Military moms weigh in on Obama's plan
Five mothers come together in Colorado Springs Tuesday night to watch President Barack Obama's speech as he outlines his plan for the fight in Afghanistan. Each of them has a son or daughter in the military. Some have more than one child serving in the Armed Forces.
They are part of Blue Star Mothers, a national group dedicated to promoting patriotism and supporting their children and each other.
Obama says 30,000 additional troops will deploy to the country in January 2010.
"Though we hate war, we have our children's lives are on the line, there's safety in numbers, so to put more numbers and more resources behind the effort is going to benefit everyone in the long run," says Tari Cofield who has two sons in the Army.
In this deployment surge, Marines likely will move first.
"For me that's a concern, because my son is trained to take care of Marines, so this will be very interesting," says Carol Dial, whose son is in the Navy and home for a few more days before heading back to Japan.
These moms agree with Obama on the strategy to send more troops and move the mission in Afghanistan forward. While an exit goal is a good idea, they say, a hard deadline is hard for them to grasp.
"Let's do it. Do it well. Get it done, but don't tell them when we're leaving," says Barbara Pagano, mother of two Air Force pilots.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are personal for these women.
"My oldest son was killed in Iraq two years ago," says Estelline Miller. "My son that I lost was vehemently believed in what he was doing and my other children do as well. Take the fight to them. Don't bring it here."
CNN producer note
ChrisMorrow spent some time with volunteers from Blue Star Mothers, who put together care packages for soldiers deployed abroad. "I remember when my brother was in the Marines during the Gulf War and sending him care packages for his ship and knowing how much it help moral," she said.
- zdan, CNN iReport producer
The Blue Star Mothers of America know how hard it is to send their children off to war. They send the comforts of home care packages to the service men and women. I visited the Roseville Veterans Hall where volunteers put together 700 care packages. Check out their story.
Order of appearance:
Pam Woodward - Co-founder
SGT Michael Scofield - US ARMY
video by: Chris Morrow
Link to article with video:
http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/pain-and-love-military-families/
It's been a tense and terrible few days for our local military families. First finding out about the tragic weekend in which 8 soldiers were killed, then the excruciating wait to find out if their soldier's alive.
Online at blogs and websites authored by military family members you can get a glimpse their lives, afterall, as one military family member told us, they're fighting, praying and dying for our country.
With thousands of soldiers from the Mountain Post in Afghanistan, when word came out of the deadly weekend, all at once thousands of families faced the same fear.
"You just kind of go into this panic mode," Tammy Munson told News First 5. Her husband's serving in Afghanistan and she writes about him on her blog Armyhousehold6.com.
When she heard about the deaths of 8 soldiers she anxiously sat at home wondering, "is somebody going to be ring my doorbell? And anybody that walks by your door you just instantly tense up and... please don't... keep walking, don't let the doorbell ring, nobody knock on the door," she said.
Given the bond military families have, she says she wasn't surprised that her website and others have been flooded with emails of support. "Everybody just immediately was like 'What can we do?' You know, of course, prayer and 'you need anything let us know' and it was just this constant flood of support for the families involved," she said.
Tari Cofield, chapter president of Rampart Range Blue Star Mothers described the weekend as "a parents worst nightmare, it really is, it's a communities worst nightmare."
Her group provides support for mothers who have children serving in the military. They're also available to direct the community to groups that need help, such as adopting a soldier, "there are kids out there that never get letters, there are kids that never get packages."
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO -- Mothers who have a child serving in the military know first-hand how difficult the possibility of their child never returning is. And that's where Blue Star Moms come in.
Blue Star Moms meet once a month for two hours to talk about anything. They talk about the first day their child becomes a soldier to finding out that soldier is being deployed to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan.
These moms told FOX21 News they understand each other better than anyone else since they're going through the same struggles every day.
“You know I have friends and they just don't understand. But all these ladies in this room understand what I’m going through,” said Carol Dial, Blue Star Mom.
Blue Star Moms also come up with ways to give back to the military by sending care packages and letters, and they help veterans who are readjusting to life after the military.
“There are a lot of strong military parents in Colorado and we reach out to them and say, 'Don't be alone, don't worry about your child without having someone else. We are here to help you,'” said Tari Cofield, Blue Star Mom.
For more information on how you can become a member of Blue Star Mothers of America, log onto the Colorado chapter's Web site.
Military moms support troops and each other
Story By: Jeannette Hynes
Source: KOAA
Published Sun Aug 02, 2009, 07:12 PM MDT
Updated Sun Aug 02, 2009, 11:11 PM MDT
You may have seen the flag with the blue star and red border hanging from your neighbor's window. Inside that home is a mom or a family with a loved one serving in the military away from home. Sometimes, that loved one has died in combat.
Military moms in Colorado Springs decided it was time to get organized to help each other and their children serving overseas. In March, they started a chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America.
"We need to remind our community that they're out there. They're still out there, and that we care," says Carol Dial, mother of a 19-year-old son who is a Navy medic stationed in Japan.
"Right now, my kids are safe. I have two in the Army, but everybody else's aren't, so we can be strong at different times for one another," says Tari Cofield.
They share their experiences about how often they hear, or don't hear, from their children. They share news of grandchildren on the way, or a recent engagement. They also listen.
"Only a military mom knows how a military mom feels," says Dial.
The national nonprofit organization has been around since World War II, when those left behind during wartime were placed into service in hospitals, homeland security, and putting together care packages. Today, the organization has grown, and the mission remains the same: to be a service organization supporting each other and their children while promoting patriotism.
So far, this group has sent 50 care packages to troops serving in the Middle East, all with the help of community donations.
The Rampart Range Blue Star Mothers group meets the first Sunday of each month at the Panera Bread on Powers Boulevard at 2 p.m.
The first meeting of the newly formed Colorado Springs chapter of Blue Star Mothers will be held 2 p.m. April 5 at the Panera Bread on Powers Boulevard.
The group, which dates nationally back to 1942, "provides support for active duty service personnel, promotes patriotism, assists Veterans organizations, and (is) available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help our country remain strong."
Only mothers of active- duty military personnel or of honorably discharged veterans can hold office in the group, but everyone is welcome to attend meetings.
The state of the economy is taking a toll on a local organization that works to support U.S. service personnel. The Blue Star Mothers send military men and women the supplies they need while they are serving during the war. At the organization's headquarters in Midtown Tulsa, hundreds of boxes are packed full of supplies that are ready to be shipped. But the Blue Star Mothers don't have the money to mail them to the troops. Since the war began, Barbara Porter has worked alongside other military moms to send care packages called "freedom boxes" to military personal serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the demand for the help grows, donations are drying up. Porter tells 2NEWS, "It's real disheartening, knowing and getting the email that we do, saying we really need some stuff. Send us whatever you can get. They're always so gracious for whatever they can get. It just really breaks your heart." Before the recession, The Blue Star Mothers were shipping hundreds of "freedom boxes" out each week. Now they may go three to four weeks without being able to put any in the mail. Porter says, "It costs $10.95 a box to ship over. And that adds up pretty quick if you are sending 100, 150 boxes a week over." Barbara and the other volunteers are constantly fundraising. But with so many people struggling to just get by, donations are at an all-time low. "There's just very little money to go around. And all the charities are hurting." Porter urges everyone who can help to do so. "They really need this stuff. But they also need the moral boost." The Blue Star Mothers are holding a garage sale this weekend in the Brookside area, in hopes of getting all the boxes in the mail. The sale will take place Saturday at 1508 East 36th Place from 8am to 1pm. Donations can be mailed to: Blue Star Mothers Oklahoma Chapter 1 BSM, P.O. Box 2306, Tulsa, OK, 74101. Link to article: http://www.kjrh.com/news/local/story/The-economy-takes-a-toll-on-donations-to-Blue/7Qkq4BhLzEGBeSuZAIj-Hw.cspx
With the impending deployment of the 115th Fires Brigade from our great state on April 19, I felt it appropriate to address some attitudes I have witnessed over the last several months from colleagues, friends, and the general public.
As a Blue Star Mother, I am extremely proud of the courage and dedication to country that my son shows while preparing for his second tour of Iraq with the Wyoming Army National Guard in the largest deployment from our state since the Korean War. Perhaps being part of the military culture has clouded my vision of how people should react when I proudly tell them that my son is preparing for a second tour. After all, there have been generations of the Cochrane family who have faithfully served their country; dating back to the Revolutionary War through Doug's grandmother's family.
I am struck by how people are so profoundly "sorry" that my son is being deployed anywhere but especially to the Middle East. I'd like to publicly clarify that this is my son's job. He volunteered to serve his country; he wasn't conscripted or coerced to swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. He also swore that he would obey the orders of the president of the United States and the governor of Wyoming. I have yet to tell a friend or acquaintance that I am "sorry" that their son is an electrician, a mechanic or a school teacher, let alone a doctor or lawyer. I am extremely proud that my son is part of the less than 1 percent of our total population who has the courage and fortitude to volunteer to serve our country and defend our freedom.
Yes, we should all continue to pray for peace, but in the meantime let's not forget the warrior in the midst of war. I hope that the next time a Blue Star Mother proudly tells you that their son or daughter is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or other foreign port, you can thank that mother for her son's or daughter's sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy everyday and unconsciously take for granted in today's society.
Godspeed to the 115th Fires Brigade. We will anxiously await your safe return in 2010! Thank you for your service to the land of the free and the home of the brave!
ALISA COCHRANE, Worland
