Please post condolences for mother of fallen soldier here

Rose is a friend of mine. Her son is 1st Lt.Brian Slavenas and he was buried yesterday. I have stood with Rose on a street corner for over a year protesting the war, every Friday night from 5 to 6. This has been a very sad time for us all and I find it extremely difficult to even speak of it. I will give her your thoughts.

Thanks

try to silence her? She is a courageous woman and has my admiration.

Even is she is not, I am sending her all my sympathies and condolences. Losing a child is a horrible loss.

and my heart is broken.

I know this is not easy, especially loosing a child over this farce

My condolences to Mrs Slavenas, and let her know that a former soldier
honors her courage.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We tried as hard as we could to show opposition to the war so that our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives would not have to die.
It hurts me to hear that we are losing so many lives in Iraq. It also hurts to hear of the wounded.
Voices like yours Rose are not alone nor will we be silenced. Stay strong and know that we (DU) and the majority of Americans are on your side. We want our soldiers, sailors, and marines HOME!

God Bless

No words can express the loss .

Words cannot express what a parent must feel.

My daughter's boyfriend was one of the first Marines killed during the beginning of the ground war in the Gulf in 1991, so I know the shock of it, but only second hand and that was not an easy thing to go through. The look on my 19 year old daughters face when she found out he was one of 11 killed is embedded in my mind forever - I will never forgot that - Scott had just turned 20 in December and was killed January 29, 1991. I think of him every day, although the thoughts are not quite as painful as they were the first 3-4 years.

In loving memory of 1st Lt. Brian Slavenas and Lcpl Scott Schroeder!

our sorrow. We join with you in mourning your son.

I am very sorry for your loss. You will be in our prayers and Brian will be remembered.
I also want to thank you for being a true Patriot and helping to preserve America. I will also continue the fight knowing I am on the side of courageous Patriots like you.

I am so sorry for your loss. Know that many here are with you in spirit in your mourning and in your opposition to this unjust war.

I watched in growing horror as 55,000 American lives were snuffed out and hundreds of thousands of soldiers were maimed during the nightmare years of Vietnam. Everyone swore it would "never happen again."

It has happened again.

I have four sons two of whom will soon be of draft age. I know that this president who has taken over our country has designs on conquering other countries for oil, for political gain, and for those of his supporters who support Empire and Pax Americana.

I mourn for your loss as a father who has four sons and even understanding the depth of love that I have for mine, I simply cannot fathom or imagine the pain of loss that you must feel. I would like to say that I know the pain you feel, but I simply cannot bring myself to think of having one of my sons taken from me by the criminal in the White House.

I salute your courage in speaking the truth to those who have enough power to do you harm and besmirch your name for not agreeing to support their plan of world conquest. It will give me strength in the years to come to do the same, so that, with luck, we can take back our country and have a responsible leader in the White House who knows that a war is not a political game, not a way to acquire oil, but is a dastardly and godawful thing that must be done ONLY for self-defense.

I wish you only the best and know that your son's memory will never die in your heart....and in the heart of all who knew him.

My deepest condolences on the loss of your son, Brian. As the father of two children, I can only begin to imagine your pain. It is the ultimate horror for every parent.

Though we don't agree with this senseless war, Brian's sacrifice is untainted by foolish politics -- it is eternal. I am humbled by his nobility. Thank you and please thank your son on my behalf.

Doug

I'm also a mother, and have been a protestor since Vietnam, when my son was a toddler. He was a Marine during the Gulf War, and I was so afraid of being in the same situation you are in now. One can never say accurately "I know what you're going through", but I've been close enough that I can well imagine just how terrible this must be for you.

There is very little consolation for your situation, but please know that there are thousands and thousands of us who understand your grief and anger, and the fear that you were dealing with before.

My heart is with you.

Kanary

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be able to convey our thoughts to her.

Also, thank you for being there for her!

Kanary

My thoughts & prayers are with you both, as well as the families of all of our troops.
I hope someday bush & his minions are haunted by each & every person that their greedy policies have harmed.

You have all of our regrets and good wishes. I am so very sorry.

this henious war. I'm sorry our country allowed their fears to cloud their vision. I'm sorry this country let the election be stolen. I'm sorry this country didn't demand answers to how 9/11 happened. I'm sorry we let Bush get away with using falsified evidence to start this war. I'm sorry our citizens (too many of them) have lost the ability to think for themselves. I'm so sorry for your loss. :-(

Know that many people you don't even know will be praying for you, and that no matter the circumstance, that your son will be remembered for his sacrifice by generations to come.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

and the tremendous loss that your family is feeling. May you find some comfort in this community of people who promise to continue to work for peace in this world. We owe this to your son, and to all our children.

My prayers are with you

Lee

Your messages mean more to me than you will ever know. Every one will be individually printed out on special linen paper and put in it's own envelope.

I also would like you to know Brian's brother Marcus's thoughts.

"I didn't want him to go. I don't believe in it. Ten thousand there aren't worth (sacrificing) my brother's life. I don't believe in that cause, and I am not convinced. My little brother was the closest thing in the world to me."

I offer her my sincerest condolences for the loss of her son.

for your loss. Its a terrible thing that this nightmare continues. I hope you have the strenght to carry on.

I can't find the words to say how very saddened I am by the loss of your son. I can only point out that he must have been a wonderful person, because his mother clearly set a wonderful example.

You have my sincere, heartbroken condolences.

I am so sorry for your loss. Everytime I hear of the loss of a soldier, it feels like a kick to the stomach. I am sure I am not the only one who sometimes has to "get a grip" to keep from crying in public when I see those heart-wrenching photographs on the newspaper front pages. Pictures of loved ones weeping by the casket of their brother or son are the ones that touch me the most, along with the pictures of the one whose life as been cut so short.

While you may not know us on a one-on-one basis, know that there are a multitude who weep with you.


Cher

You have my condolences for the loss of your son and although words cannot ever heal a heart so deeply broken, I hope you will find comfort in all of the memories you have of the times spent with your son. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

On Edit: ((((Seemslikeadream)))) You are in my thoughts also. I know you have to be strong for your friend and I'm sure she appreciates you. Please know that you, too, will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I wish I could be there with you to hold your hand and give you any comfort I'm able. Please remember, always, that we hold you and your son in our hearts. -Eleny

... in your time of loss. I honor you and your son. You have my very deepest sympathy.

Please send her my condolences. How heartbreaking. Peace be with her and her family.

Let me paraphrase Abraham Lincoln:

"...I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming...I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice..."

My heart goes out to you.

Thank you Rose for having the courage to speak out.

All I can say is that may the peace of the Mother be with her and her son and may he fly swiftly to the halls of his forebears. May the peace of the Mother be with you and your friend in this time of loss. There isn't much more that I can say beyond that.

Words cannot describe a mother's pain.

my heart aches for this poor woman, as well as the branch of her deluded family who still supports this disgusting invasion

"Dietz Slavenas, who had left the funeral service supported by a military liaison officer and another mourner, blasted President Bush for launching the war she said is unjustified......

"I challenge George Bush to put a price on my head and to display my battered body to the world, as he sent the battered, broken body of my son home to me," she said, her voice trembling. "My son was not a soldier. He was my son. George Bush killed my son."

.....But Dietz Slavenas urged people to seek peace."I request, in Brian's name, a stop to the killing, no more preemptive wars, and the use of our resources to create a generous and humane nature and world," she said."

too bad they only put up less than a quarter of their hardcopy version, in which one of her other sons, a Gulf War Vet, came out strongly against this agression, and against the chimpanzee in chief.

the online version gives very little hint of the strongly anti-war/junta feelings portrayed in the print version; said print version giving both sides, but leaving the strong impression that this invasion is a very sick joke

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0311140219nov14,1,5066928.story

BTW, Mrs. Slavenas is a retired college professor

Words can't express my sorrow for your sacrifice. You have my extreme condolences. Thank you for helping to try to stop this invasion before it started. Thank you for helping to try to stop this from happening to other folks and their families.

My wife and I are very sorry. We admire your courage.

as a mother of a little boy I can't imagine what your friend is going through right now...

I am so very sorry for her loss.

Peace be to all our hearts.

May his soul Rest In Peace.

Please accept my deepest sympathies for this devastating turn of events...and know, deep down in your heart of hearts, that the people who are responsible for this despicable invasion, that has cost the U.S. AND Iraq so many meaningless deaths, WILL be brought to justice! Thinking of you and your family tonight.

Ferret

May the family and frinds of Lt. Slavenas find God’s solace and peace.

Each person represents an infinite universe.

The loss of any one individual is an irreplaceable loss to us all.

Infinity times infinity doesn't come close to expressing how each person truly is priceless.

And thus we know each person is appreciated and valued and loved completely by God.

It's so sad that you have lost your son, and if only I could say or do something to ease your pain, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
George W. Bush should be held responsible for all the deaths that have occured during this senseless and unprovoked war. He is the most despicable individual that I've ever known of. May God Bless you, and give you strength to get through this. :hug: :cry:

I am so sorry for Rose and her family and friends. I wish we could turn back time and reverse this horrible track we're on. May God pour his blessings upon her. I can't even think of the right words to say because nothing seems adequate.

I saw an obit last weekend on CNN or Weekend Today about a nineteen year old soldier. Said he "liked computers and Marvel Comics" and had been out of high school a year. Was this Brian?

This story really struck me because it didn't say he was a collector of Marvel Comics. The way it was worded, I thought, "Oh my. He liked comics. He was just a little boy, not really grown up enough to be so far from home." I have thought about this nineteen year old every day, several times a day since I heard his obit.

He graduated from highschool in 1991, his school activities included playing with the Symphonic Band, the Marching Band, the Math Team, intramural basketball, the National Honor Society, the Chess Club and the Jets (a science competion team). He went on to the University of Illinois where he completed a degree in industrial engineering.

His brother Marcus said he was close to having a career in engineering, to finding someone special, to settling down and some day having a family.

Thanks so much for your thoughts

You are all so kind

Rose to accept our condolences and forgive us that we were not brave enough to stand up against the evil that dissented upon this earth and took the life of her son away for no reason. Rose, if I may call you so, I am so sorry for the death of your son and no words can express how I feel at this point. May the God bless you and the soul of your son.

My deepest condolences for the loss of her son.

...go away. I am so sorry. My prayers and the prayers of my family are with you today, and over the terribly difficult days to come.

I am so very sorry and saddened by the loss of her son. Please give her the hug my heart is sending.

Words never convey the full measure of the heart's capacity to feel.
...words aren't enough...will never be enough...to sooth the grieving heart ..but Ma'am, please know my thoughts are with you....I hope for you that you have many arms around you to offer up hugs and a shoulder to lean on..to cry on. That you have someone to be strong for you now,just as you have been strong for others.

with a full heart,
Solly

It's difficult to know what else to say. The more I read about your son, the more I admire him.

I don't know what to say except we are all doing our little bit to try to put a stop to this.

I am so sorry.

I honor Brian Slavenas, a Guardsman, an engineer (me too), a piano player (I admire), and a man who followed through on his commitments.

Brian's picture is going up on the white board over my desk. The white board has photos of the millions of peace marchers, a photo of the Afghan children among a moonscape of devastation, a photo of the sad Iraqi woman with her daughter, a photo of Tariq Ayoub (the Al Jazeera photographer who was killed in Baghdad, and a toddler-father), a photo of Christian Bonhoeffeur who stood up for what was right in Nazi Germany, and two photos of my own smiling toddler. It is my wall of inspiration -- concrete reminders -- to keep me focused on working for peace and justice.

I cannot understand your suffering, but I do hope that the hand of God will work magic on it, and turn much of it into a kind of gratitude. For in feeling deeply the loss of a loved one, we are seeing and feeling the full weight and beauty of who they were to us. A fine man was yours to love and cherish for 30 years, and I'm sure he was proud and grateful to be your son.

and I just want to thank you again for taking the time. Your concern will mean alot to Rose, I am sure.

A bit from the paper

More than 200 people, including Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, packed into Faith United Methodist Church in this small town in northern Dekalb County.

While there were several soldiers in uniform in the church, Slavenas' casket was covered with flowers, not an American flag. One of the few military traditions was the playing of Taps outside the church after a brief service at the cemetery nearby.

Outside the church, Slavenas' mother gave a blistering attack on President Bush.

"George Bush killed my son," said Rosemary Dietz Slavenas, whom friends described as an anti-war activist before her son was killed.

"I believe my son Brian died not for his country but because of our country's lack of a coherent and civilized foreign policy," she said.