Family of slain soldier pleads for sisters

[Dragon Lady]

Monday, April 12, 2004 Posted: 9:23 AM EDT (1323 GMT)

NEW BERLIN, Wisconsin (AP) -- With three daughters serving in Iraq, John and Lori Witmer had a family Web site with photos from Baghdad, notes to home and messages of encouragement.
"Keep praying! They're almost home!" a recent entry says.
But the top notice, dated Sunday, carried grim news: "We regret to inform you that Michelle Witmer was killed in action April 9th. ..."
The 20-year-old private died when her Humvee was ambushed in Baghdad, making her the first woman in the Wisconsin National Guard to die in combat.
Her family is asking the military to stop her sisters from being sent back to Iraq after this week's funeral.
"I can't live another year like I've lived this one," John Witmer told The Associated Press. "The sacrifice that this family's made can never be understood by someone who hasn't gone through it... It's a burden I can't bear. My family can't bear it."
Michelle's 24-year-old sister, Rachel, served in the same unit, the 32nd Military Police Company, which was expected to leave Iraq shortly but just had its duty extended 120 days.
Charity Witmer, Michelle's twin, was sent to Iraq late last year as a medic with Company B of the Wisconsin Guard's 118th Medical Battalion.
The surviving sisters were expected home Monday, two days before Michelle's funeral. The Witmers also have two sons.
The family said state National Guard leaders agreed to take their appeal to the Pentagon on Monday. Relatives also were seeking help from Sen. Russ Feingold, and Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.
John Witmer acknowledged the final decision of whether to return will be up to his daughters. But he said they would have to understand "how terribly we need to know they're not going back."
Witmer said he worried about his daughters joining the military but felt at the time that duty with the National Guard would be relatively safe, especially with a military police unit.
"My daughters wanted the freedom of being able to call their shots with their education," he said. "They were using that to go to school."
Jan Pretzel, the sisters' grandmother, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that by February, Michelle had an inkling her unit might soon ship out of Iraq because members were told to tell their families to stop shipping packages.
"This is a REALLY GOOD SIGN!!" she wrote in an e-mail. "The redeployment process (though it may be long) is finally beginning! There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!"

[39mto39g]

To many people today think that joining the military is a free ride to higher education. our military is hear to protect our nation and to fight in the name of our nation.
Now its to bad that this person was killed while serveing in our military it has to also be understood that this could happen. This is not a game the United States is playing its real, life and death.
Don't join if your not willing to take the risk.
If you become a police officer and get killed arresting a robber, its part of the job, Don't become a police officer if your not willing to take the risk.
If you become a Firefighter and get killed fighting a fire, Its part of your job, don't become a Firefighter if you don't want to take the risk.
Although I fell bad that this person died in the line of duty. Killing and being killed is part of the job, don't be in the military if you don't want to take the risk.

The other two daughters returning is not up to them, Its up to the military, They go where they are sent, or they are AWOL and go to Jail. What kind of military would we have if we could just say 'well, I don't think I'll go back"
Don't join.

Ron

[Boats]

Amen Ron - cold but to the point. Real stuff is hard to take sometimes. My heart goes out to the family but I know this isn't easy.

[Arrow]

Two or more family members serving in a war zone if one gets killed it is up to the remaining family members in uniformif they want to return to the combat zone. My heart goes out to the family for the loss of their daughter she died in the line of duty. Mama and Daddy are of course in panic and shock and will be for long time but the other two girls will make the call. One is a medic she may very well decide to go back. It may be they both go back. God Bless themall. Theyall three had a little more moxy than the average she bear.

Arrow>>>>>

[39mto39g]

Its up to the remaining family members to decide if they want to return?
Well, I'll be,, our new military, who would have thunk it.

Ron

[Seascamp]

Maybe not so new Ron,

My two brothers and I were in VN at the same time and my Ma raised so much hell that my older brother got sent back to the US and my younger brother was sent to a separate command from myself. My older brother got assigned to a USN harbor tug in SF Bay; tough duty for sure, and younger brother got yard bird /sand crab duty in Subic Bay, P.I. until I rotated out of 7th fleet, Operation Market Time. I?d say never underestimate the power of a Ma raising hell with the Department of the Navy, yikes!!!!!, poor clerks and such, I genuinely felt sorry for them at the time.

Scamp

[frisco-kid]

it seems to me that it was SOP that two siblings couldn't serve in Nam at the same time. If one was there and the other got in-country, the one there first could DEROS. He could waive this and the new arrival could be sent back. I don't recall if he could waive it, also. I don't recall if it was written in stone that one HAD to leave.

This incident with the sisters is a bad deal for sure, but like Ron said, and I agree, it's the risk that you buy into when you sign on the line. I'm guessing the military will vote not to send the sisters back if they don't want to. They need all the positive PR that they can get right now.

[39mto39g]

I had no idea a mom could do this to our military, On the other hand, Moms are pretty tuff.


ron

[MORTARDUDE]

Our country was torn apart from 1964 - 1975. Those of us that lived through those times have a responsibility to remind those, who have conveniently forgotten, what military service is all about, and how the civilian leaders of this country can use and abuse military power.
My prayers are with this family and all the families of those in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan..civilian or military.

Larry

[Dragon Lady]

It all goes back to WWII and good old Private Ryan. You all remember the story, I'm sure. All of his brothers were killed fighting the same battle. It was discovered that this mother only had one child left. The Brass decided they couldn't live with themselves if they had to tell her that her entire family was wiped off the face of the earth.

From that point forward, brothers were not allowed to sail on the same vessels or fight in the same battalion. To this day the Air Force will not allow husbands and wives to fly on the same planes as crew members.

However!

When I first read this message I was amazed that Dad could think that he was in control of his daughters decisions. "No daughter of mine is going to do....whatever". This family is from middle class white society. It will really creep my skin if dear old Dad pulls some string somewhere and is able to pull his daughters home.

Meanwhile there is a mother in Colorado faced with two choices...abandon her children to an ex who LOST full custody and go back to Iraq or stay and fight the civilian Judge who obviously refuses to accept her military responsibility and risk court marshalling.

Such inconsistency churns my stomach.

If these parents really supported their daughters, they would not make them face such an ultimatum and accept that they are adults and capable of making their OWN decisions.

My prayers are for both of these families, that the right situation is found for each.

DL