Dear Mr. Bush:

[thedrifter]

Posted on Fri, May. 19, 2006 <br />
Dear Mr. Bush: You do not know me, however I felt compelled to write... <br />
<br />
Dear Mr. Bush: <br />
<br />
You do not know me, however I felt compelled to...

[thedrifter]

Posted on Fri, May. 19, 2006
War's `small details'
Claremont mom writes president, asks him to visit her son's grave
MIKE TORRALBA
mtorralba@charlotteobserver.com

HICKORY - Cindy Hicks has a message for President Bush: Remember the fallen soldiers for who they were, not just for their service to their country.

Hicks lost her only child, Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Carroll Ramseyer, April 20 in Haditha, in western Iraq. He left behind his wife, Mandy, 28, and his daughters, Rylee Grace, 3, and Kadence, 2.

So Hicks, a paralegal from Claremont, wrote a letter to Bush asking him to visit her son at Arlington National Cemetery, where half of his cremated remains are buried. The other half are at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lenoir.

"It is time for our country's leaders to pay attention to the small details, the individual lives lost," Hicks wrote in her letter, dated May 10.

She doesn't know if Bush will even see the letter, let alone fulfill her request. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. But at least writing the letter made her feel better.

Ramseyer was serving his first tour of duty in Iraq as head of security for his battalion's commander when he was killed by a roadside bomb. He previously had served in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

"I know he died doing what he wanted to do," said Hicks, 48. "I just wanted him to know that I did everything I could to get him the respect he deserves."

Hicks said government decision-makers "have to look at the big picture" beyond the number of lives lost in war. She said Bush "knows they're all fathers, and they're all sons, and they're all husbands or wives. But he needs to understand how it's affecting everybody individually."

Hicks, a registered Democrat who says she votes independently, opposed the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns from the start.

But she said she has never been a war protester and is "no Cindy Sheehan," the mother of a fallen soldier who turned her grief into a public campaign against Bush. Describing herself as "pro-military," Hicks said the Marine Corps has been especially kind to her family and her son. But none of the small kindnesses the Marines have shown her -- not the case they sent for her son's flag, not the set of his medals, not the continuing phone calls from his battalion commander in Iraq -- can replace what Hicks shared with her son.

He had recently become fascinated with golf; she had played most of her life. She visited him in February at the Marine base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, just before he went to Iraq. It rained, but the base's golf course was dry enough to play nine holes, though Hicks says she and her son didn't keep score.

And on Mother's Day this year, she paid a small a tribute to her son, lugging her clubs, and a box of golf balls she had planned to ship to him just before he was killed, to the Catawba River.

One by one, she plucked golf balls from the box and hit them into the river. "I hit every one of them for Jason," she said. "Every one, I swung because he can never do that again."

Ellie

[jgorosco]

cdores...I respect your anger that you have for what is going on, but you are asking for something no other President really has done during wartime. Everyone wants the President to be on a personal level with the People of America, but the God's honest truth is; It's not going to happen. I feel for all that have lost loved ones, for all that have been maimed and injured. It sounds like you are speaking from the left side of your brain, than the logical side. You speak of these $5,000.00 dollar dinners when other Left side Former Presidents and Vice Presidents are having $10,000.00 dinners. I am not trying to start another political war here but you are trying to make a political statement like the sheehan lady with someone's death. Please don't do that. I had to do it to make a point and I will no longer post here on this thread. So say what you want because you will not get another response from me on this issue

God Bless this mother and SSgt Ramseyer.

[LDO Capt]

Jgorosco was being nice, I will not be. If indeed you are an Officer serving in my Corps, and I have my doubts about that, ACT like one. You sound like a three year old that didn't get their way. ...

[DobbinsBlythe]

I think that the point being made here is that overall, the president isn't just ignoring one family, He's ignoring a LOT of families. And by the way, many presidents have visited Arlington and paid their respects. I've found that the Bush administration so far has only had to defend itself, and state positives. They haven't dealt with any of the feelings or morale that this great nation is experiencing. I remember watching TV shows as a kid about how Reagan, Carter, JFK, Roosevelt, how they always made statements to the public, apologies, at least something to help them cope with the situation and reassure the nation that we are going to win, we're doing this for a reason, and we're not going to give up! Whatever happened to morale boosters like that? A leader does not just lead telling our nation or our soldiers or Marines to do something, a leader has to have Charisma, goals, be someone to look up to, and if the President doesn't provide those things, he's only doing the administrative part of everything. That's not enough. Whatever happened to everyone supporting the President? I believe that power comes with a price. No one likes people with power, but I remember when I was a kid, I loved the president, if I didn't like his decisions, that was fine, but I still loved the president. We don't have a president today that we can love. Nothing's being explained to our people. We only get the media side of everything, and the home side of everything. We all feel hurt, we all feel embarassed (at times), and we all have felt abandoned over the last three years--either by our President, or by our peers. Something is definately wrong with this picture, and it starts from the top, not from the bottom. Morale is dependant upon those who lead us, because the general public IS fickle. (I don't like admiting to that, but it's true. People will sway with the wind of a spoken word) Our president does not need to visit individual graves, or stop throwing fundraisers, but he DOES need to pay his respects in one form or another to our fallen Heros. He took the time to stand at ground zero, but he has not yet taken the time to address the nation about our losses, nor has he taken the initiative himself to remind us all for WHAT we are fighting. No one on this board has forgotten, but I can guarantee our neighbors have.

[jgorosco]

I know I said I was going to reply to another post on here but dobbinsblythe

president. We don't have a president today that we can love. Nothing's being explained to our people. We only get the media side of everything, and the home side of everything. We all feel hurt, we all feel embarassed (at times), and we all have felt abandoned over the last three years--either by our President, or by our peers

Where do you come off speaking for me or other Marines on this site. I am in NO WAY HURT, EMABARRASSED,or ABANDONED by Our Presidents action. That is the problem today, everyone needs the gov't for MORAL support, Financial Support. The President has addressed all matters of the war. He has also visited Arlington National Cemetary just like every President has in the past. Once again you are thinking with the leftside of your brain and not using your logical side. And for your Information we can't be reminded because the Media doesn't want the U.S. to be angry with other countries or religions. And if you need to be reminded about 9/11 then get your head out of the clouds and come back down to reality.

DO NOT EVER make the mistake of SPEAKING for Me again.

[DobbinsBlythe]

I never once said that I was speaking for Marines or anyone else on this site. I stated "we" as in the general public, which I have already stated is FICKLE and easily influenced by the outer spoken word, if you found my post offensive, then please, by all means, take a look around at people on the street. Every day I see people with "support our troops" stickers on their car, and none of them know what it means. Half of them would rather ridicule the actions of the military than to actually send care packages and encouraging letters to our soldiers and Marines. I never spoke for you. I'm sorry you feel that way. I specifically stated that " No one on this board has forgotten, but I can guarantee our neighbors have."

I'd more than willingly love to slap each and every ingrate in this nation personally, but since I can't, I can speak. I'm tired of ignorant people. That's my statement. Don't confuse that with me speaking for Marines. I don't have that right. I can't speak for anyone. I just tell it like I see it. PEOPLE in this nation HAVE forgotten what we're fighting for. NOT EVERYONE, but a HUGE portion of this nation is severly uneducated, don't think for themselves, and rely on other people to formulate their opinions on political and military matters.

People feel embarassed -- BECAUSE THEY DONT KNOW WHATS GOING ON
People feel abandoned -- BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD THEM THEY WERE
and People feel hurt -- BECAUSE THEYRE FICKLE ENOUGH TO LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE AND THE MEDIA STATING THEY ARE ALONE.

I don't need to be reminded of 9/11. I've lost three of my best friends in this war. My fiancee just joined the Corps. I'm marrying a Marine. I have two cousins overseas fighting in Iraq RIGHT NOW. My father was a Sgt. In the US ARMY. I'm a proud brat, and soon to be a proud wife. Since I can't enlist, my JOB is to SUPPORT my family, friends, fiancee, and neighbors so they can WIN THIS THING. I'm IRRRITATED at the fact that people are such hypocrites. I'm sorry that wasn't the picutre you got from my previous post. I NEVER SPOKE FOR ANYONE.

[003XXMarineDAD]

The media very seldom reports the times the President makes a visit to the Hospitals in D.C. because he does not want to put the spot light on Himself I have heard that he makes visits there more then we hear about. I also know that when he is in the areas on stops he does meet with families of the fallen because he met with one in our area a few months ago.

[DobbinsBlythe]

Those would be good things for people to actually know about. In the midst of scandals, backlashing and such, why NOT let people know about the GOOD things the President is doing? Thanks for posting that. Honestly, I needed to know that the President cares.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

The reason the President doesn't want it reported is very simple. He wants to visit with the wounded men and women to try and lift their spirits, and to show them that he is thankful for what they have given. If the media knew he was going to be at a hospital, it would become a circus. There would be cameras and reporters, protesters, and the eyes of a nation. It would be talked about, and the talk would center on George Bush. He knows that the focus needs to be on our bravest, not on him.

[661jarhead]

hey every one I'm new

[661jarhead]

bush is an idiot

[661jarhead]

bush is an idiot he sent the marines to fight the terrists and then sent the rest of the service 3 months later he doesnt care about us

[DobbinsBlythe]

Wow, that didn't take long for someone to prove my point. Thanks!

I think I'm done with this thread.
Much love and God Bless!

-Maria

[outlaw3179]

661 dont you need to go back to arcade or something little guy...quit pretending to be a Marine or that you know what your talking about. Thanks Chief.

[thedrifter]

You know when school is getting out...
We do try to weed out them...;)

Ellie

[ggyoung]

There is one thing everybody needs to know. That one thing is the cheapst thing that our goverment is the lifes of our service men and women. If you don't belive that, you will later on in life.

[rktect3j]

bush is an idiot he sent the marines to fight the terrists and then sent the rest of the service 3 months later he doesnt care about us
Profile?

[Shadowman777]

Looks like &quot;cdores&quot; got whacked. It was well deserved, but I was gonna ask him if he was actually Congressman Murtha ...

[yellowwing]

Nope, Murtha would have had better spelling.