South Jersey Mothers Who Lost Sons To Military Conflict Share Their Pain And Hope
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) As we celebrate the Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who gave their lives in the name of freedom here and around the world. Not to mention the loved ones left behind.
Two bereaved mothers met with a pair of New Jersey politicians Friday over coffee in Collingswood to discuss not only their loss, but an effort to honor the families of the fallen.
It was six years ago that Melinda Kane of Cherry Hill lost her son, Jeremy, in the Afghanistan conflict. She suggests people might not consider the true costs of sending people off to war. "Boots on the ground. Those boots belong to someone," Kane said. "There's a heart. There's a person. The family. There's a future in that person and to keep that in mind."
Another mother from Moorestown spoke at length of the loss of her son in 1983, when the US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed by terrorists.
The two are members of American Gold Star Mothers, a group that has fought for a monument at Arlington National Cemetery to remember survivors of those who gave their all. The idea's been approved, but there's disagreement over just where it'll go.
Congressman Donald Norcross and Senator Cory Booker pledged their effort to get that question resolved, and quickly, because the families deserve nothing less.
Booker told the families he hoped people would understand the true meaning of this particular holiday.
"Every time we have a Memorial Day, I get a little bit concerned that we tend to conflate Memorial Day with Veterans Day," he said, "when the reality is this is really a day for us to remember the people that made the ultimate sacrifice."