Casualties of War
Brian Albrecht writes in the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Wednesday, those Ohio families hit hardest by the recent deaths suddenly found themselves tiptoeing through an emotional minefield of memories, moods and a wide spectrum of views on the war.
"Daniel and Edie Deyarmin, of Tallmadge, said their son, Daniel Nathan Jr., believed in the mission that took his life Monday, and they will continue to believe in it, too.
" 'We've got to stay free,' his father said. 'Nathan didn't die in vain. He knew he was getting some of the bad guys.'
"But not long after Marines broke the grim news to Paul Schroeder and Rosemary Palmer -- parents of Edward August Schroeder II, one of the 14 Marines killed Wednesday -- the couple unleashed misgivings they had had ever since their son joined the Marines.
" 'I didn't want him to be there,' said Palmer, who sobbed when she heard of his enlistment. 'I didn't want him to be any part of it.'
"Their son, always the team player, once told them, 'There is no time for individualism or dissent in the desert.'
"But Paul Schroeder -- who blamed the death of his son on President Bush -- believed it was precisely the time for dissent on the homefront.
" 'We are not taking anything away from the troops on the field, but at some point we have to say enough is enough,' he said. 'Otherwise, my son will become just a memory.' "
Kaitlin Bell and Susan Milligan write in the Boston Globe: "The chain fence surrounding the headquarters of the Third Battalion, 25th Marines, yesterday gave the people of northeastern Ohio something they desperately needed: a place to express their complicated feelings about a war that took the lives of 16 of the battalion's members in Iraq.
"As wind twisted the stems of flowers and pulled the strings of balloons as taut as violins, people stood and grieved, and knelt and prayed. They expressed views ranging from deep anger at President Bush to a renewed conviction to rebuild Iraq so the Marines will not have died in vain.
"But many in this Cleveland suburb, in nearby Akron, and in Columbus expressed hope that this week's deaths, and the shock waves they sent throughout the country, would prompt a deeper discussion of a very perplexing war. . . .
"Ohioans describe their state as patriotic and supportive of the troops. The state last year gave a narrow, critical win to an incumbent president defending his decision to send soldiers to fight in Iraq. But the shock of the recent deaths -- combined with growing worries that the 2 1/2-year-old conflict remains unresolved -- has more residents wondering whether the sacrifice has been worth it."
