Their Pain Is Our Pain-- Straight From The Fendelman Family

by Larry Dudley [courtesy of Blog for America]

At our April 2 Greater Glens Falls DFA meeting, we discussed redeploying our troops. In a subsequent email to our group Pat Dudley wrote:

"I spoke at our last meeting of friends and family whose loved ones are being redeployed to Iraq. In particular, I mentioned the son of a friend of mine, a NYC firefighter. This is a photo of his wife and children. His fire company is very close to ground zero. Unfortunately his best buddy was a 9/11 casualty. It seems very trite to capture that old adage "a picture says a thousand words," in this case it could not be more true. This photo is but one of the many faces of war."

Photo link:  Their Pain Is Our Pain: Straight From The Fendelman Family

This photo of Kathy Fendelman, the wife of NYC firefighter and Nat'l Guardsman Barton Fendelman, and their twins Samantha and Benjamin, was published on April 12th, ten days after our meeting. It was forwarded to Pat by her friend Helaine Fendelman, Barton's mom. Pat asked Helaine if she would mind if the photo link and her response were posted on Blog for America.

Straight from the Fendelman family:

"On Pat!!!!"

"I want as many people as possible to get this photo to stop this madness. The world needs to know what our government is doing to break up families and pull bread winners away from their primary responsibilities of caring for their families. Barton survived falls down the stairs and through the roof in two working fires. He survived 9/11. He survived one tour in Iraq where he was totally gung go to go to help and teach the Iraqis to become firemen and the US military told him no and he was assigned elsewhere. He is a hazardous material NY City fireman who puts his life on the line daily to save people. And now he is being asked to go back to Iraq where he and so many others have said the American people are not wanted, we are not doing any good, we disrupted a country which was relatively stabile. We have opened Pandora's Box. The powers in charge thought we would be out of there in three weeks and had no plan beyond that. We are sending our troops, young and older like Barton who is almost 40 and those older than he to fight in a meaningless religious war. This is ridiculous. And now our President is lagging his feet and leaving the mess for the next elected official."

"Yes.....Please Please send wherever this photo and story will do some good to make the public and the politicians aware of what is happening."

"Thank you and love, Helaine"

Take a look--  Photo link:Their Pain Is Our Pain: Straight From The Fendelman Family