When the family of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich gathered in Pittsburgh for the fallen Marine's funeral, they expected a large crowd – after all, they've lived in the area for generations and Joseph had been a police officer before becoming a leatherneck – but they didn't expect to see Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor show up, hand out her business card and tell them "our government" opposes the war.
Goodrich, 32, and fellow western Pennsylvanian, Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Kovacicek, 22 – both second-generation Marines – were killed in Iraq two weeks ago during a mortar attack, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Goodrich's funeral was held last Tuesday.
According to Sgt. Goodrich's sister-in-law, the church was full of those "who wanted to tell his family how Joe had impacted their lives." Then, she says, "one uninvited guest made an appearance, Catherine Baker Knoll."
Knoll, the first woman to achieve Pennsylvania's No. 2 position, was elected in 2002 as the running mate of current governor and fellow Democrat, Ed Rendell.
Lt. Gov. Knoll sat down next to one of the Goodrich family members. During the distribution of communion, she leaned over and asked, "Who are you?" and gave the surprised family member her business card.
Most upsetting, says Goodrich, was Knoll's message to the family. "'I want you to know our government is against this war,'" Goodrich quotes the lieutenant governor.
Written apologies will be sent to a fallen Marine's relatives angered by Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll's uninvited appearance at the soldier's funeral and her criticism of the war in Iraq, Gov. Ed Rendell said Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment