He was the son who called home every two days and was soon saying, "I don't understand why we are here. In small towns, small villages, people scream things at us, throw things at us. There is resentment." Still, he was the peacemaker who in his last letter home asked that the family "Send a box of basketballs and gifts for the (Iraqi) children."
Yet, honor required he be a soldier. So, his mother required that he be the first red, white, and blue coffined American soldier that the public would see. The soldier who wanted to serve his country by building something good at home came home pinned to a folded flag, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, and California Memorial Medal.
Too many times his mother has said, "I feel empty, hurt, numb. I am not angry. I am not revengeful. I'm just hurt that my son's life is gone, and they should stop what they're doing." And she marches on in his honor -- caring for vets in her home, fighting for their rights with generals, Senators, and bureaucrats, and working to establish Veterans Villages (http://www.veteransvillage.org) that will address the deeper wounds our troops bring home.
Her name is Nadia McCaffrey. Her husband is Bob McCaffrey. Their beloved son was Patrick McCaffrey Sr.
And how does our nation, which just spent $3+ trillion on a WMD-less invasion that morphed into an economy breaking war on a tactic called terror, assist a mother dedicated to providing succor to our wounded troops who just followed orders?
Every day she wakes to push Patrick McCaffrey's Veterans Villages forward. Every day she battles for another homeless, confused, wounded vet.
Every day her white blood counts remain too low, the tumor hurts more, the liver cysts cause pain, the bleeding continues. When the doctor warned her, "You could be dead in five years," she realized, "I don't care. I don't want to live without Patrick."
But then there are the grandchildren -- Janessa and Patrick Junior -- and so many others who know and more than care for the wounded Mom fighting for wounded warriors. Certainly, there should be medical care for the separated wife of a Vietnam veteran. Certainly, there should be care for the mother of a fallen American hero. Certainly, with 500 American billionaires populated with banksters and defaulted paper traders, there should be medical care for a mother who funds her campaign for wounded veterans by renting rooms in Patrick's home.
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