[It doesn't get more pathetic than this:]
'Part of God's plan'
The family of one US soldier killed in Iraq may be grieving, but their support for Bush and the war is all but unwavering, writes Matthew Wells
Matthew Wells Wednesday May 19, 2004
Specialist soldier Joel Bertoldie died in Falluja last July, when his vehicle was blown up by an improvised bomb. His is one of two names now inscribed on the war memorial in his home town of Independence, western Missouri, alongside the dead of Korea, Vietnam, and the two world wars. He would have been 21 later this month, and five generations of his family - most of whom live within a mile of each other - have found it hard to come to terms with their loss. His grandmother, Judy Hampshire, was eager to share the visual record he left behind of his time in Iraq - four rolls of film that depict the almost romantic journey of a young man who clearly believed in what he was doing....
[Bertoldie's grandmother] ... fails to understand why the Bush administration did not allow images of soldiers' flag-draped coffins to be shown, but her loyalty to the commander-in-chief remained rock-solid.
"Someone has got to stop these terrorists. How many more people are they going to kill? Why are they doing it? I believe al-Qaida was there in Iraq, and Saddam was letting them come in and out. I don't blame our government for Joel, I blame them," she said.
She was up to date with the news, a few hours earlier, of the assassination of the president of the Iraqi governing council, and she agreed with Bush that "seeing it through" was the only response.
"We have to do what we're doing in Iraq. If Christ calls us home, no matter where we are in our lives, that is part of God's plan. God had other plans for Joel. He was a hero to me, but he would have been a hero to me even if he had stayed at home, drunk beer and gone stupid. He was my first grandson."
She said the people who killed him will go to hell because "they are listening to the word of a man, not the word of God", and she remains unconvinced that Saddam was blameless for September 11 2001 attacks.
"Bush tells the truth," she said. "But if there are things that he doesn't tell us, it is for a good reason. I am content to trust him." ...
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1220243,00.html>
Carl
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