Feburary 20, 1977 my son came through me into this world, for such a
short time, taken away because of "One man's War", on February 20,
2004 for a birthday gift all I could give my son was a grave marker.
On April 2, 2004 as I stood once again at the last place I had left
my son, his grave, I stood with flowers in hand, then had to ask my
God, what does a Mother say to her son at his grave on the
anniversary of his murder, "Happy death day?", falling to the
ground, once again my Lord had to pick me up. Then April 23, 2004
this Mother attends yet another funeral of one murdered in Iraq,
this time to help one more Mother as she tries to make it through!
Enough, this should have never been, how is it that we as American's
have became so arrogant that we would go into another person's home
and demand they live as we think. Bring our troops home NOW!!!!! Not
one more Mother deserves to bury her child. I thank God for MFSO,
please continue on this journey until each child is home ALIVE, not
draped in a flagged body tube.

Lila Lipscomb
Mother of Sgt. Michael F. Pedersen, killed in Iraq April 2, 2003