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The
Casualties of This War Extend Far Beyond the Dead and the Wounded
Missing in America
By MISSY COMLEY BEATTIE
From the time he was a young boy, Levi
Moddrelle wanted to be a soldier. His paternal grandfather was
fire chief at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Levi had visited the
base many times as a child.
On March 21st, Levi's mother, Susan Tileston, marked his 22nd
birthday and prepared his favorite meal, but he was not with
her on that day nor did she talk with him. She has not seen
or heard from her son since February 2004.
Levi grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and graduated from Lafayette
High School. When he was 16, military recruiters descended on
the house, attempting to secure a commitment. Susan Tileston
insisted her son postpone this until he received his diploma.
I met Susan at a peace rally last week. She told me about Levi's
dreams. His intelligence and high test scores along with an
expertise in sharp shooting caught the attention of West Point
where he was contacted about Officer Candidate School. Levi wasn't
interested. He didn't want to be an officer. For years, his goal
was to train as a Chinook helicopter mechanic. "If you're
smart, you're able to choose your skill specialty," Susan
said.
Army specialist Levi Moddrelle, serving with the 101st Airborne
Division, deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in February 2003 and,
then, was sent to Iraq where he served for awhile as a Chinook
mechanic.
According to his mother, Levi was reassigned as a sharp shooter
to protect American contractors. After serving in Iraq almost
11 months, he called to say he was stateside, having returned
home unexpectedly and without the rest of his unit. Susan Tileston
drove to Cincinnati to pick him up on Christmas Eve 2003. She
was thrilled to see him but recognized that something about Levi
was different.
"He was too quiet," she said. "And he was shorter
by about an inch and a half. I don't understand why, but it's
true. He also had scars on the back of his head." Susan
said her son wouldn't talk about his experience in Iraq but that
he definitely wasn't the same person he'd been when he left to
serve his country.
His order packet required that he report to Fort Campbell for
a five-day evaluation. During this period, Levi called his mother
daily to tell her there was no one on the base. So, Susan Tileston,
who had moved from Lexington to Stanford, Kentucky, went to Fort
Campbell to pick up her son and bring him home. Eventually, she
drove him to Lexington so that he could spend time with friends.
He bought a car.
Levi was supposed to report to Fort Campbell on January 31, 2004
to return to Iraq. He told his mother he was going. Officials
at Fort Campbell called Susan and inquired about Levi, telling
her he hadn't arrived. Later, they sent a letter, stating that
Army specialist Levi Moddrelle was AWOL. He is now listed as
a deserter.
It wasn't until the summer of 2004 that Susan Tileston learned
from one of Levi's Lexington friends the truth that led her son
to abandon the military. This is what she told me:
<i>Ronnie said Levi didn't talk about what happened at
first. You're not supposed to. They tell you not to say a word
about what you did or saw. That's why they have a medical debriefing.
They want to see what kind of mental shape you're in. Levi told
Ronnie that he'd killed an eight-year-old boy who fired at the
contractors he was protecting. Levi was 18-years-old and what
he had to do disturbed him. He wasn't the same after this happened.
And he couldn't go back. Levi just couldn't do this. And, now,
he can't call or write because they're told if they don't come
back when they're supposed to report, the military will tap their
parents' phone...their friends' phones and they'll go to jail.
They take a kid who's trained to repair helicopters and then
assign him to combat duty where he's in firefights...that's not
right</i>.
In September 2004, Susan filed a missing person report with the
Kentucky State Police. No one in the military will tell the police
anything about Levi. At one point, the police notified Susan
that Levi had received a traffic citation in Florida, but at
the time, the National Computer Database had not yet listed him
as AWOL. She is desperate to hear from her son.
Susan wants people to know that there are thousands of soldiers
who have been to Iraq and, then, make a decision based on conscience
not to return to duty. She's been in touch with a Quaker Network
that has aided over 20,000 troops, providing shelter in both
the United States and Canada.
Susan always wears a carved ivory, eagle's head pendant given
to her by Levi. This treasure is in harmony with her summer
job as a pre-Civil War, living history demonstrator at festivals.
She also wears her son's dog tag and a diamond pendant--a gift
from military sons to their mothers.
Susan hopes to send a message to Levi that he doesn't have to
be afraid. She supports his actions and wants him to come home.
A less than honorable discharge is perfectly fine with Susan
Tileston, outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the
war, an activist who speaks at peace vigils, and the loving mother
of an only child who she says is "Missing in America."
The casualties of this war are far greater than the dead and
wounded.
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