Nancy Lessin, center, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, lists her complaints against Secretary Rumsfeld as Sue Niederer, left, and Bill Mitchell display photos of their sons, who were killed while serving in Iraq. (Leo Shane III / S&S)
Nancy Lessin, center, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, lists her complaints against Secretary Rumsfeld as Sue Niederer, left, and Bill Mitchell display photos of their sons, who were killed while serving in Iraq. (Leo Shane III / S&S)
Cindy Sheehan clutches a photo of her son, Casey, at Wednesday’s protest. Casey died during an April mission in Sadr City, Iraq. (Leo Shane III / S&S)
WASHINGTON — Pentagon police on Wednesday turned away family members of troops killed in Iraq who wanted to confront Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the reasons for the war in Iraq.
The group of about 20 was stopped before entering Pentagon property by about a dozen officers, who told the protesters they did not have the proper permission to enter the building.
Organizers said they have been petitioning for the meeting for weeks, but department officials are ignoring their requests.
“The man who was too busy to personally sign the Killed in Action letters these families received is apparently too busy to acknowledge the request of the Gold Star families for this meeting,” Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, told reporters gathered for Wednesday’s protest.
Five Gold Star families — ones who have lost a son or daughter to fighting in Iraq — brought pictures and letters to the event to present to the secretary, and asked police to pass the items along to illustrate their loss and grief.
Cindy Sheehan, a California resident whose son Casey was killed during a mission in Sadr City last April, sheltered a photo of her son from the snow with her arms as the group tried to convince police to let them by.
“I wanted them to see my son,” she said, weeping. “I wanted them to see the consequences of his actions. ... I have the feeling they feel he was a dispensable asset to them.”
Sheehan flew to Washington on Wednesday and planned to take part in the group’s inauguration protests on Thursday.
Department of Defense officials did not return calls seeking comment. Police who confronted the families offered numbers where protesters could obtain permits and set up formal interviews, but said security concerns prohibited allowing any of the group onto Pentagon grounds.
Lessin, whose son recently returned from his overseas service, said the goal of both protests is to show the war in Iraq is “a reckless military misadventure that never should have happened.”
“Shame on Secretary Rumsfeld for not recognizing these families, and shame on those who sent our children to war based on lies,” she said.
Families said they also wanted Rumsfeld to explain why troops in many cases weren’t properly trained or equipped for the fighting, and when the other troops will be brought home.
“We’re here to try and bring the truth to the Pentagon,” said Celeste Zappala, a Philadelphia resident whose son Sherwood was killed in Baghdad last April.
