Grief Compels Marine's Dad to Support War

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060513/ap_on_re_us/marine_s_dad_2

FAIRFIELD, Ohio - A soft-spoken suburban real-estate broker, John Prazynski didn't consider himself political and never expected to become a public figure, much less a pro-war activist. But in the year since his son Taylor, a Marine, died in Iraq, Prazynski has devoted much of his time to supporting the troops through fundraisers, two trips to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and interviews backing the war effort.

<snip>

Marine Lance Cpl. Taylor Prazynski, 20, died May 9, 2005, of shrapnel wounds from a mortar shell that exploded near him during combat in Anbar Province. In his last phone calls, the fun-loving, popular man who had spent much of his senior year of high school helping special-needs students told his father he wanted to become a special education teacher.

Since his son's death, Prazynski, 43, has been interviewed repeatedly about the war while organizing a series of 5-kilometer runs and motorcycle rides to raise money for scholarships for students who attend his son's high school.

"I do this to keep Taylor's memory alive," Prazynski said.

On opening day of the baseball season in Cincinnati, he joined President Bush and two wounded soldiers on the field in pregame ceremonies. Prazynski said he wanted to thank Bush for his support "and give him two thumbs up with his positive stance on security, military and veterans' issues."

[valerief]

1. I just watched a great old *don't glorify war* movie last night--

The Americanization of Emily. It was a satire, but the message was that the more you put dead soldiers on a pedestal, the more the next generation of young boys will want to *do war*, too.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. That's a brilliant and very true movie

I think about its condemnation of the glorification of war every time I see someone refer to dead soldiers as fallen. Reporting on current war deaths is filled with terminology that tries to make those deaths sound noble and romantic.

[billybob537]

2. Some people need denial

some like to find the truth,

[Bill McBlueState]

3. "his positive stance on security, military and veterans' issues"

What's a "positive stance"? Royally screwing up all three?

[leftchick]

6. some people are apparently blind in their grief

that is the only thing I can think of.

[WePurrsevere]

4. How very sad. It sounds like this man is frantically trying to justify....

his son's needless death by burying himself deep in deniel.

[MADem]

5. Sorry, Paw, Taylor is DEAD

And sending a bunch of other youngsters off to die isn't gonna bring him back. All it's going to do is create more crazed and saddened parents, some of whom may keep you company. Supporting the troops is fine, supporting the idiot who is marching them off to die is another thing altogether.

Odds are, though, most of those saddened parents will stand with Cindy Sheehan.

"I spent most of Saturday afternoon in Arlington. It's just peaceful; I could probably sit there for days, seriously."

I used to work right by there. I never got used to the rows upon rows of headstones. It's not peaceful, if you think about what it really is--it's a slap in the face to leaders who send people off to war to die. Every marker a loved one.

[SoCalDem]

7. this is a truly EVIL part of this whole 'war'..

Parents are coerced into supporting the very thing that killed their child..Why? If they believe in their gut that it was wrong and a stupid idea, they will always have some degree of guilt to bear for not stopping them ..somehow..

Every parent has a horror story of their kid, as a youngster, darting into traffic or almost getting hurt...and Mom or Dad yanking them away at the last second.. This war is something that they did not yank them back from, and now they are dead..

Adult children are still children, and parents always want them to be safe, even if they cannot always make it so.. When an adult child dies, parents still beat themselves up over what they could have/should have done to prevent it.

War-dead are always revered, and their sacrifice is lauded, but when it's as a result of a LIE, it must be a bitter pill to swallow. To talk against the war, is to admit that your son/daughter died for NOTHING..

Very few people are strong enough to admit that.

[Karenina]

11. SoCalDem, Spot.On.

:loveya:

[xchrom]

8. the saddest part is -- his son died not protecting the country.

doing his duty -- yes.

but not protecting the country.

[daleo]

10. This way, other dads will share his grief

Once their children are killed in the war. It won't make his child's death any less pointless, though.