Letter from President Bush to a Family Who Lost Their Son in Iraq
· Shooting Straight Note – The following letter was sent to the family of Ken & Kelly Hollopeter from the President. Both of the Hollopeter’s sons had served in Iraq. One lost his life in the liberation of Iraq. His name was Joe Hollopeter.
· The President’s letter could not be scanned in, thus it had to be retyped and does not give his signature, the original letter did, with the words God Bless you in black ink. Ken & Kelly’s letter is below the Presidents. This was the original letter sent to the President. Shooting Straight was given permission to show both letters from the Hollopeters.
October 26, 2007
Dear Kelly and Ken:
Your heartfelt note just made it to the Oval Office. I am inspired by your continued support for our men and women in uniform and their mission. Brave individuals like Joe and Tyler are what make our Nation’s military the greatest force for good in the history of the world.
You and your family have shown tremendous courage in the face of terrible loss and grief.
Laura and I will keep you and your family in our prayers. May God bless you, and may God bless
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
Dear Mr. President Bush,
I am a military mom, a very proud military mom. As I write this letter, I have two powerful emotions at war within my soul. They are the emotions of pride and sorrow.
Pride because I am extremely proud of my two sons, CPL Josiah Hollopeter and 1LT Tyler Hollopeter, both who have served in the U.S. Army. They were stationed in Iraq at the same time. The battle of emotions builds as sorrow forges on. You see, both of my sons returned from Iraq at the same time. The younger one, 1LT Hollopeter, escorted his older brother CPL Hollopeter home to us in a flag draped casket. The sorrow that their father and I are experiencing goes deeply into our souls. The healing process will take the rest of our lives. I am proud of my sons, not just for what either of them have accomplished, but because they are proud to be serving their country and they believed in their mission.
Since my son’s death, I have learned a lot about his life and the soldier he had become. Letters from his fellow soldiers indicated that he not only was respected as a soldier but as a friend as well. Phrases such as, “He was the heart and soul of this unit.” “Hollopeter was the best soldier the Army had.”, “You could count on Hollopeter to keep the troops’ spirits up.” These all help his father and me to find some peace in our tragic loss.
The real reason I am writing to you, President Bush, is to let you know in a small way how my son felt about being in the Army and in Iraq. One soldier wrote us saying at the awards presentation in Iraq, CPL Hollopeter was the only one, while receiving his award to stand and “Thank President Bush for the opportunity to he here,” You see, Josiah had decided to get in the military right after 9-11. It took him 3 years to overcome obstacles that were in his way. He even called the White House and asked to speak to “President George W. Bush.” When he finally made it into the Army, he became the best he could be. His goal was to be trained as a sniper. He served on a 4 man team in Iraq. He believed he was where he was supposed to be and doing what he was called to do. Another soldier wrote that CPL Hollopeter had said more than once that he knew he was supposed to be there. In my last conversation with my son, I asked him, “Do you feel you are accomplishing anything?” He said, “Yes mom but it’s going to take a lot of time and we need more man power.” He went on to say, “I just wish President Bush could get it taken care of and have the victory before he leaves office.” He supported you President Bush 100%.
Our community of Valentine, Nebraska and the surrounding communities of Ainsworth, Johnstown, and Wood Lake as well as the entire state of Nebraska confirmed in our hearts that our son went to war as a young man, but came home an American Hero!
Thank you President Bush, from our son CPL Josiah Hollopeter and from us, his proud parents, for leading our country during this stressful time of war.
With our prayer for you and our country,
Ken & Kelly Hollopeter