Spc. Marisol Heredia « The Mother’s Day Project

The Mother’s Day Project

War is Personal

Spc. Marisol Heredia

September 11, 2007 at 8:43 pm · Filed under Mother's Day Project

Spc. Marisol Heredia, 19, died Friday, September 7th at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, according to a Defense Department statement released Monday.Heredia died from “non-combat related injuries” suffered on July 18 in Baghdad, Iraq. The circumstances surrounding Heredia’s death are still under investigation.

Neighbors at the apartment complex where Heredia lived with her family, described her as a studious woman who graduated early from high school and followed her older sister into the Army.

“They are very good people, unpretentious, hard-working,” said Maribel Costantino of the Heredias.

1 Comment »

Elaine Donnelly wrote @ September 12, 2007 at 7:07 pm

Dear Heredia Family,

I was saddened to read of the death of Spec. Marisol Heredia–my deepest condolences.

The Defense Department notice mentioned that an investigation was under way, and that a fairly long period of time ensued after the incident in Iraq. Is there more information on what happened?

With best wishes and thanks for your service and sacrifice for America,

Elaine Donnelly
President, Center for Military Readiness
Former Member, Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces.

Your comment

HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Origins of The Mother's Day Project

Ravensbruck concentration camp memorial

This description of The Mother's Day Project's beginnings was written in early May, 2007. Since that time, more female Coalition members have been killed in Iraq and their names have been added to the work taken on by more than 200 individual stitchers.

We wll continue this project, this endeavor to awaken our sensibilities to the reality of war and the lives lost in Iraq - the soldiers, the women, the men, the Iraqis, the children and all its victims - until this war has ended.

A few years back, I visited four concentration camps in Poland and Germany in the course of a single week. I don't recommend this sort of punishing travel experience for just anyone, but I did it for a good reason and I'm glad that I did.

There was one camp, though, that haunts me still and at regular intervals: Ravensbruck.

It was a camp for women and children, like women and children don't already suffer enough during times of war. Hell, even in times of peace. And, here's what moved me the most - a simple display of the camp's survivors who, in their ordinariness, revealed more devastatingly than any tribute or memorial could about the extent of what was lost to so many others. Women as mothers, wives, friends, grandmothers. Women in their gardens. Women smiling at the camera, waving on a summer day. Extraordinary women doing ordinary things, in ordinary ways, remarkable because they - unlike so many others - walked out of Ravensbruck alive.

As another Mother's Day nears, I started wondering how many women soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq? How many mothers, wives, lovers? How many women who would have been mothers, wives, lovers, friends?

As of today, the answer to how many female soldiers have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war is 79. I know their names.

Here is my idea for The Mother's Day Project. You know the sort of fiber-arts work I've been doing lately. I would like to make embroidered fabric collage panels incorporating the names of these soldiers. I want to hand-stitch the names on muslin fabric, but I'd like to have many different hands contributing to the stitching. I need volunteers.

I don't care one whit how accomplished you are with a needle. Anything goes as long as the name is readable. I will provide the names (pre-stamped so you simply outline the letters with stitching) and the fabric and, if you need help with the return postage, I'll even take care of that detail. Once I have all the stitched names, I'll assemble the fabric panels.

All I ask in addition is that you record your feelings and experiences with the project on your blog (if you have one) or in a letter.

If you would like to participate, send your contact information to mothersdayproject (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.
Categories
Credits

Get a free blog at WordPress.com | Theme: Fjords by Peterandrej