Group Shuns Mother of Slain Soldier

[KillarneyRose]

The Associated Press
Updated: 4:36 p.m. ET May 28, 2005

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of mournful women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country.

Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman, was killed last year in Afghanistan when his unit came under fire during a mission to drive out remnants of Taliban and al-Qaida forces...

Read the rest of the story here...

Ann Herd, President of American Gold Star Mothers, comes off as slightly less warm and cuddly than Attila the Hun. I wonder if she's as awful as what she is quoted as saying would lead us to believe.

[DeltaSigStan]

Ok, then can our nurses refuse to treat them the next time these hypocritcal chicks go to the hospital?

[Jill1228]

Those heffas should be ashamed of themselves!

[RACooper]

Read about that up here as well... and it was a topic of discussion amongst the many veteran or their families at a recent dedication ceremony.

I can only say that I'm flabergasted that this "citizen rule" exists for the group; the article wasn't really clear, has it always existed? - it's beyond me that this b*tch has the gall to make the comments she did. I hate to say it but someone official should step in and set things right.

Perhaps the government should assume a role, by making the Gold Star Mothers an official system of honour - much like the Memorial Cross up here in Canada - awarded to mothers/wives of those who made the greatest sarcifice, and about the country recognizing that they owe the mothers/wives a debt because of their loss... it is awarded regardless of citizenship or nationality (in fact there where a number of German recipients after both World Wars) - basically your son/husband died in the service of Canada, and the least the country and Crown can do is recognize and honour your sacrifice.

[Taualumna]

That's just sad.

And what's with that woman's attitude about not changing the rules? Lady, rules are made to be broken.

[DeltAlum]

National President Herd(?) is perhaps a sufferer of a herd mentality. She certainly comes off wrong.

However, there are a couple of things about the article that bother me.

First, the man who straight up says that they wanted the application to be rejected so they could get the rules changed.

The rules should be changed, but not through some cynically set up challange. Besides, why should HE be involved at all. He has no relationship that I saw to the family -- and HE certainly can't be a Gold Star Mother himself.

His quote:

“We decided to tell the absolute truth on the application,” he said. “We put down, ‘I am not an American citizen.’ It was a ploy to get them to reject her, and then we said they should change the rules.”



The other thing is a little problem with the article. The deceased is identified as an Army Staff Sergeant.

This certainly isn't an Army uniform:



There's something strange here.

[RACooper]

Originally posted by DeltAlum

The other thing is a little problem with the article. The deceased is identified as an Army Staff Sergeant.

This certainly isn't an Army uniform:



There's something strange here.

DA you might want to take the dementia test again

Looking at the article the caption for the photo reads:
"Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman, shown in a photo when he was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was killed in 2004 in Afghanistan."

Admittedly it might be nice if media didn't just regurgitate the same Associated Press story - at least providing more information...

[KillarneyRose]

DA: Apparently the deceased transferred from the Marines to the Army. I had never heard of this but Mr. KR said such moves are uncommon but possible.

As for the man who set up the challenge of membership criteria, I just look at it as being in the same vein as someone trying set up a legal challenge by breaking a law and then questioning the law itself. Unfortunately, I am drawing a blank as far as examples but I am pretty sure I have heard of that being done

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by RACooper
DA you might want to take the dementia test again

Either that, or simply read the caption. I just read the story where he was referred to as being in the Army.

I don't know about transferring, but I know of people who were discharged from one service and joined another.

Probably both could happen.

But I still think they should have mentioned the Marine service in the body of the article so I wouldn't make that kind of mistake.

[Optimist Prime]

if son dies for a country, the mother should be granted citizenship. That's not a political statement either, that is called courtesy.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

This is a local story so I had heard about it the other day. The reporter said that this mother was devastated by the death of her son and further hurt by her exclusion from the Memorial Day ceremony. A group of local Veterans are working to help her. Gold Star Mothers is a federally funded group so this exclusion might be illegal.

I was really shocked by the exclusion of this mother simply because of her citizenship. She lost her son like the rest of the mothers so I think that she should be included. I was surprised when I learned about non-citizens fighting in US Armed Forces. I really thought that you had to be American to be in the military.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “We now have many noncitizens serving honorably in our armed services, and I hope that this can be satisfactorily resolved.�

I hope so, too.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
if son dies for a country, the mother should be granted citizenship. That's not a political statement either, that is called courtesy.

When you have your own country, then extend citizenship to your country based on courtesy. Too many people disagree with their parents as to citizenship to take it for granted that the parents agree with their children. Let's face it, there's a LOT of people who have a SS man in their past. I personally know a woman who became a citizen, and has both a nephew who's in the Marines and a father who lived in Serbia during WWII, was in "the service", moved to Brazil immediately after the war, then to Chicago. I'd say that, at best, his actions are suspect.

In the meantime, I feel that Ligaya Lagman should be asked if she wants American citizenship (since she hasn't applied for it as of yet), and if so, make arrangements to fast-track it.

[DeltAlum]

If you aren't born a citizen, it is something earned -- not given.

That still does not excuse the treatment of this woman -- nor the rule that says she must be a citizen to be a Gold Star Mother.

Her son died in the military service of our country -- which is (or at least probably should be) what the organization honors. Not whether his parents are citizens.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
If you aren't born a citizen, it is something earned -- not given.

That still does not excuse the treatment of this woman -- nor the rule that says she must be a citizen to be a Gold Star Mother.

Her son died in the military service of our country -- which is (or at least probably should be) what the organization honors. Not whether his parents are citizens.

You said it much better than I, DeltAlum!


ETA: I see that Ligaya Lagman has dropped her quest.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by honeychile
I see that Ligaya Lagman has dropped her quest.

I can't help wonder if it was ever her quest to begin with.

"Lagman’s application was initiated by Ben Spadaro, a veteran from Yonkers, who said he learned about the citizenship rules of the American Gold Star Mothers while working on a national cemetery committee of the Veterans Administration. When he learned of Anthony Lagman’s death and saw Lagman was a citizen but his mother was not, he thought, “He’s buried in a military cemetery, with full honors. She should be able to join.”

“We decided to tell the absolute truth on the application,” he said. “We put down, ‘I am not an American citizen.’ It was a ploy to get them to reject her, and then we said they should change the rules.”

I don't see much in the original article that quotes her. It's all about a bunch of others who have an agenda.

If she really wants to be in the origanization, she should be allowed. If the Gold Star Mothers remain intransigent to her or to others in her position -- shame on them.

If this is a ruse to use her situation to attack the organization, shame on them.

A just cause needs to be served -- but not by deception.