Anti-war parents of American soldiers brave hostility at home

Anti-war parents of American soldiers brave hostility at home to see the real story in Ira

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It must be strange to be Anthony Lopercio of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

The 23-year-old private has been dispatched to Fallujah to stand in the front line on what is, for any American, one of the most hostile places in the world. Yet, as he gazes across the dreary Iraqi landscape, feeling the sullen resentment of its population towards foreign occupation, he will not only be wondering about the guerrillas out there. He will also be watching for the portly frame of his father.

Not long ago, Michael Lopercio, a 51-year-old restaurateur from Tempe, Arizona, decided that he was not happy with the quality of the news he was receiving about the war into which his son had been drawn. He also realised that if the conflict dragged on, so would the amount of time that his boy would have to remain in Iraq, where hundreds of young Americans have already died. So he packed his bags and set off to Baghdad to find out for himself what was happening, and to see if there was anything he could do about it.

"We haven't been getting the full story in the US," he said. "The media is covering events - shootings and bombings - but not the issues. They are not covering what is really happening to Iraqi people and to the Iraqi infrastructure and how this affects our chances of success here. It's very important to understand the frustration of the average Iraqi and how unhappy they are with their progress over the last eight months."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=471137

,...these individuals must exercise to actually travel to Iraq with the intent of observing and reporting what they see on the ground. That level of courage and commitment is almost unfathomable to me. I will be watching for future reports about and by these incredible people. Bless them!!!

They had to go all the way to Iraq to get the truth; and the military wants nothing to do with them.

and the military got very nervous and brought around a dog. She still didn't get to see her daughter even though she had called and told them she was coming.

In my life parents have NEVER showed up in a war zone. Let's people know how bad this war is really going.

...didn't even leave the damn airport.

Hillary is ten times as brave as he is.

I wouldn't even dignify * with the name pussy, because that is an insult to cats and brave vaginas everywhere!

:kick:

realize what a great dad he has.

This father deserves at least as much of our support as Gore's announcement