Fallen soldier's family stands behind Bush
Nearly two months have passed since Saddam Hussein's capture, yet American soldiers still are dying at a rate of more than one a day. As of Monday, the total number of soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq is 530 men and women and well over 3,000 have been injured.
Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press with Tim Russert, President Bush was asked if Hussien's capture and the lack of finding weapons of mass destruction justified the loss of American lives.
His response was, "It's essential that I explain this properly to the parents of those who lost their lives. Saddam Hussein was dangerous and I'm not going to leave him in power and trust a madman. He's a dangerous man. He had the ability to make weapons at the very minimum. For the parents of the soldiers who have fallen who are listening, David Kay, the weapons inspector, came back and said, "In many ways Iraq was more dangerous than we thought." It's we are in a war against these terrorists who will bring great harm to America, and I've asked these young ones to sacrifice for that."
Message hits home for South Bend family
Loren and Deb Meyer of South Bend know all too well about the sacrifices hundreds of American servicemen have made. Loren's son and Deb's step-son, 23-year-old Army Private Jason Meyer, died April 8 in Baghdad. His
Army Private Jason Meyer was killed in Baghdad from friendly fire
death came just about one month into the war and only eight days after his first wedding anniversary.
The Meyer family believes President Bush went to war for all the right reasons. The military parents say they're upset with the United Nations for not backing our troops and they're also upset with people who express a lot of anger over the war.
"If anyone should be angry it should be us. We've lost someone. But we're not angry. I stand behind the president," says Deb.
Her husband Loren echoed her sentiment. "We support him 100%. I know he cares about us."
During Bush's interview with Russert, he very pointedly said, "Every life is precious…..Every person that is willing to sacrifice for this country deserves our praise."
Deb says, "I'm really tired of all of the people complaining about the uselessness of this war. To be making the comments they're making is minimizing their deaths."
Critics bash President Bush for relying on intelligence that he now calls inaccurate. "I feel like anyone that's doing this is saying that Jason died needlessly. Maybe he did, but again, he believed in what he was doing," says his stepmother.
The Meyers say the war won't change their vote in November. They're sticking with and standing behind President Bush in honor of their fallen soldier.
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