Mother of Slain U.S. Soldier Describes Her Grief and Opposition to Iraq War

Interview with Dolores Kesterson, mother of Army chief warrant officer Erik Kesterson killed in Iraq Nov. 15, 2003, conducted by Scott Harris

After months of White House and Republican Party scandals and growing opposition to the war in Iraq, President Bush has gone on the offensive, attacking critics who assert that he lied the nation into war. The president, speaking on Veterans Day claimed that those who accuse him of manipulating intelligence to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq are sending mixed signals to our troops and hurting the war effort.

But the president's credibility won't be easy to repair. According to a Newsweek public opinion poll conducted Nov. 11 and 12, only 36 percent of Americans approve of Bush's job performance. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with the direction of the country, the highest number during the Bush presidency. More worrying for the White House is the 50 percent of Americans in this poll who believe that Bush is not honest or ethical.

Since the death toll of American soldiers in Iraq has passed the 2,000 mark, more Americans support a withdrawal of U.S. troops. But the numbers of dead and wounded alone cannot convey the toll that the war has taken on countless families across America. Dolores Kesterson's son Erik, an Army chief warrant officer 1, was killed in Iraq Nov. 15, 2003 while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter over Mosul. Kesterson has spoken against the war in a one-on-one meeting with President Bush and held her ground against right-wing cable TV host Bill O'Reilly. Here, she describes her grief and anger about the war that took her son's life and daily continues to claim American and Iraqi lives.

U.S. Tour of Duty, a group giving voice to veterans and military families can be contacted by calling (310) 842-8794 or visit their website at www.ustourofduty.org

Related links:

Cindy Sheehan's website at www.meetwithcindy.org

Code Pink at www.codepink.org

Military Families Speak Out at www.mfso.org Gold Star Families for Peace at www.gsfp.org

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