My neighbor the navy/marine wife....

[liberalitch]

We have lived across the street from each other for four years (pretty incredible, for a navy family). She and her Seal husband have always kind of looked down at the folks in my building as she has a nice big Victorian. He was in Iraq.
We live in a very trendy part of Norfolk, Va. called Ghent (Lots of big houses and OLD tenement style apartment buildings that house mostly students and poor Arty, fartty people like me and the commie).
I have LOTS of Kerry signs in the windows, a sticker on the beater and.. well, I just look like a liberal.
Last night I was outside chatting with a neighbor about the meet-up tonight and she walked up. Well, Carl, my notoriously gay neighbor (his self label, not mine), stopped mid sentence and said "What do YOU want?"
I said, "Carl! Play nice! Hi jo-anne what's up?"
She said "I need to talk to someone. My family is 700 miles away and Sloane (her husband) was wounded pretty seriously today... No one will tell me anything." Then she began to cry.
So we took her inside my apartment, (funny because in spite of her sobbing she said "Oh, my these places have beautiful hardwood floors."). She said she felt hung out to dry by her conservative network... no one has even called, it was like they all wanted to talk when her husband was okay, but now that the real WAR has been forced on them they quickly get off the phone and still have the gall to say... you know this is right.
She told us about the times she had questions about the reasons we went to war (especially since she has been waking up alone in the middle of the night in panic.... poor thing now her second worst fear is realized) that her crew said SHE should be even more supportive than them because Sloane was there.
She wanted to know more about John Kerry and other democrats and if she could go to the Meet-Up tonight with us.
Well, by the time we were all done, she, me, Carl, the commie we were all crying. After watching Law and Order with us... she went home. I checked on her this morning, she hadn't slept all night, still no call from Kuwait, still no call from ANY of the Neo-cons....
MORE LATER.... Pray for Sloane.

[Timefortruth]

1. Wow.

What a way to be awakened to the real world.

Maybe the Red Cross could help her.

[liberalitch]

5. We talked about the red cross....

they few the commie to england when his mom was killed in a car crash.....
I think she wants to meet him in Germany

[LisaM]

2. I hope he's okay.....

what a terrible thing. That poor woman.

[Richardo]

3. WTG liberalitch...you showed her what a true liberal is like...

You and 'notoriously-gay-neighbor' Carl are two to draw to... :thumbsup:

[liberalitch]

8. I relish the compliment...

Carl is quick to pounce, but has a heart of gold.

[cheezus]

4. Best wishes for ALL families stuggling now

because of Bush's illegal war

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Hook her up wtih Mari and the other military family

members who need support right now.

http://www.motherspeak.org/

[liberalitch]

9. This great!

I'm also going to turn her on to this site.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. There are lots more like it. Thanks for

showing this woman so much compassion. :hug:

[Ripley]

7. You're a good neighbor.

I know a man like her and he drastically changed once his Marine son was actually killed in Iraq last year. He said "Damn You To Hell Bush" and he had voted for him.

I hope your neighbor gets to know more good Progressives at the meet-up and realizes that we ain't the ones not supporting the troops.

[pezcore64]

10. Aw Thats so sad

it sucks it took something so aweful to make her rethink her positions on things. sometimes thats how it goes though.
Ill be praying for her husband from now on until his return home!

thanks for being a shining example of TRUE COMPASSION is. please do continue to go check on her, im sure shes very depressed.
tell her us at DU are pulling for her Hubbie!

[virgdem]

12. Quick question for you...

What meet-up in the Norfolk area are you referring to? I live in Va Beach and am interested in working for Kerry. Nice to know that there are a few more closet liberals/democrats in the Norfolk/VA Beach area than I thought there were.

[liberalitch]

15. In Norfolk there may be two....

but call in advance:
Panera Bread on 21st street and Uncle Louies at Wards Corner.
I work part-time at Uncle Louies and he was trying to continue to have it there, so that's the one I will go to.

[tom_paine]

16. Go to www.johnkerry.com

Click on "Meetup".

Follow directions.

You might still be able to make tonight's in your area.

[liberalitch]

22. I GOT IT!

there's one at Uncle Louies and one at the Silver Plate Diner on VB Blvd.
7pm

[virgdem]

27. Thanks for the info...

just to clarify, the meeting at Silver Plate Diner - is that Silver Diner on Virginia Beach Blvd. just down from Town Center? And is that meeting tonight at 7pm?

[Jokerman]

13. The war hits home

I hope your neighbor's husband (and everyone else caught up in this mess) is OK.

I'm having trouble dealing with a co-worker who's son quit college and joined the Air Force just before the Iraq invasion. She supports Bush and the "War on Terra" but was jumping for joy a few days ago when she learned that her son got into an advanced training assignment and won't be going to Iraq after all.

All I could think about was the unfortunate person who gets her son's slot and gets sent into battle for the war she supports.

[tom_paine]

14. I can't help but feel sympathy for this woman

I do hope her husband is OK.

I am sorry that this had to happen to him, but glad that it has forced her awake and conscious.

At least some good thing can come out of this tragedy.

And I hope her husaband Sloane is not permanently harmed by loss of limb or other injury.

[JP Belgium]

17. I doubt if these pictures were in US media...

last Spanish troops returning home.

Spain needed a change in government for this. I suggest you try the same.

[Ripley]

18. YOU SUGGEST WE TRY THE SAME???????????

Stick around Pal. Have you read anything on this forum, because I can guarantee you the one and only absolutely biggest and completely agreed upon issue at the DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND is to RE-DEFEAT BUSH.

Honest, stick around! Thanks for the great pics! :toast:

[NNN0LHI]

19. Thank you for helping this lady. You are the best

I would have done the same thing.

Don

[Trajan]

20. I dont 'pray' for anyone or anything ....

But: I will solemnly offer some words of hope to the great yellow face in the sky today .... just for them ....

Let's hope for the best in ALL things .....

[Loonman]

21. Neo-cons are Sunshine Patriots and Summer Soldiers

Not surprising they discarded her like a used rag.

Unfortunate she had to discover it that way.

[liberalitch]

23. Toilet paper....

Just like toilet paper.

[qanda]

24. So sad

Please tell her that pbl is praying for her and her husband and if she needs anything she can come to DU and we will welcome her with open hearts and arms. I hope her new awakening will last forever and that she will not have to pay the price of losing her husband for this to be the case.

[liberalitch]

26. I did not know this until last night but...

apparently this war has been a double whammy for her.... two weeks after he left she had a fall at work and lost a much desired child

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Ok you are not in the navy but here is what you do

FIND out who is the ombudman for the unit... and also... call the base commander. They SHOULD have sent a Chaplain and if he is a senior enlisted, an enlisted, if he is an officer, well an officer of equal or higher rank.

Also contact the Red Cross for her, and FORCE the Red Cross to do their job.

She may need to go to Kuwait, if she will be allowed or Germany when they evac him.

So make sure to mention Navy Relief to help get her the money if she happens to need the money and uncle sam will not pay, even if they should. Make sure, if she goes to Lahndstull, to help her get a hotel room at the Navy or Army Lodge in the base, wait it is AF, so it should be Air Force

What else am I missing? Oh yes, not all in the Armed FOrces are for this madness in fact few are... but there are pressures to ahem conform. I was seen as the black sheep as my views were quite open while still living in Navy Housing. So I am not too surprised that she is now having a problem finding some backing... and the Seal community that is an even more closd in community than the Sub force is.

[fudge stripe cookays]

28. Hopefully you're showing her a shining example...

of what true progressives are like, and she now realizes the bullshit she's been fed. Kind-hearted, compassionate, and warmly-embracing of those who value our ideals (and often those who don't), that's us!

You and your funny neighbor were a perfect experience for her to learn about what liberals are REALLY like.

I hope her husband is okay. And that they can now have their GREAT AWAKENING to what we've been screaming about for the past 3 years.

If you see her again soon, and you check up on her, share some of the great books being raved about to give her some background, and let her educate herself. She's obviously hungry for more information. Give the starving woman some Franken or other good food.

FSC

[molly]

29. What a heartbreaking story

I need to leave in about half an hour to go help with someone's campaign. Please keep us posted. It's terrible to be hurt and alone with nowhere to turn.