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United Methodist mom questions son's death in Iraq

Aug. 15, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

By John Gordon*

CRAWFORD, Texas (UMNS) - As President George W. Bush's motorcade sped
by, Celeste Zappala stood behind a police line, singing and waving a
cross bearing the name of her fallen son.

Zappala wanted to meet the commander in chief and ask him about his
rationale for starting the war against Iraq.  Her son, Sgt. Sherwood
Baker, 30, died there last year.

"He literally was killed looking for the weapons of mass destruction
that never existed," she said, standing under the sweltering Texas sun
at a makeshift anti-war camp set up near President Bush's ranch.

Zappala, a United Methodist, traveled from her home in Philadelphia to
Texas to support a friend who also lost a son in Iraq. Cindy Sheehan is
making international headlines after pitching a tent alongside the
country road leading to the president's ranch. She has vowed to stay
there through his monthlong vacation unless he agrees to meet and listen
to her concerns about the war.

"I now live in a different universe than I used to live in," Zappala
said. "I try to keep my grief in check so I can function and I can work,
and at least twice a day, I fall apart."

Zappala said her faith and her church, First United Methodist Church of
Germantown, have helped her through the ordeal. Several of the
denomination's leaders joined her in Crawford to hold a prayer service
Aug. 12.

"I work really hard at not being angry.  I draw on my faith," she said.
"Sometimes my anger gets the best of me. But I try to be faithful."

Sgt. Baker, a foster child raised by Zappala since he was an infant, was
a social worker who helped mentally challenged adults. After his
Pennsylvania National Guard unit was called to active duty, Baker was
protecting an Iraq Survey Group searching the country for weapons of
mass destruction - a major justification for the United States going to
war.

"When the report came out there were no weapons of mass destruction, I
was screaming and crying that somebody needs to come here and apologize
to me," Zappala said.

"And then nobody seemed to care. It just went away."

Joining Zappala in Crawford were the Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist
pastor who is top staff executive of the National Council of the
Churches and a former congressman; retired Bishop Joe Wilson, now
bishop-in-residence at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas;
William McElvaney, a professor emeritus at Perkins School of Theology at
Southern Methodist University in Dallas; and the Rev. Andrew Weaver, a
research psychologist and author from Brooklyn.

Edgar said his visit was not political or partisan.

"It's a no-brainer," he said. "If the president can go to a barbecue and
throw out the first pitch of a Little League baseball game, he can give
these family members a hug and offer them his best wishes. One doesn't
have to agree with their views to show compassion."

Wilson said he came to Crawford to offer pastoral care to those who lost
loved ones in the war. But he said he was surprised by President Bush's
pursuit of the war against Iraq.  The president is also a United
Methodist.

Wilson noted the United Methodist Council of Bishops adopted a
resolution that "laments the continued warfare" in Iraq and questioned
whether the reasons for going to war were misrepresented.

The Rev. Beth Stroud, who works in a lay position at Zappala's church,
said the congregation and community were devastated by word that Baker
was killed in an explosion in Baghdad. Baker grew up in the church. He
lived in Plymouth, Pa., and was married and the father of a 9-year-old
son.

"I visited Celeste shortly after she got the news," Stroud said.
"Through her tears, she said, 'Now, maybe they'll listen.'"

Edgar said he believes President Bush is "eventually going to do the
right thing" and meet with Zappala, Sheehan and other families
questioning the war's justification. So far, there are no signs of that
happening.

"The president has told us that Jesus has changed his heart," Edgar
said. "My prayer is that he will change his mind."

The president's motorcade passed by the families twice Aug. 12 - on the
way to and returning from a barbecue honoring some of his biggest
fund-raisers. The barbecue was held at a nearby ranch.

Dozens of state troopers, sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents
stood along the road in front of the families as the motorcade went by.

While still declining to meet with Sheehan, Zappala and other families
who came to Crawford, President Bush told reporters pulling out American
troops too soon would "betray the Iraqis."

"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan," he said. "I've heard her position from
others, which is 'get out of Iraq now.' And it would be, it would be a
mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the
foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."

Sheehan decided to go to Crawford while attending a Veterans for Peace
conference in Dallas. At the time, she had no idea she would quickly
become an international icon for those questioning the war.

About 200 people had gathered at the protest site when the presidential
motorcade passed. The crowd included relatives of half a dozen troops
who were killed in Iraq.  Others have come from across the country to
support Sheehan and other families.

"I expected some support, but this is just amazing to me," Sheehan said.
"People should not be dying. They need to get out of there as soon as
possible."

Sheehan is not without her detractors. She was confronted in Crawford by
an Iraq veteran who identified himself as Phil Kiver of Cheney, Wash.

Kiver told Sheehan the number of troops killed in Iraq was a "drop in
the bucket."  Sheehan stepped aside, talked to him several minutes and
hugged him.

Zappala's son, Dante Zappala, also came to Crawford to be a "witness to
the truth and share our humble story."

Celeste Zappala is finding she is not alone in her quest for answers.
More than 11,000 people have signed an online statement of solidarity at
www.faithfulamerica.org, the Web site of a National Council of Churches
program.

Zappala is not sure what the future holds, or if she will ever be able
to personally share her grief and concerns with President Bush.

"I don't know what happens," she said.	"But I believe we're doing the
right thing, and that's all I can do."

*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org