During the Sept. 26th presidential debate, Barack Obama took a moment to honor the memory of a young soldier in Iraq, Ryan Jopek, and pledged to end the war so that no more American families like the Jopeks would have to feel the pain of losing a son or daughter.
Back in February, Tracy Jopek and her daughter Jessica drove from their home to Green Bay to hear Obama speak and deliver a bracelet Tracy had made after her 20-year-old son Ryan was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006.
After giving Obama the bracelet, Tracy Jopek later emailed the campaign and asked Barack not to mention her son’s name. However, after John McCain lauded his own bracelet, Obama mentioned Ryan’s bracelet to suggest that there was more than one viewpoint on the war.
Tracy Jopek says she was “ecstatic” that Obama mentioned Ryan’s name in Friday’s debate. “His response in the debate was exactly that, a response, after John McCain put it out there first,” she said. “I think it was an appropriate response — he was just saying there’s another side to the story, there’s two different viewpoints.”
Despite these facts, some are saying Barack Obama went against the soldier’s mother’s wishes when he mentioned her son during the debate. Make sure anyone questioning Barack’s intentions sees this page with the truth.
Barack is proud to honor the brave American men and women serving their country and the sacrifice of their families, just as he is proud to wear Ryan Jopek’s bracelet.
Barack on Iraq:
Read this ArticleFind out more about Barack Obama’s position on Iraq: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/
The Associated Press: Soldier’s mom defends Obama’s mention of bracelet:
Read this Article“No U.S. soldier ever dies in vain because they’re carrying out the missions of their commander in chief. And we honor all the service that they’ve provided. Our troops have performed brilliantly,” Obama said. “The question for the next president is, are we making good judgments about how to keep America safe, precisely because sending our military into battle is such an enormous step.”
It was an answer that Tracy Jopek said made her proud.
“His response in the debate was exactly that, a response, after John McCain put it out there first,” she said. “I think it was an appropriate response – he was just saying there’s another side to the story, there’s two different viewpoints.”
CBS News: Soldier’s mother was “ecstatic” when Obama mentioned her son
Read this Article“The mother of a Wisconsin soldier who died in Iraq says she was “ecstatic” when Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama mentioned during Friday’s debate the bracelet she gave him in honor of her son.
Tracy Jopek of Merrill told The Associated Press on Sunday she was honored that Obama remembered Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, who was killed in 2006 by a roadside bomb.
Jopek criticized Internet reports suggesting Obama, D-Ill., exploited her son for political purposes.
“I don’t understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the Internet,” she said.”
ABC News tells the full story:
Read this ArticleIn February 2008, Ryan’s mother Tracy and his sister Jessica traveled to Green Bay and waited in the cold for 45 minutes to give Obama her son’s bracelet. A campaign staffer arranged it so they could meet him.
“I didn’t get to say what I wanted to say. I just cried,” Tracy Jopek told the newspaper. “It wasn’t for anything but for him to know this is real, something he needed to know . . . I do believe (the war) needs to end, but I believe it needs to be done very carefully and very thoughtfully.”
She said she was honored by Obama mentioning her son in his speech.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was such an honor, such an honor,” she said. “To know that he does know his name. It means a lot.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the bracelet back in February:
Read this Article“Tracy Jopek just wanted Barack Obama to know the name of her son Ryan, who died fighting in Iraq.
… Jopek said she has supported Obama since he declared his candidacy, and she went to Green Bay determined to give him the bracelet, created after Ryan, 20, died in 2006.
“Whatever the choices are in the future, we leave or we stay, I wanted him to know it affects real people in real places,” Jopek said from her home in Merrill, north of Wausau, on Tuesday night. “I believe he will lead us in the right direction, he will tell us the truth and be upfront and honest with us.”