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Local Fallen Hero, Army Spc. Brian M. ('Bucky') Anderson died June 12, 2010 in service to our country.
On June 26, I linked in this post to a blog post by a local graphic artist, about a memorial for Bucky Anderson....(the link now says "Page not found")
In the past few days, our local newspaper and local TV station have broken stories with questions about the memorial and controversy over it......see HERE for the latest WHSV TV story and HERE for the beginning of the article in The Daily News-Record (the rest is behind a subscription wall)
In the Daily News-Record story, the attorney for the graphic artist is quoted as saying this memorial was "not intended to specifically honor" Bucky.
Yet, I found this June 20th WHSV TV story
Local Artist to Memorialize Soldier's Sacrifice
(Update:Dec.3,2010: The discussion thread on the Sean Hannity forums now seems to have completely disappeared, so I have struck-through the original posted item)
From the Shenandoah Journal comes this July 13th story
Carwash helps fund soldier's memorial
(Update:Dec.3,2010: the link here has also disappeared, so again, I struck-through the original posted item)
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I also found the web page for Florida Fallen Heroes ,which was the company that Mr. Merwin stated was going to provide the memorial?
UPDATE:
After posting information about Florida Fallen Heroes a few days ago, I was contacted by the President of Florida Fallen Heroes, who wished to clarify that Florida Fallen Heroes "in no way raised any monies for the monument"
(It appears that they were simply a company that was contacted BY Mr.Murwin, and they would refer any further questions About Mr. Murwin's involvement with them, to Mr. Murwin himself)
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In closing........I don't know where this story will end up heading? but it makes me incredibly sad for the Anderson family, that this whole controversy has arisen.
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UPDATE 11/7/10: I was kind of astonished, that my posting here (on what I admit is a 'D' list type of blog in the scheme of blogging, I have no illusions about my blog :) would generate these 2 posts in response:
Bouhammer Steps in to the Merwin/Anderson Controversy
and
What Would Bucky Do?
Those 2 posts are by folks who freely admit that they are friends of
I have never met Mr. Murwin, nor have I met the Anderson family......some of my sons knew him, and my husband and I stood with the Patriot Guard Riders at Bucky's funeral
but I don't think the questions that the community is asking of Mr.Murwin:
1. where is the memorial?
2. or where is the money that was raised for the memorial?
are so 'slanderous and libelous' (as Anonymous posted in the comments), or such unreasonable questions, that the proper response to them would be to malign a grieving family and community for Asking those questions?
just my opinion......
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UPDATE 11/8/10 Wow, I'm speechless.......(and apparently,'ignorant' or at best 'uninformed'?)
In an effort to present all sides of this story? I direct you to this post over at A Soldiers Perspective
Hero Maker Under Fire
8 comments:
Kathi,
I thank you for looking into this and not really coming to any uneducated opinions. Yes there is controversy around this memorial and sadly it has come from Bucky's family who have let themselves get manipulated by outside influences. As a host and blogger on Youserved.com, in addition to blogging at bouhammer.com, and militarypundits.com I can tell you that Mr. Merwin's interest in this whole thing has been to try and do something right and honor not only Bucky, but also all the fallen vets from the local area. However the Anderson's appear to have gotten themselves spun up into such a tizzy that they cannot find a way out without swallowing a lot of crow. Mr. Merwin has tried over and over to reach out to the family after initially consulting with them about the memorial and getting their verbal approval. They refuse to work with him and approach it with a "my way or no way" mentality. It is really sad, because this is not about them, Mr. Merwin or anyone else walking this planet. It is a about Bucky and those that have fallen like him.
The Anderson family seem to be playing the "poor gold stay family card" just as Cindy Sheehan did when she lost her son. As I have said publicly and to Mr. Merwin himself, just because a family has lost a loved one in combat does not make that family 100% right all the time, every time. Cindy Sheehan is a great example of that. That does not mean Mr. Merwin is 100% right either. What it means is that people who want to pass judgement on this terrible situation need to look at it in whole and objectively and not with emotion involved.
Troy,
Thank you for presenting another side of the story.
I would be very interested in an accounting for the amount of money raised in the name of Spc. Anderson, what has been expended thus far and upon what, the current balance, and where the memorial is in regards to completion.
This community and the Anderson family has every right to know the status of the funds and the progress if any of the memorial. I'm still of the mind that the honorable and responsible action for the individual in question would be to make a full accounting, and if the memorial isn't well on the way to completion then the moneys raised should be made available to an independent and reputable organization for safekeeping. Rockingham Education Foundation Inc., which is the fiscal agent for the Bucky Anderson Memorial Scholarship comes readily to mind.
And I must say Sir, that your treatment of the Andersons in your comment is beneath you, uncalled for, and an unfair assessment of two very good people who have suffered a horrible loss.
Lowell,
Thank you, also, for your comment and assessment.
Mr. Murwin has never had a thing to hide, and Ms. Garst has said she found no evidence of wrongdoing.
What that tells me is that far from the case being closed, there isn't even any case against him to begin with. So let's stop trying to build one out of nothing.
I don't deny the possibility that someone may be trying to exploit the Andersons. But dealing with any injustice against them by libeling and slandering an innocent person over a misunderstanding will only compound the injustice.
Ah,"Anonymous" weighs in with their opinion,at least the others commenting were willing to stand behind their comments with their identity.
Mr. Murwin has been on the receiving end of some vicious harrassment. I don't want to risk subjecting myself or my family to the same. So that's why I had preferred to remain safely "anonymous."
Also no name means no reputation besmirched by false accusations of cowardice.
But all that is beside the point. How does my insistence on protecting my identity invalidate any point I've made?
Argue the points. Don't make personal attacks.
Anonymous: Would that those also making attacks on the Anderson's reputation, would Also follow your advice.
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