My Email to the American Gold Star Mothers

Sat, 28 May 2005 06:57:16 -0400 by Bull

For the record, the following is a true copy of the email I sent to American Gold Star Mothers. I urge all my readers to do the same. Stand behind the troops. Stand with their moms!

To: goldstarmoms@yahoo.com
Subject: Your Failure

American Gold Star Mothers,

I am an American Veteran and I am writing to you concerning you treatment of Ligaya Lagman. Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman (American Hero), was killed last year in Afghanistan. Yet your organization has seen fit to deny her full Gold Star Mother status. Non-citizen or not, she is the mother of one of our Fallen Heroes. It isn’t even as if she lives in some far off land. The woman is a permanent resident and a tax-payer!

I find myself wondering about this incident and have written on my blog questioning how many mothers of black Americans killed in combat may have been denied Gold Star status as well in times not-so distant. After all, it is but a small step from the xenophobic reaction of yours towards Ms. Lagman and old fashioned racial bigotry.

You dare post on your website the following: “American Gold Star Mothers was incorporated in Washington, DC and granted a Federal Charter by the ninety-eighth Congress. That was in 1929, and in the years since, through times of war and times of peace, this organization of American mothers has changed, grown, and always been there when needed.”

I submit that you have not either changed, nor grown. Further, I am writing to my Congressmen and Senators demanding that your Charter and any further funding be pulled immediately. I will also promote a letter writing campaign via bloggers nationwide to the same effect.

You owe Ligaya Lagman an apology. A public apology. There is no room in today’s America for such bigotry as you have shown in this case. Do the right thing. Change your rules, give Ms. Lagman the recognition she deserves, and join the rest of us in Honoring ALL of our Fallen Heroes.

Sincerely,

Mark T. Jones, US Navy Veteran
Mobile, AL

Granted, they dispute the federal funding. No matter. They STILL have much to answer for! This Nation is at war. We must stand behind the families - and in my mind especially the Mothers - of our Fallen. If we fail to do so we will have disgraced ourselves as a people.

Omar, out.