The Washington Times reports:
President Bush on Tuesday used a regular black-ink, felt-tip pen not his usual personalized Cross-brand pen when he vetoed a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The pen was a gift from Robert Derga, the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq. Mr. Derga of Uniontown, Ohio, gave Mr. Bush the pen after a speech by the president last month at the White House and had asked him to use it when he vetoed the timeline.
Mr. Bush had invited a number of “Gold Star Families” those who have lost a U.S. military member in Iraq to the speech April 16 and met with them afterward in the Oval Office. Mr. Derga, 53, said the pen was the one he used to write letters to his son, Marine Cpl. Dustin A. Derga.
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Cpl. Derga was killed in Iraq on May 8, 2005, while leading house-to-house searches in Ubaydi, Iraq. He was 24. He was the first Marine killed from Lima Company, with the Marine Force Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Columbus, Ohio.
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“It’s been painful for this nation and me personally, but I still feel strongly about getting the job done over there and getting it done right,” he said. “It meant a lot to us that we were able to make our position known, that we continue to support him.”But Mr. Derga said he is frustrated that many Americans do not think Iraq is part of the war on terrorism. “I really feel strongly that this nation needs to wake up and understand what’s at risk here and what’s in the balance,” he said.
Where does American get such men of honor and resolve, like Dustin and Robert Derga?