Welcome to Military Families United

Obama's Invisible Terror Victims

By Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, United States Navy (Ret.)
Senior Military Fellow at Military Families United

The Washington Times
June 22, 2009

On Feb. 6, President Obama met with family members of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, and USS Cole terror attacks. At that first emotional meeting, Mr. Obama explained his reasons for closing the detention facilities for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba, along an arbitrary one-year timeline.

Obama Showed Courage, Saved Lives in Not Releasing More Detainee Photos

By Brian Wise | Executive Director of Military Families United
CNN.com
May 20, 2009

The President’s decision last week to fight the release of dozens of photographs depicting the alleged abuse of prisoners in detention facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq was more than just a political decision, but a decision that saved lives. By fighting the release, the President put the safety of our troops before the demands of an activist agenda and Americans should thank him for it.

Rest In Peace, Lt. Col. Mark Stratton

By Katie Glenn
June 9, 2009

I met Lt. Col. Mark Stratton when I was just shy of sixteen years old. My dad had just gotten back from a tour in Afghanistan and we had quickly moved across the country to Norfolk Naval Base so he could attend a joint war college. The Strattons lived down the street from us, by mere chance, but would become close family friends. They were a beautiful family of four – a handsome, Air Force officer father, a lovely, happy mother, and two wonderful and adorable blond children.

I was often asked to babysit the Stratton children and it was always a pleasure – they were polite, cute, and fun to entertain for a couple hours now and then. Mrs. Stratton and my mom became close friends; as did my dad and Lt. Col. Stratton. They came over to the house for dinner and after we all departed to new homes 10 short months later they kept in touch.

Don't close Gitmo without a plan

BY RON GRIFFIN | Ron Griffin, a Gold Star dad who lives in northern New Jersey, serves on the board of Military Families United, a national advocacy organization.
February 12, 2009
Newsday

When I heard that President Barack Obama met with family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks last week, to talk to them about his plans for the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, I couldn't help thinking about my son.

On Sept. 11, 2001, he turned 19. That Tuesday should have been a joyous day for him, because he was living his dream. Kyle Andrew Griffin had wanted to be a soldier since he was 5 years old. He was in training at Fort Benning, Ga., that day, and knew there would be no candles or songs for his birthday. These soon-to-be infantrymen were painfully aware that they were now getting ready to go to war.

On Gitmo: Voice of a Soldier’s Daughter

February 3, 2009

I stood in my living room on my 15th birthday and bid my father good-bye. I have held back tears, being his brave girl, as I stood with my mother and sisters, watching him leave for a year. I have seen pictures of him standing in the mountains of Afghanistan, sunburned as snow falls, with a mouth full of peanut M&Ms. I have gone with him to the hospital, visiting his injured soldiers. My father is in the Army, a patriot willing to lay down his life so that I might live mine as freely as possible. I thank him every day for the opportunities his sacrifices have given me.

My life has been spent surrounded by the military, hearing about my father serving as a judge on military tribunals, and watching thousands of men and women board planes for places far away to defend this country’s freedoms. I have read newspaper articles about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay; I understand why people are outraged but it seems misplaced at the same time.