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Gold Star Mom Nadia McCaffrey’s goals

By Nadia McCaffrey

I am Nadia McCaffrey. I am a mom, who never wanted to have a Gold Star after my name.

This week, after two years of requests, I finally received the Army’s report on how my son died. Some of the report I already knew because of some of Patrick’s brave soldier friends who were with or near him when he died. They stood for truth and told me much of what was in the report. They were reprimanded by the government for doing so. They were brave. They told me the truth, but having it detailed to me on June 21^st only increased the hurt and my determination to stop other mothers from having Gold Stars after their names.

My son, Patrick, was a loving, humorous boy. He grew to be a strong man who was friendly to everyone, and he especially loved and cared for children. He raised his two children to be the same.

At 31, he was successful in business, earning a comfortable income. He was also a patriotic America who, after 911, wanted to serve his country. Against his Army veteran father and my advice, he joined the California National Guard Engineering Battalion out of Petaluma, being assured that he would served stateside. He was not trained as an infantryman. He was not trained to train Iraqi soldiers to be our soldiers.

While on another of many patrols, Patrick was killed on June 22^nd outside of Fort Anaconda near Balud, Iraq. Iraqi soldiers he had been training killed him.

This government took my son, my most treasured gift, in a war where we did not need to go. Now my life is dedicated to stopping mothers from losing sons on both sides. You can help me with that.

I want to build centers for our veterans, many of whom I know, that are having serious problems when they come home. I know our government should care for them, but they are not. They have physical and psychological needs that are being ignored that will come back to haunt them and us in years ahead.

And I want to see good options to war that ordinary citizens can contribute to and benefit from. I want to see Americans support Peoples Lobby’s citizen-initiated World Service Corps Congressional Proposals. Ask your congressional candidates whether they want to co-sponsor and pass them if they are elected to the next Congress.

If passed into law, America’s World Service Crops proposals would build up so that by its seventh year one million Americans would voluntarily serve in their choice of the Peace Corps, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFAm, Mercy Corps and State Conservation Corps.

Had this been in existence when Patrick wanted to serve his country, he would have done this service to his country and be alive today. Many other Gold Star moms would have seen their sons do the same.

Had this big and big-hearted American World Service Corps program been in existence for decades, there would not be as much hatred fired at our soldiers. There would not be as many soldiers coming home with serious needs that this government ignores.

Please help by visiting these web sites and giving an hour a month, or whatever you can, to help make these life saving programs happen.