies need popular support and do not benefit from killing innocent civilians and thirdly, the Iraqi people love their women and children as much as we do.
The "Casey volunteered" story was repeated in Martha Raddatz's book and she got the info from the soldiers that were in the unarmed and open truck bed that Casey was in when he was killed. Again, regurgitating the official US military lies. Recently this email was sent to my campaign office from a soldier who was near Casey when this event occurred:
I'm very sorry what happened to casey. I knew him I was in his unit and lived across the hall. There has been something I have been wanting to get off my chest though. Why am I hearing he volunteered for the mission. He was a humvee mechanic and he honestly sucked at it. He was a great guy but a horrible mechanic. The truth is that when the 1st sgt who was scared to go out himself asked for volunteers all the nco's literally ran to the potapottys. Sheehans chief told sheehan to get on the lmtv. Sheehan said " no, I'm a mechanic" well I remember watching ssg (XXXX) say" get your motherfucken ass on the god damn truck" and he literrally grabbed casey by his collar and dragged him onto the lmtv. Don't believe me you better ask somebody. That's also what I told Martha Raddatz but I guess for some reason she didn't think she should write it that way. Well I'm sorry but if you were told different it was a lie. This is the truth I swear on my son. God Bless and good luck, (NOTE: This email has not been altered by me: CS).
Martha Raddatz confirmed that she was told this, but did not follow up because this soldier was "not on Casey's truck." This account of Casey's last minutes of life upsets me so much, but this account makes more sense to me then the other accounts. The Army had him for almost four years, but I had him for 24 years.
I only want the truth to come out for all of them. It's the least they deserve. We must remember them, honor their death by bringing justice honor and truth to our country. We must learn the lessons of their death so that we can end this madness for the survival of our future, for our children's future.
I know Casey didn't know what he would do for us. He gave us so much. With his death and his mothers sorrow they changed the Iraq war. They changed the masses from agreeing what was happening in our name to outrage. Only the masses can change things. Casey brought the masses together.
On a lighter note. Casey's going to be an uncle soon. His sister is pregnant and due next month. Congratulations Sheehan Family. Casey is with you...always.
She takes one day off each week to do what she had intended when she retired from activism last May: spend time with her children. Each Sunday she travels to Sacramento to cook dinner for Carly, 26; Andy, 24, and Jane, 22, who is pregnant with a son due in May.
In Loving Memory of Casey Austin Sheehan, a man I never knew but who is with me often...
May you RIP CASEY. You are loved.... and will never be forgotten.