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09/15/2005: Another "Gold Star" Mom and The "Truth"
" On Sept. 19, Gold Star Mother Karen Meredith will re-join the Bring Them Home Now Tour that is crossing the country along three routes from Crawford, Texas to Washington, D.C. Last weekend on Sept. 9, Meredith, of Mountain View, Calif., was informed by the U.S. Army that it had known for more than a year that her son 1st Lt. Kenneth Ballard was not killed in action as had been reported. The Army disclosed on Saturday that Ballard, 26, actually died of wounds from the accidental discharge of a M240 machine gun on his tank after his platoon had returned from battling insurgents in Najaf. An Army spokesman, Col. Joseph Curtin, said in an interview that separate investigations concluded only days after Ballard's death that it was an accident.
After a meeting with Army representatives, Meredith was heartened by the Army's approach "When I first heard the news I was stunned and appalled that the army took 15 months to tell me the truth about my son's death. After meeting with Army officials I am pleased to say that I feel that I have the ear of the Army. All members of the military that met with me were professional, sympathetic and empathetic," she said. "This, however, is just the beginning. This dialog needs to continue on many levels, starting with the President. There are thousands of families searching for the truth in this war based on lies. I hope the Bush administration and Congress can extend the good will the Army has showed me, by being accountable to the thousands of other families like mine whose lives have been ripped apart by this unjustifiable war."
Courtesy of US News Wire.
Karen on 09.15.05 @ 05:35 AM CST
