‘My son deserves honors for giving his life'

To the editor: Why does it seem that nobody cares about a mother's grief? My heart was ripped out of my chest when I learned of my son's death. It was bad enough when I thought that he was killed by the enemy, but it was 100 percent worse when I found out that he was killed by someone who should not have been a soldier. His death was senseless and should not have happened. My son, 1st Lt. Louis E. Allen, volunteered to go to Iraq to be with his unit. I consider this to be a brave thing to do, but the army does not consider him brave enough for a Purple Heart or a Bronze Star with a "V" for valor on it. If he was killed in his sleep by a mortar attack as was first believed, he would have been awarded those honors. Because he was murdered by a cowardly traitor he is not eligible. It is not fair to treat him this way when he gave his life for his country. Nobody wants to hear what a mother has to say because it is not a sad enough story. How wrong they are! Because my son was married does not mean I love him any less. The army never has been in contact with either parent. Our only support comes from Rep. Sue Kelly. My grief and my sadness and my hurting go very deep and they will stay in my heart forever. Vivian Allen Chester