For Nancy, the mother of a son serving in Iraq, hope has a name: Obama
Derry (New Hampshire). Nancy Assenza’s hands (photo Daniella Zalcman) are shaking when she lifts the little golden necklace her Marine son Alexander gave her. They are shaking when she shows the eagle, globe and anchor she carries around the neck. They are shaking when she talks about Joseph. Her eldest son is also a Marine and is currently serving his second tour in Iraq. On her right hand, she wears a heavy silver ring with the Marine insignia: “It’s Joseph’s”, she says. “But I keep it when he is in Iraq.” Nancy Assenza is 50 years old. Four years ago, she voted for George Bush. “At the time, I believed in what he was telling us”, she says. “I thought we should give him a chance to finish the war”. She regrets it now. On this gray Sunday afternoon, she has queued up in the snowy high school parking lot in Derry, a small town in southern New Hampshire. She waited for an hour and a half to see Barack Obama, the man who embodies change for her. “ I wanted to hear his views on the Iraq war”, Nancy Assenza says. “I also want to hear what he can do to get our troops home and improve the conditions of those deployed in Iraq and in Afghanistan”. The war in Iraq is one of the main issues for the democratic and independent voters in New Hampshire. After his victory on January 3 in Iowa, the man who wants to become the first black president in U.S. history, is leading in the latest polls in the mostly white Granite State. According to a USA Today poll, Obama has widened his lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. He gets 41% of the vote, Clinton 28% and John Edwards 19%. Nancy Assenza will vote for Obama: “We already had the Clintons in the White House”, she explains. “Hillary made promises she could not keep. That bothers me”. In Derry where he drew a large crowd in a room filled to capacity, Barack Obama pledges to change Washington and sticks to a message, which allowed him to win in Iowa. As he promises to end the Iraq war and to talk to America’s enemies like Iran or Syria, Nancy applauds. Barack Obama says what she wanted to hear: “I think it is a good thing to have a steady withdrawal”, she says. “It will take us a while to get out there because part of me doesn’t think we should stop and run out either. We went over there and have to see it through. But it can’t be a forever thing”. Nancy now talks about her son’s life in Fallujah since he started his second tour of duty last July. “He is very tired”, she says. “His days are divided into 6-hour shifts. For every six hours he spends six hours on duty, he has a six-hour break”. Nancy, a social worker, carries the pride for her two sons. On her red t-shirt, a white inscription reads “Marine mom, always faithful”. Alexander, 20 years old, followed his brother’s steps and joined the Marines last year. He will finish boot camp in January. After that, he could be deployed anywhere anytime. Meanwhile, Nancy counts the days between her emails or phone calls with Joseph in Iraq: “If I do not hear from him for more than two weeks, I start worrying”, she says. “That is stupid because I know that if something happened to him, I would be the first one to know”. Nancy has joined a support group for Marine moms: “It answers questions and helps you if you are mad or down”, she adds. “It is not really political but it is a support for us. It helps get me through some of the stress”. Joseph is due back from Iraq in March but his mother already knows he will be deployed next October in Afghanistan. On the stage, Barack Obama has now changed the subject. He speaks about health care, an important issue for independent voters such as Regina Ruototo. He speaks about global warming and education. At the end of his speech, Nancy tries to find a way through the crowd to shake Obama’s hand. “I called and told him I was a Marine mom”, she later recalls on a phone interview. “He reached through the crowds and shook my hand with both hands. He told me to write an email to Joseph and thank him for his service to our country. He seemed very sincere”. Derry (New Hampshire) / Jean-Cosme Delaloye CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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