Twenty-eight-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Christopher R. Thibodeau was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan last Thursday.
The New Hampshire native was a decorated AH-64D helicopter pilot with the 1st Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas. He had just discovered a few days earlier that his wife was pregnant, a fact that hit The Other McCain blogger Smitty particularly hard considering he is currently serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Navy and his wife is at home expecting their first child.
Across the country on Monday, millions bowed their heads at memorial services held on a day set aside to honor those who have died while serving this country, protecting the lives and freedoms of Americans. At 3:00 p.m., Americans paused for a National Moment of Remembrance.
Where was President Obama? He reportedly hosted a breakfast for Gold Star families and laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then hit the links, golfing with staffers on Memorial Day, an activity that some found disgraceful on such a solemn day.
White House reporter Keith Koffler reported the President’s activities on his blog and it was picked up by the British and conservative blogs while the usual mainstream media outlets have remained silent. What’s that you ask? What if President George W. Bush had done that?
Koffler pointed out that President Bush changed his lifestyle while in the White House:
The decision to golf on Memorial Day invites comparison with President George W. Bush, who gave up the game early in his presidency and said he did it out of respect for the families of those killed in Iraq.
“Respect for the families of those killed in Iraq” … it’s the perception that is left with the public on a day when American military families are mourning the loss of their loved ones.
To forgo such a public carefree activity on such a solemn day is to offer the comforting perception of … caring.
Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
