MUST READ!! : For all of you war-hawks

Try rationizing the war to the family of this fallen American Soldier, Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Waters-Bey.

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Baltimore Marine Dies In Chopper Crash
Victim's Father Has Strong Words For Bush

POSTED: 4:14 p.m. EST March 21, 2003
UPDATED: 9:33 a.m. EST March 24, 2003

BALTIMORE -- One of the first American casualties in the war against Iraq is a Baltimore man, and his family shared their feelings about the war Friday.

WBAL-TV 11 NEWS first broke the news Friday afternoon that a Baltimore man is among a group of Marines killed in a helicopter crash inside Kuwait that happened late Thursday night.

He is identified as Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Waters-Bey, 29, (pictured, right), of northeast Baltimore, WBAL-TV 11 NEWS reported. He is based out of Camp Pendleton in California and leaves behind four younger sisters and a 10-year-old son who lives in Baltimore.


"It's sad that this war is going on and that we have to lose so many people over nothing. I can't bring my brother back, but I really miss him," one of the soldier's sisters said.

WBAL-TV 11 NEWS reporter Noel Tucker spoke with the Marine's father who lives in northeast Baltimore where friends and neighbors were seen sobbing in the streets, sharing their grief with the family.

The family spoke with WBAL-TV 11 NEWS Friday afternoon and shared their feelings against the war.

As he held a picture of his son, Waters-Bey's father, Michael, (pictured, left), said: "I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son." He then walked away in tears, with his family behind him. Kenneth, the Marine's only son, was with the family, (pictured, below right).

A military spokesperson visited the family Friday morning to confirm that Waters-Bey had died in the crash. But the family had a feeling since Thursday night that he had died in the helicopter, Tucker reported.

Waters-Bey's wife saw television footage of the helicopter crash and recognized the identification numbers. The family came to the conclusion that their son, brother and husband was on helicopter.

And, before he left, Waters-Bey told his mother that he didn't think he would be coming home after his deployment, Tucker reported.

Waters-Bey moved to California with his wife but has been in constant contact with his son and the boy's mother, Tucker reported. Waters-Bey, who played football at Northern High School in Baltimore, was last seen by his son, (pictured, right), a couple of months ago.

According to the family, Waters-Bey didn't talk much about the war, but he said it was just something he had to do.



Baltimore Marine Dies In Chopper Crash

"My brother was the type of person that was loving, caring, and outgoing ... he was a joking type of guy, having you laugh ... It's a loss for us," Shernell Waters-Bey, the soldier's sister, said.

Baltimore City police officers visited the family to convey the condolences of Mayor Martin O'Malley to the family. The mayor ordered all city flags to be flown at half-staff late Friday evening, Tucker reported.

And Gov. Bob Ehrlich issued a statement in response, saying that Waters-Bey's death was "a heroic effort to make the world a safer place."

At around 6 p.m., the Marines spoke about the deaths of those who perished in the helicopter crash.

"To all those who have lost someone in this conflict, our hearts are with you. We are grateful to your sacrifice and the sacrifice your loved ones have made," Camp Pendleton Maj. Curtis Hill said.

The three other U.S. Marines who died in the CH-46E helicopter crash were identified as Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine, Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill., and Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas. Eight British Marines were also killed in the crash.

[This message was edited by lander on 03-24-03 at 05:26 PM.]

 

http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/state/article/0,1375,VCS_122_1831208,00.html

BALTIMORE- Family members huddled on a couch in their northeast Baltimore home on Friday, alternately smiling and crying as they leafed through photographs to remember Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, one of the four U.S. Marines killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait.

"I was devastated. My only son, my first-born, gone," Michael Waters-Bey said of his son.

The staff sergeant, a specialist in helicopter maintenance, was assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-268, Third Marine Aircraft Wing. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Waters-Bey was among four U.S. Marines and eight British soldiers killed when a CH-46 helicopter crashed Thursday in Kuwait, about nine miles from the Iraqi border. The cause of the crash, which brought the United States its first casualties of the war, was under investigation.

The other three Americans were: Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine; Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill; and Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas.

Waters-Bey, 29, had been living in California with his wife of 11 months, Angela, who serves in the Navy, and was the father of a 10-year-old son from a previous marriage. He was the oldest of five children.

Michael Waters-Bey, 48, said he knew his son was in Kuwait, but was unaware he had been in a combat zone. He said he had few details of his son's death, but was outraged at reports that the helicopter that crashed was some 30 years old.

"The Marines owe me some kind of explanation," he said.

He last spoke with his son by phone on March 13 and had last seen him during a Thanksgiving gathering in Baltimore.

Kendall Waters-Bey grew up in the rowhouse working-class neighborhood of northeast Baltimore, graduating from Northern High School where he excelled in swimming and track.

At home, his sisters recalled, he excelled in jokes and cooking.

"He was always making faces, making people laugh," said 28-year-old Michelle Waters. "And he loved to barbecue _ ribs, especially."

His father showed a picture of the Marine and his grandson, Kenneth, holding a fish the pair had caught during a trip to Florida last year.

"He loved his son," the elder Waters-Bey said. "He went into the Marines right out of high school to be able to provide for his son."

The boy, who lives in Baltimore with Kendall Waters-Bey's first wife, wandered around the yard of his grandfather's home Friday, talking with neighbors who stopped by.

The elder Waters-Bey, who described himself as a "naturalized Muslim," said he opposed war with Iraq.

"I'm against killing for any reason," he said.

When asked what he would tell President Bush if he got the chance, he replied: "This was not your son or daughter. That chair he sat in at Thanksgiving will be empty forever."

Meanwhile, condolences from local officials poured in.

Mayor Martin O'Malley, who called Waters-Bey on Friday, ordered city flags flown at half-staff in honor of the fallen soldier. Gov. Robert Ehrlich issued a statement saying he joined all Marylanders "in mourning the death of one of America's first casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom."

"Staff Sgt. Waters-Bey's death reminds us all of the sacrifices our troops make in defense of liberty," said Ehrlich.

Waters-Bey said his son's body would be taken to Germany, then to Camp Pendleton.

 

btw - Try finding this story on any of the major media outlets. They're more than ready to serve "were so proud", "he gave his life for our freedom" stories, but not this one.

TOO REAL, I suppose.

 

Washington Post - Man the fuk Up. I WILL NEVER buy an Washington Post as LONG AS I LIVE.

No mention of Bey's father criticizing Bush.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9008-2003Mar22.html

Damon Waters-Bey, 29, grew up in a Baltimore rowhouse, always wanted to be a Marine and joined the corps right after high school, his relatives said.

Waters-Bey, a staff sergeant and helicopter crew chief, was one of four Marines killed Thursday when their helicopter crashed in Kuwait.

His family and friends gathered yesterday at his boyhood home to grieve for him and to talk of sorrow.

"People are [saying] they are sorry," his father, Michael Waters-Bey, said as he stood on the porch of the two-story house on Woodbourne Avenue. "But the word 'sorrow' cannot fill my pain."

The sergeant's mother, Angela, last heard from him about a week ago when he telephoned from Kuwait, family friend Saundra Frazier said.

According to the friend, Angela Waters-Bey was concerned and went to a church to pray for her son.

Kendall Waters-Bey was the only son in a family of five children. "This is a very close family," Frazier said. "This is really a shock."

Waters-Bey graduated from Baltimore's Northern High School, where he was a member of the swim team. Sharita Waters-Bey described her brother as "really a people person" who was friendly and concerned about others.

Another sister, Sharnell, began to recall that "we had a lot of pillow fights . . . " but then she halted.

"This is a hard time," said Thomas Hawkins, an uncle. "It's hard. It's going to take a while."

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley went last night to the house, which is near Morgan State University. He was accompanied by the city's police commissioner.

 

 

It's an ALL Volunteer Service...

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"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth

 

[PatPatriot]

Lander, keep in mind, this brave man VOLUNTEERED to be in the armed forces.He knew the risk and accepted them.

 

[PatPatriot]

ff, owe you a coke.

 

It's an ALL Volunteer Service...

"He loved his son," the elder Waters-Bey said. "He went into the Marines right out of high school to be able to provide for his son."

 

lander,

Did he volunteer or not?

- - -
"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth

 

Are you saying he deserved it?

 

[PatPatriot]

He saying he accepted the risk involved.

 

"He went into the _ _ _ right out of high school to be able to provide for his son."

Fill in the blank with:

Any company... But he CHOSE the Marines.

- - -
"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth

 

[Jointpleasure]

What are you getting at Lander? - Are the marines corps suppose to be a welfare program?

 

>Are you saying he deserved it?

No.

But what are you saying? That he is black so he must be too dumb to do anything else?

- - -
"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth

 

Would this man have died in Iraq had Bush not unjustly declared war?

 

>unjustly declared war?

Red Herring... The war is "just" because the full congress gave the Commander in Chief the go ahead.

- - -
"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth

 

"But what are you saying? That he is black so he must be too dumb to do anything else?"

Why are you associating blacks with being dumb? Are you racist?

I find it honorable that the man did something against his will to provide for his son. I find it despicable that Bush had this man killed.

 

"The war is "just" because the full congress gave the Commander in Chief the go ahead."

Congress now defines universal rights and wrongs? Who dubbed them God?

 

Friday, October 11, 2002

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions.

Hours earlier, the House approved an identical resolution, 296-133.

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"This is the business we've chosen." - Hyman Roth