Marilyn Musgrave: “this week I had to do the hardest thing that I have done since I have been in Congress. In our offices, in the rooms…”

“this week I had to do the hardest thing that I have done since I have been in Congress. In our offices, in the rooms that we go into even for our hearings, the images of the war are on the TV. We have seen them now day after day. But this week those images became very personal to me. I received word that one of my constituents, Randy Rehn, from Longmont, Colorado, a young man serving his country in Iraq, lost his life. When I got the news, I wanted to call Randy's family and offer my sympathy. And when Randy's mother answered the phone, I got a lump in my throat that would not go away. I have a son about that age, and I thought of what his mother was feeling at that time, and as I talked to her, she told me that just 2 short years ago she lost Randy's father to cancer and so she was facing this crisis without him, but she said she was very thankful that her other children were there with her and were supporting her. When we think about these losses, this war becomes very real to us. As I talked on to Randy's mother, she told me that he had a little daughter who is less than 1 year old. And tonight I would like to speak to little Megan, and I would like to say some things to her that will mean something to her when she is older and she can read this and she can understand.”