Tucson Citizen: Military families speaking out

Welcome to the Tucson Citizen: "Teresa Al-Saraji visited Iraq last summer to see firsthand the battlefield that her daughter has called home for the past 18 months as a member of the U.S. Army.
The Erie, Mich., mother took a hard look at the war-torn nation. Now the normally low-profile Al-Saraji speaks out against the war every chance she gets.
Like the anguished mother in Michael Moore's documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' who turned her grief over her son's death into a political crusade, relatives of soldiers who are or have been in Iraq are becoming a potent force in the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. More are attending rallies, writing letters and speaking about the experiences of their loved ones.

Both parties believe they can win the military vote and suggest that the families may influence others' votes.

An emerging network of Web sites provides a 'home' for thousands of military families looking to talk about the Iraq war. Many families affected by the war say the election gives them a platform.

Nancy Lessin is the Boston-based co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, an Internet-based, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending the war in Iraq. Lessin's stepson is a Marine back home from Iraq."


The Detroit News