Mothers stir up feelings about war in Iraq Mothers stir up feelings about war in Iraq (September 02, 2005)

Regardless of how you feel about the war in Iraq, you have to admire the courage and spirit of the mothers whose sons or daughters have died in the conflict and who now are leading the peace vigil near President Bush's Texas ranch.

Local resident Karen Meredith, the mother of Lt. Ken Ballard, who graduated from Mountain View High School in 1995 and was killed in Iraq last year, is there to support Cindy Sheehan, a friend of hers who started the event several weeks ago. Sheehan just showed up and began camping out near the Crawford ranch, saying she would stay until the President talked to her about what "noble cause" her own son died for in Iraq.

That simple yet eloquent request has captured the attention of thousands, if not millions, of U.S. citizens, many of whom would like to find a way to get our troops out of Iraq. Hundreds of peace vigils have been held around the country in support of Sheehan, who has not yet been invited to talk with the President, but who has attracted hundreds of followers to join her in Texas.

For Meredith, the Crawford vigil was yet another opportunity to share her feelings about her son, who was killed by small arms fire in May of last year. She is a member of the Gold Star Families for Peace, a group co-founded by Sheehan whose members have lost loved ones in the war. Before leaving for Texas, Meredith spoke to 150 supporters in Mountain View. "I don't want one more mother to go through this hellish journey as I am," she said.

No one expected Sheehan's Crawford vigil to grow and attract the press coverage it did over the last few weeks. Even the vacationing President Bush acknowledged Sheehan's presence, saying politely that she is entitled to her opinion, and that he doesn't agree.

And he has plenty of mothers on his side too, those who may have lost a loved one but think it is wrong to criticize the conduct of the war now. Some have set up a rival camp near Crawford, and others have criticized Sheehan for comments she has made on the Israeli war.

But for mothers like Meredith, there is no need to engage in a debate: "These women have lost their children, too. We share their grief, but we disagree with them."

There is no scheduled end to the peace vigil in Crawford, but it undoubtedly will wind down when the President ends his vacation and heads back to the White House. But for a few weeks in August, a handful of determined mothers managed to get the country talking about stopping the killing in Iraq. They got our attention because they have lost far more than most of us, and they made their point.

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