Family of Slain Soldier Had Asked Obama Not To Wear Son’s Bracelet
Terry Trippany on Sep 28 2008 at 1:10 pm | Filed under: Election 2008, Feature Article, Media Watch, Politicians at Work
Warner Todd Huston at Newsbusters is reporting that the family of slain soldier Ryan Jopek had asked Barack Obama not to wear his son’s bracelet or to turn their son’s death into a campaign issue. Instead Barack Obama did just the opposite where Obama actually seemed to forget Ryan Jopek’s name in a tit-for-tat “I have a bracelet too” move while debating John McCain.
Barack Obama played the “me too” game during the Friday debates on September 26 after Senator John McCain mentioned that he was wearing a bracelet with the name of Cpl. Matthew Stanley, a resident of New Hampshire and a soldier that lost his life in Iraq in 2006. Obama said that he too had a bracelet. After fumbling and straining to remember the name, he revealed that his had the name of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek of Merrill, Wisconsin.
Shockingly, however, Madison resident Brian Jopek, the father of Ryan Jopek, the young soldier who tragically lost his life to a roadside bomb in 2006, recently said on a Wisconsin Public Radio show that his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with his son’s name on it. Yet Obama continues to do so despite the wishes of the family.
Radio host Glenn Moberg of the show “Route 51″ asked Mr. Jopek, a man who believes in the efforts in Iraq and is not in favor of Obama’s positions on the war, what he and his ex-wife think of Obama continually using their son’s name on the campaign trail. (h/t D. Keith Howington of www.dehavelle.com)
Jopek began by saying that his ex-wife was taken aback, even upset, that Obama has made the death of her son a campaign issue. Jopek says his wife gave Obama the bracelet because “she just wanted Mr. Obama to know Ryan’s name.” Jopek went on to say that “she wasn’t looking to turn it into a big media event” and “just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself.” Apparently, they were all shocked it became such a big deal.
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air thinks that it would be fair game to wear the bracelet if the mother had changed her mind once again. This is where I disagree with him. Barack Obama should not be in the middle of two parents with differing views, using the death of their son as a campaign stunt.
In fact Ryan Jopek’s father isn’t just any guy, he is Wisconsin Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Brian Jopek. He was stationed in Iraq himself and supports the war effort according to reports. If the father doesn’t wish Obama to wear the bracelet then Obama should look elsewhere. No if, ands or buts.
It is clear that the campaign circus surrounding the bracelet is not what Mrs. jopek had intended. Barack Obama managed to do exactly what she had hoped he wouldn’t do.
I can’t imagine that John McCain would defy the wishes of the parent of any slain soldier. Such a move dishonors the memory of the soldier by minimizing his sacrifice all in the name of politics. This is the difference between Presidential and poseur.
