Oklahoma Marine Mother Reacts To Timetable Bill

Friday, July 13th 2007, 8:24 pm

By: News On 6

More than 3,600 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war. It's a staggering statistic for any military parent, but one Marine mom says the fight must go on. Sue Wilson's son spent eight months in Iraq. News On 6 anchor Latoya Silmon reports Wilson says she was terrified the whole time he was there, so you might think she'd support pulling troops out. Well, think again.

â€œI'm really proud to be a Marine mom,â€ Wilson said.

And Sue Wilson's Marine son is her pride and joy. He's served 10 years that included one tour in Iraq. Many of his fellow Marines are still there, and this mom says they should be.

â€œThey've hit us a couple of times in the United States, and we are having to defend ourselves. I think our military are proudly defending our freedom here, and we need to honor them and allow them to go ahead and get the job done,â€ Wilson said.

But public support for the war continues to drop, and some lawmakers want an out too. The U.S. passed a bill requiring most troops to withdraw within 120 days. While the Senate looks it over, two top Republicans have proposed legislation demanding a new strategy by mid-October.

â€œWe had a timetable that was done on Vietnam, but the Vietnamese were not coming after us. They weren't going to follow us home,â€ Wilson said.

For that reason she says we should stay the course and make sure troops have what they need to win.

â€œI think its way too political,â€ she said. â€œPeople need to stop trying to be affiliated with a political party, and do the right thing. The right thing is to listen to the generals. They are the ones that know how to run a war.â€

The president will likely veto the timetable bill. He's made it clear he's sticking to his September 15 timeline for judging the surge.

Watch the video: Local Marine's Mother Against Pulling Troops From Iraq