I also miss what will never be. I miss the fact that one day his daughter will walk down the aisle and he won't be there. I miss on Reagan's behalf, that his daddy will never watch him score a touchdown, learn to drive a car, or fall in love. I miss that Kimberly will never again be able to share the amazing joys that only parents understand.... "Reagan learned to tie his shoe today," or "Chamberlyn rode the bike without training wheels." I especially miss all the Christmas mornings for the rest of their childhoods when they run down the stairs, but daddy is not there.
I miss what would have been....family vacations, memories, laughter, pictures, love.
I miss that my daughters will have to bury Billy and I one day and their big, strong, larger-than-life brother won't be there to walk beside them and help them through.
Today I attended the funeral of another fallen special forces operator. As I listened to his family and teammates describe this amazing man, I couldn't help but think: "Why is it always the men like him who fall?" The great ones who walk among us who were "too good for this world" according to Hebrews 11:38. And then I realized; only the greatest among us would storm the gates of hell for the undeserving; the pot-smoking punk still living in his parent's basement, the disrespectful teen who can't be bothered to pull his pants up or answer with a "yes sir" or "no ma'm, the "occupier" who cries on the street for justice but rapes the woman protesting beside him, the list goes on....
Forever.
And then this evening I received the email below and my heart sank lower than I thought was possible:
Dear Karen,
My name is Cheryl Sitton and my son, SSG Matthew Sitton, was KIA on 02 August 2012. On 04 June 2012 he wrote an email to Congressman Bill Young seeking support and help in reference to the senseless and deadly missions he was required to put his men through. He told of how they were required to perform foot patrols in empty compounds and grape rows littered with IED's just to meet a set mandate of a certain number of patrols for a certain amount of time. He shared how they had to patrol in urine and feces soaked uniforms just to meet this mandate. And all with no end state in mind.
Congressman Young took Matt's letter to the Pentagon for it only to fall on deaf ears. Two months later my son and his 1st Sgt Russell Bell were killed in the exact way Matt had warned and feared for his men.
Cheryl Sitton
There's more, but as I read this first portion, I felt like I could literally vomit. I want to scream. I want to hit the pause button and fight for these men until someone listens! Please, for the love of God.... listen! And ACT!
Billy voiced our hearts on Hannity's America this past Wednesday perfectly when he said, "We want some high ranking military officer to have the courage to risk all and scream out, "What is happening to our warriors?" Somebody, please have the courage to protect our warriors instead of protecting this commander in chief and his cronies."
And then...just before I "thought" I was going to bed tonight, I decided to check our blog and found the following comment: "sorry you lost your son. But making his death a matter of Democrats v Republicans cheapens his loss." And that was it. My reply? "Nothing will EVER cheapen the loss our family has endured. What grieves me most as Aaron's mother (you know...the one who gave birth to him, rocked him to sleep hundreds, if not thousands of times, sat up with him when he had a nightmare or was running a fever, coached his pee-wee basketball team, sat at the dinner table year after year making sure his homework was done, loaned him the car for his first date, never missed a football game for 7 years (home or away), prayed with him when he received Christ, cried with him when his heart broke, shared every victory and every defeat with him, danced with him at his wedding to "Thanks Again," hugged him goodbye for the final time in June of last year, and yes, buried him) is that he freely gave his life so someone like YOU would be ensured the freedom to visit HIS personal site for no purpose except to spew a disgustingly insensitive comment toward his parents. I pity you. You are a sad, sad human being. But....he died for you, so go ahead, tell me more about what I'm doing to cheapen his "loss." (whatever that means)"
Here's my point. It's NEVER been about parties to this family. It's about HUMAN BEINGS who are being sacrificed on the alter of narcissism and idiotic ideology where we call evil good and good evil!
I say...ENOUGH!
These great men (and great women) are fighting for and dying for ...US. It has become glaringly clear to me that our high ranking military officials have no plans to defend those great patriots whose faces are actually marred by war. They're far too busy securing their mortgages and pompous life styles to risk anything in order to fulfill the oath they took when they strapped up their boots for the very first time.
And this administration? Pure, unadulterated evil. Cover-ups, scandals, finger-pointing, football-spiking, lying, apologizing, throwing each other under the bus, and most importantly, risking our nation as we know it by REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR ENEMY.
As my husband first said, and now I've repeated many times as I speak across the states....On September 11, 2001, our government was helpless to stop any one of the four attacks on our soil. BUT, on flight 93, a group of American citizens counted the cost, answered the call, stood up, gave ALL, and changed the history of this nation.
Billy & I have rolled a snowball. It needs to become an avalanche and we need your help.
We'd like to collect as many stories as possible from the men and women returning from or still on the front lines who aren't able to speak for themselves. Please post the stories here, using anonymity where necessary. Please don't use names unless the soldier is deceased, having nothing more to lose. America needs to know what's happening to our defenders. They deserve a voice.
Comments:
LuAnn
10/16/2012 07:25
Amen
Donald Dix
10/16/2012 12:40
To the Parents of Aaron Vaughn, God Bless your son, his family and you, his parents, who are forced to bury your son every day. I will never know your grief. I will never know the personal sacrifice he, and those like him, pay every day I will never know the emptiness his loss has created in his family. But know that he and your family have a special place in our hearts...we pray for Aaron, your family and all who walk your path every night before we take our first bite of dinner.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you have given his life this special meaning and purpose. God give you the strength to continue this work. Our love and prayers are with you, Donald Dix, a grateful Citizen
David James
10/16/2012 13:31
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn,
Please let me thank your son, Aaron, for defending my freedom. Reading about your son here on this website as well as listening to the news literally brought tears to my eyes but it also gave me hope. It gave me hope that this country has not completely lost its way and I believe this because of warriors such as Aaron and becaues of citizens of this great country such as the two of you. God Bless Aaron. God Bless you, Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn and God Bless America. Sincerely, David James, another grateful Citizen
Thomas Roberts
10/17/2012 10:10
Though I'm a Canadian citizen, let me express my gratitude towards your son and the 1000's of other US military personnel that bravely step into the darkness to keep those in the light safe. And to my fellow Canadians, who have also heeded the call to bravely serve in our armed forces, I wish to thank you for your service as well. It's these brave men and women who keep us free and safe from the evils of the world.
My deepest condolences on the loss of your great son. My prayer would be that he would be the last person to be sacrificed for our safety and freedom. God Bless.
Nancy
10/17/2012 20:49
Oh Karen:
My heart breaks, again, always, for you. Your entire family is never far from my mind and always in my prayers. Hugs, Nancy
Carol Kennedy
10/18/2012 09:19
My mouth is not filled with the words of comfort I would like to say to you both. You cannot see my face flooded with tears after reading about your son. I want you to know God is watching over you and as He was broken-hearted when His son died on the cross for us, he is broken-hearted over the loss of you son. I cannot explain why the sons who are so loved, so giving, so willing to protect our country and lives are the ones often taken and others with little to offer are allowed to survive. I only can pray that God will strengthen your determination to carry on your son's legacy in a very profound way. I also pray every day that our nation will be restored and those who have not lived up to the promises made to our countrymen/women will be removed from power. Be blessed in God's hands in all you do. Carol
JoAnne Rogers
10/18/2012 12:03
I just read your story on Gateway Pundit - I am so very sorry for your loss. As I reread the words I just wrote, I know how inadequate words are to express the depth of the emotion I'm feeling right now. May God keep you close to him and may you find solace in the many good people in this land who grieve with you at the loss of your son and of all the brave men and women who have died in the service of their country.
Thank you for your bold stance-
My prayers for all of your family- C-CS
Larry Heitman
10/18/2012 12:31
Dear Karen and Billy,
Words cannot express my gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice of your heroic son, Aaron. Our Lord inspired the Apostle John to write in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Your son was such a man laying down his life not only for his friends but for his country. We are grateful for your memorial of Aaron and bringing to our attention warriors like Matthew. It is shameful that our news media does not do them justice. But they are ignorant of the character and courage of men like Aaron and Matthew who would leave the comfort of their family and face the dangers of war every day. Instead, they hide behind their computers. They are not worthy to clean their boots. The sacrifices of Aaron, Matthew and many others will not go unremembered by American patriots. Men and women all over this country have sacrificed for our countries freedom over the many years of our great Republic. My son served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. My best friend, Lt. Craig Anderson (USAF pilot), gave his life to save our troops pinned down by horrific enemy fire in Vietnam. He and I were both Distinguished Military Graduates from Texas A&M University. The verse from John mentioned above is inscribed over the door as you enter into the Memorial Student Center along with the names of many sons who sacrificed their lives for our country. I grieved over Cheryl’s report of her son being sent into harm’s way to fill a quota! This is a crime! And it must be stopped! This reminds me of the politicization of the Vietnam War and it makes me sick. This is just one more reason why it is so important to kick the politicians out of Washington on November 6th and replace them with Statesmen. Then and only then will our values be reflected. And hopefully, a President Romney will appoint a Joint Chiefs of Staff who will have the courage and character to ensure that our warriors are protected. I am very glad that you are speaking out. Keep it up! Finally, our prayers are lifted to our Lord to comfort you and parents who have lost their children in this great fight against evil. Our prayers are also for our leaders that they will use selfless wisdom to executive our wars to protect our country and liberate others. And one last thought from John 14:1-3, "1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” I have experienced this many times in my family and so can tell you this. I am sure that at that time when Aaron was passing into eternity, Jesus came to him, held him in his arms and led him into heaven to receive his reward. With gratitude and love, Larry Heitman Houston, Texas
I watched both of you on Hannity and was VERY impressed with how exact and precise your words were. Every word was efficiently portrayed in the short amount of time you were given.
As a mother of a son, I don't take our freedoms for granted. And I pass on to my son the events that take place, the men and women who make it possible for us to enjoy working in the yard, earning money to play football, competing in a championship game. As a "patient" I gather strength from the lives lost in order for me to pioneer medicines for my disease for those who will come after me. When I find myself complaining, the lives of people like your son come to me and I check myself. Please know that many of us DO follow what happens and DO honor the lives that are given. AND we do ache and shed tears for those left behind. There are individuals that want and will share your load, if there is any way. If it means volunteering in a school, showing kindness to others, or simply changing and being better, and SHARING the information that we get from people like you so that we KNOW what in the world is going on- Then we DO. We are here to serve you now. Let us know how.
Travi B
10/29/2012 22:18
To Billy & Karen Vaughn,
My heart breaks to know what your family is going through. I heard you on Hannity weeks ago, and have become interested in learning more about who Aaron is/was. He was a true hero! Even though I never knew him, I cannot express my sincerest heartfelt gratitude for his service. I have two brothers; one was in the Navy in a different capacity, the other the Army who served in both wars in the early 90's. My heart is saddened to know that your heart breaks for the loss of your son, who's also a brother, a husband and a father. May our Great God continue to comfort your family with peace that passes all understanding. And just as you already know he's now resting with our Lord. Aaron was an amazing human being. Thank you for keeping his legacy alive! God's Blessings
veet vivarto
11/01/2012 13:58
The tragedy is that the sacrifice of our soldier heroes, will be lost unless America wakes up.
We still sleeping our universities are being conquered by the anti-freedom, anti-American, "liberal" ideology. The very name "Liberal" is a lie, as this ideology is against liberty. It is a child of the totalitarian ideology of Marxism-Communism. It was first introduced to our universities by the Soviet sympathizers and collaborators. Two generation of "intellectuals" including school teachers an journalists, as well as all sort of government workers were indoctrinated with this poison and have infected the rest of the country. Most young people today, think that America is the main cause of all suffering in the world. They were trained to perceive America as no better than Iran, Egypt, or N. Korea. We need to educate a new generation of Americans who understand for what our heroes are giving their lives. We need to defeat he political correctness, the multiculturalism, and cultural relativism. We also need to speak truth about Islam -- the vilest, bloodiest and most perverted ideology in human history. Anything less than that, will only lead to more and more defeats. Our current approach is like fighting a war against "radical Nazis" while trying to appease the "good, moderate Nazis".
Angie
11/02/2012 07:55
I just finished reading Marcus Luttrell's SERVICE and in it he mentions Aaron and well, you know the rest. I feel blessed to have found this website. I guess I'm taking it as a personal responsibility to try to *thank* all of our HEROs for their service and ultimately their sacrifice.
I cannot imagine the USA without all of the amazing servicemen and women who have gave ALL for our country. As a mother of two sons, I cannot imagine in my heart or in my mind, the utter catastophic emptiness, heartbreak and horror of losing one of my sons in any way, shape or form; let alone in the way you and Billy have lost Aaron. You are courageous, you are strong and we've got your back. Those of us who are strong military supporters wont let Aaron or his fellow WARRIORS be forgotten. I wholely feel those limp wristed pencil pushers in DC making up the "rules" should be required to do a tour over in a hostile nation to see what our HEROs and WARRIORs go through day in and day out ; BEFORE they apply any rules . May God continue to bless you, to give you His wisdom, His knowledge and guide you on your mission. May He answer your prayers and fill you up to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Blessings to all who know and love Aaron. Thank you for rasing such an outstanding man and I thank him for his service and sacrifice. I know it was at great cost.
vivarto
11/02/2012 15:39
We need to find the solution to what is happening.
Something must be done to wake up our nation. I am in contact with a lot of young people and most of them seem to think that military is an unnecessary institution. They think that we should just get rid of the military, and there will be peace on Earth. Many, probably most of these young people don't realize that the great personal freedom they enjoy is protected by our brave warriors. I feel passionately about the need for new education. Without that, we needlessly lose the best among us.
Robert Kramer
12/28/2012 12:11
I'm almost unable to type this because of how truly sad your situation (America's situation) is. I pray that God will sustain you and comfort you. I have only recently become aware of the travesty of how our soldiers are sent to war with both hands 'tied behind their backs.' I will begin by contacting my district congressman and senators, asking them to do all they can 'right the ship' as far as military policy goes. Two of these three are honorable, and will not turn a deaf ear to this plight. I will echo your story to as many as I can - including the mantra "Let them fight, or bring them home." I wish I could do more.
Our country is, unfortunately, changed so much from the greatness it has done and is still capable of. God, help us all to be faithful to you, and strengthen us to be faithful to our warriors and their families, and grant comfort to Aaron's family and all families like his. God be with you. Leave a Reply |
