>>This may be obvious but...
>>Any fair minded person would feel anguish about any loss of innocent life.
>>But as soon as the "child" is old enough and enters the arm services, the parent no longer have control of where, why, and when their child is going.
>
>No argument here, Sam, but there is a difference in the anguish felt losing a son or daughter than someone else losing a son or daughter.
>We have direct investment in developing a good and decent person and share their aspirations and goals and then they are gone in an instant. We remember special events, special words, special looks, special smells and tons of little thing that made them who they are and are known only to mom and close family. These are the things that make a personal loss so hard.
>No amount of sympathy toward some other grieving mom can match the grief that mom is feeling. Dads too, of course, but I think in the general sense it's much more applicable to moms.


Well... I don't disagree. Very touching.
If I was a liberal, I'd call you a sexist.:-)