Soldiers’ mothers convene to commemorate losses
By Easter Khaw
May 14, 2006 9:00 p.m.
Every Mother’s Day, Darlene Geurin can’t help but
remember her son; her only child.
“He challenged rules, and he pushed boundaries,”
Geurin said. “It was my job as his mother to … frequently
rein that strong spirit in.”
On July 15, 2003, exactly a year after starting boot camp,
Marine Lance Corporal Cory Ryan Geurin fell off the roof of the
Iraqi palace he had been guarding. He later died of his injuries.
He was 18 years old.
Darlene had spoken to him only three hours before. It was a
quick conversation; he had called just to let his mother know that
he was fine. She had always worried for his safety, unwilling to
let him go, especially at the airport.
“He was very calm and collected (when he left), and I was
the basket case,” she said.
Geurin was one of over two dozen mothers whose spoke Saturday at
UCLA during a rally for mothers of those lost or still fighting in
Iraq.
The rally preceded a screening of an upcoming documentary,
Angeliki Giannakopoulos’ “My Child: Mothers of
War.” Prior to the screening, Giannakopoulos invited several
mothers and local officials to talk about motherhood and war.
“Jonathan was not (just) my loss, just like Cory was not
just Darlene’s loss,” said Vickie Castro, who lost her
son to a suicide bomber in 2004. “Each of you lost them, too.
You lost the chance to know them.”
As Castro left the stage, she kissed her son’s picture,
which she had brought with her.
Other speakers included American Gold Star Mothers President
Judith Young, local religious leaders and even congressional
candidates, who praised mothers and offered comfort to those who
have lost their children.
Jihad Turk, the director of religious affairs at the Islamic
Center of Southern California, related a well-known story from the
Hadith, a collection of sayings and doings of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad, in which a man asks Muhammad to whom he should give his
respect.
Three times Muhammad responded, “To your mother.”
The fourth time he finally said, “Then to your
father.”
Turk, a UCLA doctorate candidate, and Pastor Mark Jasa of the
University Lutheran Chapel, praised mothers for the sacrifices they
make during war.
“You have raised noble and courageous sons and
daughters,” Jasa said.
Jasa, who has two brothers in the service, offered his
condolences to the mothers and read from the Bible.
“There is no greater love than this that a man would lay
down his life for his friends,” said Jasa, quoting John
15:13.
The mothers and other speakers differed in their opinions on the
war in Iraq, but most still expressed support of the troops,
applauding their bravery.
“They are protecting the freedoms that we have,”
said Vietnam War veteran Carl Davis. “They all have one
purpose and one purpose (only) in mind ““ serving our
country.”
Giannakopoulos said she created and directed the film to give a
voice to mothers who sent their children overseas to fight in
Operation Iraqi Freedom in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. She
decided to screen the documentary over Mother’s Day weekend
to bring hope to mothers whose children died in the war.
“Mother’s Day is a really tough day to go through
when they’ve lost their kids,” Giannakopoulos said.
