Dead soldier's kin want sibling GI's home

[JoFerret]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3967262,00.html

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (AP) - The parents of a soldier killed in an ambush in Iraq are appealing to military leaders to allow her two surviving sisters to remain home after the funeral.

Pvt. Michelle Witmer, 20, who died Friday, became the first woman ever killed in combat in the Wisconsin National Guard, Gov. Jim Doyle said Sunday. Her two surviving sisters, including her twin, will accompany the body home, and the family asked Sunday that they not be required to return to Iraq.

``I can't live another year like I've lived this one,'' the women's father, John Witmer told The Associated Press. ``The sacrifice that this family's made can never be understood by someone who hasn't gone through it. ... It's a burden I can't bear. My family can't bear it.''
<more>

[burrowowl]

1. How sad

I hope they get to stay home.

[saigon68]

38. SPC Michelle Witmer

Left to right, Charity, Rachel and Michelle Witmer have their picture taken in Iraq (news - web sites) in this undated family handout photo. Michelle, one of the three Wisconsin sisters serving in Iraq, was killed Friday, April 9, 2004, and the family is appealing to military leaders to prevent the two surviving sisters from being sent back after her funeral. (AP Photo/HO)

[saigon68]

39. Spc Michelle Witmer

Michelle (left to right), Rachel and Charity Witmer have their picture taken in Iraq (news - web sites) in this undated file photo. Michelle, one of the three Wisconsin sisters serving in Iraq, was killed Friday, April 9, 2004, and the family is appealing to military leaders to prevent the two surviving sisters from being sent back after her funeral. (AP Photo/HO)

Her family is grief stricken. I saw her neighbor on TV, a WW 2 Vet who had 2 sons in Viet-Nam. He was very unhappy. He wasn't spouting the usual she died "for" crap. He sounded almost as antiwar as me --yikes!


RIP Michelle---------------saigon

[Desertrose]

2. This woman had three babies over there???

What in the world is wrong with this country???

Three daughters FIGHTING??? I am so saddened and infuriated over this...I can't imagine how I would ever cope...my heart goes out to all the families who have loved ones over there.....and for the families whose country we have invaded...

damn.....this is not right...from any perspective .....

Peace
DR

DK was right.

[Florida_Geek]

3. All three brought into the "free college" and

joined up never thinking what live under Bush would be like.

So sad.

[dArKeR]

10. Good and sad image. When will someone on the commission ask if there

is evidence the Bush Crime Family allowed the attack to bolster their election prospects?

[amber dog democrat]

12. And I thought it was bad during Vietnam

This travesty is not worth a single American life. We need to bring them home now.

[PaDUer]

7. Yes, they had 3 members over there!

Isn't this disgraceful...Yet,I saw an article and pix showing the Bush twins going to visit the injured guys from Iraq at a military hospital in Tx...It sounded to me like he was "using" his daughters since they were dressed in tight and short clothing, with slip-on highheels to visit the injured!.. If this idiot had a brain, he'd be dangerous!--he IS dangerous!!

[Malva Zebrina]

14. Yup

we were told earlier that the twins would be used to campaign for 'Bush and this is their first effort.


They never had to worry about paying for their college tuition, In fact, while they were there,they went on spending binges at fashion shows, spending as much as ten thousand on a wardrobe

and here we have them all decked out in stupid looking outrageous clothes,one looking like a whore and the other looking like a homeless person, both wearing sling back sexy shoes, visiting a military hospital where injured vets there had no feet to wwear shoes at all

Can we please get this obnoxious family, the dumb daughters and the dumb wife,out of our house?

[PaDUer]

16. Yes, saw the pix...

and you desribed them perfectly. Disgraceful. If Chelsea dressed like that, they'd be trying to find her pimp! They can't come near Chelsea. Wonder what pickles was wearing! And that stooge puppet shitbag that's supposedly called husband! What about that old bat? Was she there also? I've never liked her!

[Tinoire]

36. I want to see those twins in BDUs and combat boots. n/t

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[PaDUer]

4. This is too devasting...

my heart goes out to this family. It's easy to read into this article to know how this family feels, and how Mari from this group lives a daily nightmare..BTW, has anyone heard from Mari? I know this holiday had to be difficult for her and her hubby. Let's pray a miracle brings her son home alive and soon.

[Mari333]

6. Its not Easter for us. This family is one of many being screwed

over by this administration. They dont care who dies, they dont care who they kill, believe me, they dont care.

[PaDUer]

8. Hi Mari

I was thinking about you and hubby today..I realize today had to be extremely difficult for you..Yes, you're right...there were many families who cried today..Sending my love and prayers to you!

[Amerpie]

5. Not the first time

A soldier in the North Carolina National Guard was killed in Iraq while his twin brother was also serving there

Story

[Prodemsouth]

9. Thats why the media has not been talking about the sex of the troops

killed. If they talked about soldiers and Americans found out these were females. There would be a whole different outlook - bet on it. It would plummet even further than it has- we are talking circa 1970 Vietnam popularity here. My opinion any soldiers death is tragic.. but this is still a rather sexist society in the US.

[Bushfire]

11. Here's a recent and older article on the Witmer sisters

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/apr04/221563.asp

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/dec03/191254.asp

On edit: This makes a total of 3 female fatalities from Wisconsin by the way. When is enough going to be enough before this country wakes up to the madness of boy king george? I remembered the second article when it was initially published in December.

[WillyT]

18. Michelle (Recently Killed In Iraq) Is On The Right, Her Twin Charity...

is in the middle bottom.

Fuck you very much pResident Bush !!!

:argh:

[PartyPooper]

19. This truly breaks my heart.

I'm saddened by all of the deaths and injuries as a result of this fraudulent "war". But, somehow, this particular story upsets me immensely.

;(

[The_Casual_Observer]

20. They look so cuddly and happy

As if wearing that uniform was a costume or something. They probably got the wrong impression growing up under Clinton, where they didn't have much to fear.

[RamblingRose]

13. What was the policy for siblings fighting in previous wars?

Didn't it in part have to do with the number of children fighting from one family, their birth order, and where they were stationed?

[shanti]

15. i thought

that you had to leave one kid. but is that per parent? what if i had 4 sons and my ex had 1 (by me)? i don't know how THAT would work...anyone?

[BiggJawn]

21. I thought there was a policy put in after the Sullivans were sunk...

But quick research proves that a myth. there is NO official USN policy prohibiting siblings from serving on the same ship, and I would suppose the same goes for the other branches.

[mmm]

32. I thought that as well. Thanks for looking that up

[progressivebydesign]

17. Until we FIX the institutions of higher learning...

.. and make them affordable for everyone, we will see more and more of this. So many people dying for a college education. It has to stop! This is the reason so many of these kids are over there.. just wanted money for college, it's how they sold it to them. They need to let those girls come back home. NOT because they are women, but because their sibling was killed. It would be humane.

[QC]

23. It's the poverty draft.

Best thing that ever happened to our hungry M/I complex.

[BiggJawn]

22. Well, shit. I didn't want to sleep tonight anyway...

WHEN will this insanity END?????
:cry:

[WillyT]

24. This Article's Gonna Give Me Fits Tonight As Well !!!

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x481012

Something is gonna give soon, and I'm really afraid of what it might look like.

:cry::scared::cry:

[BiggJawn]

27. I'm a furkin' PROPHET...Slept like SHIT last night...

Squinting at the screen now through bleary eyes...

I'll bet Bush and the TinMan slept like babies...Well, TinMan slept the "Sleep of the Dead", something he's experienced no doubt countless times in the past...

[WillyT]

25. Kick !!!

:kick:

[Luvpurp]

26. On the radio this morning they played a clip

of her (the killed soldier) speaking in favor of the war at a UW-Madison rally last year. All I can say is how sad for this family.

[WillyT]

28. Showed A Snip Of Her On CNN Too This Afternoon !!!

Get her sisters out of there!!!

[VolcanoJen]

29. This story is almost unbearable... Bring the Sisters Home NOW!

Here is the Witmer Family Website... it is heartwrenching.

http://home.wi.rr.com/jwitmer/

[PaDUer]

30. Site is down??

Is anyone else getting this?

[WillyT]

31. Here's What I Got !!!

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /jwitmer/ on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

:shrug:

[VolcanoJen]

33. At 6:57 pm edt, I have no difficulty reaching the website.

:shrug:

[WillyT]

34. Weird, I Keep Gettin The Forbidden Thingy !!!

:shrug:

[bobbieinok]

35. got same at 6:08 CDT

[PaDUer]

40. Am getting the same...n/t

[saigon68]

48. kick

[Bushfire]

37. more articles recently on the Witmers

Couple want 2 surviving daughters out of Iraq
Body of first woman in state Guard to die in combat to arrive home today
By MEG JONES and NICOLE SWEENEY
[email protected]
Posted: April 11, 2004
A New Berlin family who just lost one daughter in Iraq is now pleading with federal legislators and the Wisconsin National Guard not to send their surviving two soldier daughters back to Baghdad after their sister's funeral.

Military officials confirmed Sunday that Spec. Michelle Witmer, 20, died Friday after her vehicle came under attack by small arms fire. She had been stationed in Baghdad since last summer with the 32nd Military Police Company, which was scheduled to end its deployment to Iraq on May 8, one year after the unit shipped out to southwest Asia.

Officials said she is the first Wisconsin National Guard member to die in action since the waning days of World War II and the first female soldier killed in combat in the 167-year history of the Wisconsin National Guard.

Sgt. Charity Witmer, who is Michelle's twin, and Spc. Rachel Witmer, 24, are scheduled to bring Michelle's body home today.

more...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/apr04/221690.asp

Non-combat plea is up to 2 sisters
By SCOTT WILLIAMS and JOHN DIEDRICH
[email protected]
Posted: April 12, 2004
New Berlin - As support poured in from military and political leaders, two soldiers whose sister was killed in Iraq huddled with family members Monday to mourn their loss and contemplate returning to the war themselves.

For Rachel and Charity Witmer, sisters of fallen Wisconsin National Guard member Michelle Witmer, the decision on rejoining their units could come down to a heart-wrenching choice between loyalty to country and duty to family.

U.S. military rules state that whenever a soldier is killed while on active duty, any family member serving in the military may request assignment to a non-combat role.

Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) all voiced support for the Witmer family Monday, pledging to help the surviving sisters avoid further action in Iraq if that is their wish.

more...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/apr04/221861.asp

[SoCalDem]

41. As badly as i feel for the family, the military is a cruel profession

These "girls" probably thought it would be "fun" to all join up together, march a little, learn some stuff, get credits for college, and in a few years, they would all be college graduates with great careers..

During a "sane" adminsitration, this might have happened, but all bets were off on Jan 20,01..

The family is in a real bind now, because there is no "good" outcome here.. If the remaining two, refuse to go back, or TRY too hard to get out, they will have proved that women do not "belong" in the military..

If they go back,and have to stay, they are likely to be so distraught that they might put themselves or others in danger.. No matter which happens, their fellow soldiers will feel like they are getting "special consideration"..

Parents of a 20 yr old male soldier who was killed, are grieving just as much..


If we truly feel, as a country, that men and women are equal when they join the military, then we cannot feel that a female death is more "evil" than that of a male..

Perhaps the "old ways" were better in some ways. The Waves & Wacs were soldiers too, but they were in non-combat positions. If the country is going to be more accepting of male deaths than of female, they need to re-evaluate the whole "women in the military" issue.

War is a ghastly thing, and NO ONE should have to see it, live it, or remember it forever, but equal DOES mean equal. Male or Female.

[dArKeR]

42. To go to college is all they wanted but were forced to join the military

I lived in Hawaii for about 11 years off and on, and that is what I constantly heard more than half of them say. Our country should have a system for those who want higher education another choice than being blackmailed by the Repukes into military service.

[SoCalDem]

45. THAT is what replaced the draft..

and the military likes it just fine.:(..

All they had to do was tighten up the purse-strings for students, allow THOUSANDS of foreign students (at HUGE prices) to take up a lot of slots at colleges.. They created a "shortage" each year , so they could keep raising tuition.. Even kids with 4+ GPA, had trouble getting into colleges, due to overcrowding..

More and more "middle's and poor's" kids are suddenly doomed to selling tires at Sears, flipping burgers, or babysitting...

Enter..Uncle Sam with a "FREE" college education worth $40K..all ya gotta do is "sign on the dotted line".. Be a weekend warrior, a reservist... A few wekedns here and there, "summer camp" every year.."..

Sounded like a good idea, until we got a maniac in the white house..

Take away the "perks", and very few would sign up.. They would then HAVE to draft..

It's the "Daniel Webster Recruitment Plan"..:(

[LagaLover]

47. They were NOT forced to join

the military. Give me a freakin' break.

I'm VERY glad the DoD appears willing to grant their request not to return to Iraq.

[dArKeR]

43. I heard them say it will be the troops stationed in Germany who willl

be the 10,000 more. Am I cynical? Did Bush/Cheney/Rove make this decision because if soldiers are killed it's better that they're 'not directly from American soil' who would be in quick reach of the Media who might air stories which would convince more Americans that Bush is a liar, a coward, and incompetent?

[VeniceBeat]

44. Sullivan Brothers Law a Myth: More Info

I am trying to locate the law that was put into effect after the five Sullivan Brothers all lost their lives on the USS Juneau during World War II. I would like to read the law or act in its entirety.

This is one we've researched extensively; the answer is somewhat complicated. The Sullivan Law is indeed popular myth; no law or act governing assignment of relatives in combat has ever been enacted. Legislation has been introduced from time to time, most recently in 1991 by Iowa Congressman Dave Nagle. One official source on this issue is the 1991 Congressional Research Service document titled Persian Gulf War: Key U.S. Military Personnel and Compensation Questions. To summarize: The "sole surviving son" Statute, 50 USC Appendix 456 (o) is part of the Military Selective Service Act. It provides that "no man may be DRAFTED, unless he volunteers for induction, if he is considered to be a sole surviving son under various criteria for determining such status. IT DOES NOT PERTAIN TO LIMITATIONS ON THE ASSIGNMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES. Because there is no active draft at this time (legal authority to induct men into the Armed Forces having lapsed on July 1, 1973), it is therefore not relevant to the current situation."

According to the CRS report, "During and since the Vietnam War, Department of Defense policy has been that close family members (siblings, parents or children) may voluntarily serve together in the same unit, ship, or aircraft, regardless of the danger that they may all become casualties in the same action. Such family members may request that one of them be reassigned to avoid such an eventuality, but DOD does NOT guarantee fulfilling the request, due to military necessity."

http://www.wplwloo.lib.ia.us/hotq.html

The movie they made of this in 1944 is probably the saddest I've ever seen. My heart goes out to the Witmer family.

[neverborn]

46. grr...

Infuriating.

Bring them home NOW.

[Bushfire]

49. Witmer sisters 'conflicted' about return

Government ready to grant parents' wish to keep surviving children out of Iraq
By SCOTT WILLIAMS and JOHN DIEDRICH
[email protected]
Posted: April 13, 2004
Brookfield - The surviving sisters of a Wisconsin National Guard member killed in Iraq said today they are torn between rejoining their own Guard units or staying home to support their family.

"We are conflicted," Rachel and Charity Witmer said in a prepared statement read by a representative for the family. "We have two families and we can't be with both at the same time."

snip

In their prepared statement today, the two sisters said of their colleagues still fighting in Iraq: "Not a minute goes by that we don't think of you."

snip

The girls' parents, John and Lori Witmer, have taken their plea for letting both girls stay home to national television audiences and to the Wisconsin congressional delegation. The military requires, however, that such a request come directly from the soldier.

more...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/apr04/221911.asp

and the Witmer's are not alone...

Double dose: Iraq news has families reeling
10:52 PM 4/12/04
Richard W. Jaeger Wisconsin State Journal


The similarities are eerie. <

When Karyn Tsikretsis heard about the death of Michelle Witmer, one of three sisters from New Berlin serving in the Wisconsin National Guard in Iraq, her heart sank. She couldn't help but fear for her daughters. <

Just like the Witmer family, Tsikretsis, of Fort Atkinson, has three daughters on duty with the National Guard in Iraq. <

Just like the Witmer family, two of them - Stacy and Courtney Pfad - are in the Madison-based 32nd Military Police Company, the same as Michelle and Rachel Witmer. <

And just like the Witmer family, Tsikretsis' third daughter, Briteny Pfad, is in Company B of the 118th Medical Battalion in Iraq, the same unit in which Michelle's twin sister Charity Witmer is a medic. <

more...

http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/local/72129.php

[saigon68]

50. Saw them on local TV it was Heartbreaking

At least local TV is telling it like it is. A lot of people are starting to get pissed off over this war. We have 3 soldiers in our area whose funerals are this week.

A lot of local coverage, and no one I saw today talked about dying for Freedom or some such oxymoron.

Wisconsin now has 3 women KIA --- all of the Viet-Nam War 1959-1975 had 8 (For the whole damn country 50 states)

[Bushfire]

51. Her death also makes the BBC

Plea to halt US girls' Iraq duty

The parents of a woman killed in Iraq are pleading for her two servicewomen sisters not to be sent back there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3621983.stm

The world is watching this madness in horror, just like we are.