Dear Mr. Bush,

In a publicity photo taken of you on Sunday, December 18, 2005, you were seated at your desk in the Oval Office and during one of your infamous "chatters" you said, "We pray for the strength and safety of our troops." That was how you spent that particular Sunday.

Would you like to know or do you even care how I spent MY Sunday today? Well, it was almost like YOUR Sunday back in December. I too sat in my office and I too sat at my desk and I also prayed for the strength and safety of our troops. Especially one soldier in particular......my son. But unlike you, I sat in my office by my phone hoping and praying that my son was NOT aboard the Black Hawk Army copter. You see Mr. Bush, my son is over there in the middle of this dreadful war you helped to rage against Iraq. He is also a member of the US Army. It is also VERY possible he was aboard that copter because it in fact left HIS area before the crash.

So today has been HELL Mr. Bush. Everytime I hear a car door, I go racing to the window fearing the worst and expecting to see uniformed personnel delivering the news that every parent and family member of every soldier dreads. Of course you can't really sympathize with that can you? You don't have anyone in the Military. No, you're fine upstanding children are too busy getting DUI's. Yet you expect children of the rest of us to put their lives on the line. How peculiar is that?

No, I don't imagine our Sundays were that much alike afterall.

I have a confession Mr. Bush. I was idiotic enough to vote for you. Yes, I confess, its true. It wasn't because I thought you were great as a candidate. It was not because I agreed with your views on abortion or the death penalty because I DO NOT! It was because you claimed you would seek justice against those who tried to destroy the US. Or have you gotten so caught up in your war game that you have forgotten? It was because I believed you had the backbone to seek restitution for all the lives lost on 9-11 that I even bothered listening to your constant chatter. You have failed us greatly. There has been no justice for 9-11 and now we have lost even MORE people because of this insane war.

I have listened to you pray for the troops, entertain their children over Christmas at the White House, etc etc. But I have only ONE question for you. WHY aren't they home where they belong????? You wanted this war so badly, why aren't YOU over there putting YOUR life on the line????

There will be no sleep at my house until we know the names of those on board. And even if my son is not among them, sleep will not come easy. We will do our usual thing and light candles and pray for those lives needlessly lost and for those they left behind without choice. I can only hope, you will pray for them too.

Sincerely,

A Military Mom