Parent's Upset About Sheehan's Protest (Went to Crawford, Took Son's name off Protest Cross)
KXAN.com  | Monday, August 15, 2005
 

Cindy Sheehan continues to camp outside the president's ranch, demanding he tell her what noble cause her son died for.

While she has plenty of support, there's also opposition, including the parents of a fallen Central Texas Marine.

"I know she's hurting, I know it. I don't want to be one to add to that," Matt Matula, son killed in Iraq, said.

Matt and Toni Matula don't want their son's name to be part of an anti-war demonstration.

"Matthew was very proud of being a Marine and proud of his unit and what they were doing," Toni Matula said.

When the Matulas saw the Crawford protest on TV, something did more than just bother them.

"All this stuff going in crawford, we've just been watching it and shaking our heads until two days ago, we saw the crosses with the names on there," Matt Matula said.

On one white cross read the name Mattew Matula: their 20-year-old son who was killed in Iraq last year.

"He's not a victim, he's a hero, and I think that everybody that's serving our country is heroes," Matt Matula said.

"He knew joining the Marines, his chances are, that was the purpose. His main number one job was to defend our country. He was very aware of that before he signed up," Toni Matula said.

So Matt Matula went to Crawford to stand up for his son, a Marine who proudly stood by the war he died in.

"I went there and had Matthew's name taken off of there. It's fine for people to grieve their own way. It aggravates me to see them using other people's names to further their cause," Matt Matula said.

"For people to use his name against it is not what he died for. He died so that they can do that though," Toni Matula said.

The Matulas' youngest son has just recently joined the military and is also heading to Iraq.