MARINEMOM'S BLOG RE SCOTT ZUBOWSKI

Here is part of Marine Mom's Blog ( usmcmom.blogspot.com):

This past weekend Indiana lost another young Marine to the Iraqi conflict. Lance Cpl. Scott Zubowski, 20, died after a roadside bomb exploded beneath his military vehicle near Fallujah, in Iraq's Al Anbar province. He is survived by his wife (he was just married December 18, 2004), Klancey, his mother Barb Weitzel of New Castle, his father Richard Zubowski of North Manchester and two older brothers, Brian of Huntington and David who is also with the Marine Corps, serving in Iraq.

The mom had one question when she answered the door to see two uniformed Marines standing there -- "Which one?"

My prayers are with this family and I plan on attending the services for this brave young Marine who died too young.

As the various Marine support groups in Indiana rallied to begin making condolence books for the family, with emails flying, I found out that one of the young wives we had in my local group whose husband is serving in Al Asad, Iraq knew Scott and his wife, Klancey and another of our Marine mom's son who is in the 2/7 was with Scott just before he died. Our local group (most of us live less than an hour from Scott's father) immediately begin making the plans to complete the condolence books and attend the services. We aren't sure yet where they will be held although since his father and his wife both live in the North Manchester area we are assuming they will be held there.

This will be the first such service I have had to attend. I feel the need to be there to support his young man's family and be with my fellow Marine family members. This is one of the sad duties that accompanies having an extended network of friends involved with the Marines one way or another. But we have to support each other and our Marines in the best way that we can.

The young wife in our group, Ashley, sent an email to us all, I wanted to share just a part of it since it emcompasses the feelings that we have when we lose a Marine. I will post it here if I get her permission. Her overwhelming question was though ... what do I say? What do I say to Klancey? She knows Klancey fairly well and when Ashley decided to marry Bryce, Klancey had said to her "Ashley, think it over before you do, you don't know what your getting into!" meaning of course being married to a Marine.

What can we now say to Lance Cpl. Scott Zubowski's family? What do you say, what CAN you say? Sorry most certainly is NOT enough for what this family has to endure now. Most of the Marine moms in our group, including me, responded to Ashley's heartfelt plea and told her that you really can't say anything that is going to make it better. You just have to be there and listen to the family and show your support with hugs if they need them.

I know that I, for one, probably won't be able to say anything because everytime I try to say anything I will start crying too hard to speak. We just have to show them that we do care. It isn't enough ... but its all we can do.