One of my son's former teachers dropped by today. Magazine in hand... " Have you seen this?" There it was.. my son's picture. His bright smile. He was in the lined up of Fallen. The first fallen in Oklahoma this year. Now while I am glad he and the others are being remembered and honored, imagine if I had not been in my livingroom when I saw that but at the Doctors office or the nail salon. No one asked me if they could use my son's imagine. No one warned me I may open up a magazine and see my son staring back at me. Do these people not realize how hard something like that is on the families? How it blindsides us and knocks the very strength out of us? And to top it off they are making money by adding my son's picture to their magazine. Did they offer to donate anything to a troop supportive organization in his name? I don't want the money but by God if they are going to make money off his picture the very least they can do is help his brothers and sister out.
If you are going to honor the fallen... start by respecting the families and the emotions we face every time our loved ones imagine and name is used. Don't blindside us.. talk to us and at the very least warn us.
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4 comments:
Amen Knottie!
I agree with you 100%!!!
Wing :^)
It is so sad, but it seems like the ones left have to protect the reputation and name of the fallen loved ones these day. I wonder what you could do---copyright his name or something?? Then, when magazines or some crusade uses his name, they'd have to pay. I don't know.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 12/22/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
You are right to question this exploitation to make money. I'm not at all sure there is a way to stop it - wish there was and yes, it is incredibly insensitive. I think what you can do is what you have done - write about it here - and also write a letter to the magazine itself. Hopefully they will publish it - and in the letter, ask people to donate the price of the magazine to (name an organization for the troops) and ask them to write on the donation, "In memory of Michael/Pokey".
And ask the organization to tell you how much is raised as a result of this...and then write to the magazine again and thank them and tell them how much was raised (and ask people again to donate).
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