Barack Obama’s Letters To The Fallen
EmailAbraham Lincoln did it — penned personal letters to the families of soldiers killed in battle — and we know President Obama has tried in different ways to follow in the footsteps of the 16th President. Now we learn that Mr. Obama has written roughly a dozen such letters since taking office — to the families of troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I assumed it was a form letter," The New York Daily News quotes Bill Brennan saying, after receiving a letter about the death of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Julian Brennan. "Then I saw that he had signed it — just ‘Barack.’ You could tell it wasn’t a stamped signature." Brennan says he was "very touched." His son was killed by a land mine in Afghanistan January 24, the first soldier to die in the Obama presidency.
We are told the President handwrites the notes, and then signs the typed versions. Lincoln used to sign such letters "A. Lincoln." George and Laura Bush co-signed "George" and " Laura". The current president also keeps it simple, signing "Barack." Another take here…
Yesterday of course the President signed something else — an order dispatching 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Let us hope the condolence letters are few and far between.
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“Yesterday of course the President signed something else — an order dispatching 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Let us hope the condolence letters are few and far between.” – ABC News
Unfortunately during military operations soldiers get killed.
It’s such a shame anyone has to die fighting the Taliban/Al Qaeda nut-cases.
I find myself wondering if the same vitriol that was aimed at Bush will be directed at Obama after a year has passed and another thousand US soldiers are dead.
Posted by: Noz | February 18, 2009, 11:39 am 11:39 am
It is only a matter of time before some radical right-wing hater posts a comment criticising the President for sending these letters. There is seemingly no low that is low enough for the haters to sink to.
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | February 18, 2009, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
It’s a good thing. The Commander-in-Chief is personally responsible for his troops, and a letter is a decent touch. That said, actually supporting the troops with the will to win is also necessary and important. His words of discouragement (all our troops in Afghanistan are doing is “air-raiding villages and killing civilians”)were and still are patently false (served there for 16 months) and demonstrate remarkably poor statesmanship., leadership, diplomacy, and awareness of the actual situation on the ground. He’s doing the right thing for the military now. He was a long track record to fix .
Posted by: Matt | February 18, 2009, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
It’s a good thing. The Commander-in-Chief is personally responsible for his troops, and a letter is a decent touch. That said, actually supporting the troops with the will to win is also necessary and important. His words of discouragement (all our troops in Afghanistan are doing is “air-raiding villages and killing civilians”)were and still are patently false (served there for many months) and demonstrate remarkably poor statesmanship., leadership, diplomacy, and awareness of the actual situation on the ground. He’s doing the right thing for the military now. He has a long track record to fix .
Posted by: Matt | February 18, 2009, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
Noz:”I find myself wondering if the same vitriol that was aimed at Bush will be directed at Obama after a year has passed and another thousand US soldiers are dead.”
Depends on his performance. Bush received a lot support for a long time – both before 9/11 (when he received his signature tax cuts and No Child Left Behind act despite a Democratic Senate) and for over a year after. His support started slipping due to consistent under performance and poor management, but he still was supported strongly enough to win in 2004.
Obama will ultimately be judged by the majority on how well he performs.
Posted by: jhw539 | February 18, 2009, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
funny how the website only posts comments critical of the war effort and critical of anyone who would dare question the One.
Your censorship job is safe.
Posted by: Matt | February 18, 2009, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm
Matt, what censorship? your comment was posted. other viewpoints are offered at Limbaugh, O’Reily, Hannity, Coulter, Savage, etc.
just because someone disagrees with you does not mean you are being censored. if you were your comments would not be posted. actually you can say whatever you like on this blog, something you could never do on Limbaugh’s show—you would be disconnected after a sarcastic belittlement.
and you will remember how Limbaugh treats soldiers who gave their limbs for their nation. he makes fun of them and belittles them because they oppose the war.
Posted by: Paul Wall | February 18, 2009, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm
Matt—actually half of the posts on this blog are by you and you make your contempt for the president quite clear. whewre is the censorship?
Posted by: Paul Wall | February 18, 2009, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm
Unfortunately, he will probably have to sign many many more in during his tenure and I feel sorry for him as it has to be the toughest part of being President of our country. May God rest their soles and keep them! Many thanks to our folks in the military services!
Posted by: Michael Mumblow | February 18, 2009, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
God Bless America,God Bless our troops and may God Bless our president as he strives to strighten out this mess that our country has gotten into by carelesness,greed,poor leadership and heartless actions by those who were intrusted by our good citizens to do better.
Posted by: Bob Mitchum | February 18, 2009, 4:00 pm 4:00 pm
Most on this post don’t have the foggiest idea about the Aghan conflict, beyond what is pumped into their soft skull from late-night comedy shows.
Limbaugh and the Phony Soldier comment above. Google it, you’re wrong. The guy in question is a phony.
Soldiers in Afghanistan are doing great things trying to do the impossible. Nothing to do with our leadership, everything to do with politics of NATO.
Wake up.
Posted by: Matt | February 18, 2009, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
Matt, the person i am referring too was a multiple amputee (a woman, not a “guy” who is a REAL person) who called on Limaugh’s show and was dismissively laughed off before being hung up on. i don’t need to “google” it because i heard it on the radio (not a report about it but on his actual radio show). he likes to make fun of people he disagrees with instead of engaging in meaningful discussion of issues. but what would Limbaugh know about courage or military service, he used his pilonidal cyst to avoid service. otherwise i agree with you that soldiers on the ground are doing great things in Afghanistan. the airstrikes have hit civilian targets and not just collaterally, but directly. the Afghan government has lodged protests because of civilians killed. Rush must not report that or any other facts,
Posted by: Paul Wall | February 18, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
Matt—”[Obama's] words of discouragement (ALL [my emphasis] our troops in Afghanistan are doing is “air-raiding villages and killing civilians”)were and still are patently false served there for many months) and demonstrate remarkably poor statesmanship.” he never said all. he has praised american soldiers in Afghanistan. he has acknowledged that civilians have be killed far too much. i respect that you served in Afghanistan but i don’t think that qualifies you or any soldier to be a specialist about where bombs are falling. that they have hit civilians on numerous occasions is a fact, not an opinion. this has NOTHING to do with the horoism of American soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan or anyone else in the world. an american soldier would be the first to admit that mistakes do happen. that doesn’t take away from their heroism or service.
Posted by: Paul Wall | February 18, 2009, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm
Paul –don’t insert comments and attribute to me just because they fit your argument. Of course civilians get hurt/killed in combat. I never said they didn’t. No such thing as combat without collateral damage. It’s tragic. Non-combatants, however, are not and have never been a deliberate target. Bad guys use civilians as human shields and we do everything possible to avoid injury to non-combatants.
Here’s Obama’s full quote: Asked whether he would move U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism elsewhere, he brought up Afghanistan and said, “We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there.”
That’s pretty clear to me that our new Junior Varsity President-in-training thinks we’re predominantly air-raiding villages and killing civilians in Afghanistan. I’m a simple man, I don’t need anyone to ‘explain’ that quote. It’s crystal clear.
Posted by: Matt | February 19, 2009, 8:04 am 8:04 am
Matt, You are very passionate about what you believe, that’s obvious. Try and wrap this around your passion. No war could exist without the lies of the Bush/Cheney administration and the complicity of a feckless Congress. The Taliban government had no direct involvement in the 9/11 demolition of the WTC and building 7 that was not hit by anything except greed and cover up. Soldiers are in place in order to kill.
Kill anyone they are told to. Bombing civilians is the first thing that happens even before there are boots on the ground. The very first cruise missile launched to kill Hussein was aimed at a restaurant. A civilian target because it was reported he was eating there. Over 300 civilians killed. But no Saddam Hussein. During the Viet Nam intervention it was routine to bomb and attack with troops any village that was reported to be in sympathy with the VC. I mean kill all the civilians including shooting women and children after rounding them up in the middle of the village. Lt. Calley did not commit the only massacre, he’s just the sacrificial lamb offered for the many attrocities committed. All combat results in civilians being killed. Most on purpose! Warmongering is what sucks! Murdering each other on a state sanctioned mass scale only makes things worse never better.
Posted by: juju | February 23, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm