A note from Deborah Johns

Hello to all of you wonderful people out there who have stood strongly and resolutely behind our troops.

 

This is Deborah Johns writing to you, the proud mother of a U.S. Recon Marine who has already served 2 tours of duty in Iraq and will soon return for a 3rd tour.

 

Last month I led, in conjunction with Move America Forward, the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan to Crawford, Texas. We had over 3,500 supporters of the men and women of our military, and it was an event that made me feel so proud to be an American. That caravan began in California and stopped in close to 2-dozen cities. So many of you came out to greet us at each stop, and your kind words, hugs, and support gave me the strength to carry on through the long, grueling days on the road.

 

I'm sending you this short note from aboard the tour bus that is spearheading the national "We Support the Troops & Their Mission" bus tour. We've just left Salt Lake City in route for Cheyenne, Wyoming after having made stops in San Francisco, Vacaville, Sacramento, Reno and Elko. Our final destination is Washington, D.C. for a giant pro-troop rally on Sunday, September 25th that we are hoping will draw thousands of supporters.

 

I wanted each of you to know why it is that I have again agreed to such an arduous road trip. Being the mother of 3 beautiful boys, its not easy to give up weeks of your life in order to face hostile questioning from the news media, and long, sleepless days.

 

However, my eldest son, William, has endured far greater discomforts in Iraq. He just re-enlisted with the Marines, having done so he said because he felt like he owed it to the Iraqi people to 'finish the job' in that country.

 

William and his fellow Marines believe strongly they are doing the right thing in Iraq. I worry about him every day that he has been over there; what mother wouldn't worry that every knock at the door isn't one telling them the worst news that they could possibly hear?

 

But, I understand the decision made to serve his country and the risks that it entails. And I am so very proud of him for his bravery, strength and decency. They are the characteristics I see in all of the Marines and soldiers I have had the pleasure to meet.

 

Sometimes the worst possible outcome can occur. Joseph Williams knows this all too well. He is here on the pro-troop bus tour with me. His son, Michael, died in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and it is clear that Joseph still is dealing with the pain of this tragic loss.

 

Yet, Joseph understands that his son's will only be in vain if we allow the misguided and misdirected individuals like Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore to dictate American policy.

 

Our nation was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. They hate America. They hate our allies. They hate our way of life and our values. They constantly change their demands (upon which they promise to end their y, violent, and murderous ways - empty promises made only to influence those weak kneed individuals who will cave to their demands), making it clear that if we do not all embrace their twisted world view then they will continue to target us for terror.

 

America is the only nation in the world with the power, the resolve and the commitment to freedom & liberty to effectively stand up to these thugs.

 

Why those in the anti-military crowd do not understand this I cannot tell you.

 

I wonder why it is that they are so determined to turn this generation into a clone of the Vietnam Era. Do they want our nation to return to a time where our soldiers were spit upon? Do they want to return to a time when American policy was appeasement of those who targeted our citizens and our nation?

 

Well, we cannot let them prevail.

 

And that probably best explains why Joseph Williams and I are on this bus right now.

 

But we are only 2 voices of a nation of almost 300 million people.

 

We need your help.

 

We need you to show up at the rally stops of this bus tour. You can find where we will be and when at the Move America Forward website:

 

And we need to get the word out to as many people as possible.

 

Move America Forward has produced a TV ad that tells people about the tour and the need to stand up for our troops. These TV Ads can reach over 50 million people if they get the funding they need to broadcast these television commercials.

 

And that's what we need right now - to make sure that the silent majority in this nation who stand behind our troops are heard from. Since the mainstream media won't give us the wall-to-wall coverage that they give to the anti-war/anti-military people, we must pay for our message to get out over the airwaves, through TV ads.

 

We have only 24 more hours to send additional payments to the TV networks to get these ads aired.

 

Please make a contribution to this TV ad campaign, you can do so online.

 

Thank you for reading my note. I do hope to see you all at our stops from here to Washington, D.C.

 

And please, continue to keep our troops in your prayers. It gives me and William both great strength.

 

May God Bless you and your families.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Deborah Johns
Northern California Marine Moms

 

P.S. Please - let us make sure we mobilize Americans to stand up and be heard from. I keep seeing the anti-war activists willing to stand up. Surely we can all muster the strength to stand united and let them know that we will NOT accept defeat in this war against terrorism.

 

Again, I urge you to go support the TV ads that will spread word of our efforts.