Casey Austin Sheehan, ¡Presente!
Today is the 21st anniversary of the worst day of my life. If I am honest with you, and myself, I never thought I would survive this long. But I have and I am very happy and blessed (in a universal way) that I did.
Casey was a wonderful boy who grew to be a loving man. I will never quite understand, why, at age 21, he joined the Army in 2000, but, I feel like he was convinced that it was a great opportunity for education and advancement. As the oldest child of four in a working-class family, he was ready to transfer from a community college to a four-year university and he expressed it would be a burden. A burden that we would have borne, as we did with his next younger sibling, but Casey saw a way out, instead he got a permanent way out of life.
It’s worth mentioning here to remind people that Casey signed an enlistment contract that promised him the moon. None of the promises were kept by the government, even though Casey kept his. If you are thinking of enlisting in Trump’s military, with all the pending conflicts, or you know someone who is, I would urge you to think about it, re-think about it, then think some more—and, then, DON’T DO IT!
So, as I said, I never though I would survive that day. If there is anything worse than a parent burying their child, I don’t want to fucking find out about it and my heart goes out to those who similarly suffer. However, if there is one thing I have learned, is that even though this malicious and violent Empire can kill a body, it cannot kill love. I think that’s why I surprised The Evil Ones with my protests—they don’t understand love like the reptilian cyborgs that they are.
As long as we survive and give and receive love, Casey and all of our other dear-departed will live forever. I am convinced there is a reality where that condition already exists.
I still dream of Casey regularly, so I am able to join him in his world. I see his expressions and mannerisms in all of his nieces and nephews. Love for him oozes from his siblings. He will continue to live in their children and their children’s children and all of their collective love will keep him alive long after I am gone.
Are these the ramblings of a grieving mother? Probably, but I wish I had this wisdom 21-years ago. Perhaps it’s something we all go through if we survive such a traumatic and painful loss.
If I could go back in time to the devastated Cindy of 04/04/04 and tell her one thing, it would be, “you’ll be fine. You’re not only going to survive you are going to thrive. Love conquers all, if you give love time.”
Here’s to hoping you all have the opportunity to give and receive love today, and everyday.
Happy Friday and Happy Forever.
Cindy Lee Sheehan is an American anti-war activist, whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended antiwar protest at a makeshift camp outside President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch—a stand that drew both passionate support and criticism. Sheehan ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008. She was a vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Her memoir, Peace Mom: A Mother’s Journey Through Heartache to Activism, was published in 2006. In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2017, Sheehan continued to hold her critical views towards George W. Bush, while also criticizing the militarism of Donald Trump.
Ms.Sheehan was the 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party, and received 1.2% of the statewide vote in the 2014 California gubernatorial election.