8/26/2008 10:01:00 AM Gold Star Mother Nadia McCaffrey lost her son in the war in 2004. More than four years later her crusade brings her to Sauk Centre
Nadia McCaffrey has been in the national spotlight since her son was killed in Iraq and she invited the press to photograph his flag-draped coffin arriving at the airport. She is in Sauk Centre to tour the Oak Ridge campus with hopes of turning it into a Veterans Village.
Patrick McCaffrey, Jr. (right) tends to a fellow soldier just hours before McCaffrey was shot and killed by Iraqi soldiers his unit was training.
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Nadia McCaffrey has been on the cover of Newsweek, been interviewed by CBS' Dan Rather and has appeared on the Today Show. All because of her crusade to help veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now she is coming to Sauk Centre with hopes of carrying on the legacy of her son Patrick McCaffrey, Jr., who was killed June 22, 2004, by Iraqi soldiers he was training.
McCaffrey first made headlines when she invited the press to take photos of her son's flag-draped coffin at the airport, shunning a federal ban on such activity. Since then she has founded Veterans Village, which consists of care centers in California, New York and North Carolina that provide veterans transitional housing as they learn to readjust to society. She will be in Sauk Centre today through Thursday touring the Oak Ridge campus (formerly the home school and correctional facility) with hopes of raising awareness and money to help turn it into the largest Veterans Village in the country.
"I can see it as a national place, a perfect place to fight homelessness and bring hope to people," she said in a phone interview from New York.
McCaffrey points to statistics, alarming statistics of the number of soldiers who are returning from the war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the physical effects of depleted uranium and other mental and physical issues. These issues lead to homelessness and sometimes suicide, she said.
"There are 700,000 homeless vets in our nation" she said. "Think about that. It's unbelievable."
McCaffrey is also alarmed by the number of suicides.
"We need to stop it," she said. "Every community has veterans and it's the responsibility of each community to welcome them home."
Patrick's legacy
Patrick McCaffrey signed up for the National Guard after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, telling his mother he felt he "had to do something." The manager of an auto business and the father of two, he was told he would stay stateside because of his age (34). But he soon found himself deployed to Iraq, where he quickly became a leader in his unit, always being the first one to help others in need. He befriended the Iraqi children who recognized his Humvee and rushed up to it knowing he had extra food and water for them.
His giving spirit was evident throughout his lifetime. His mother remembers the time Patrick moved into an apartment and she had bought him some furniture because he had no place to sit and eat. A couple days later when she stopped by with some food she noticed the table and chairs were gone.
"He told me he gave them to his friend Raphael because Raphael didn't have anything," she recalled. "That was Patrick."
She recalls another time when Patrick befriended a homeless man he saw on his way to work every day. He called his mother and told her that giving him a few bucks here and there wasn't enough, that he really wanted to help him.
"I told him to treat him like a human being," she said.
It turns out the man was a Vietnam veteran. Patrick found him a job at his auto business and the man worked there for two years until he was back on his feet.
More recently, a man showed up at Nadia's home where she keeps a photo of Patrick with his birth date and death date inscribed below. When she opened the door, a man was standing there, in tears.
Months earlier Patrick had paid the struggling man to help paint his house and do other odd jobs. He had stopped by to thank Patrick for helping him get back on his feet. He had no idea Patrick had died.
"People are always saying, 'Do you know what he did for me?'" Nadia says proudly.
Fateful day
Shortly after arriving in Iraq, Patrick would phone home and tell his parents about the hatred the Iraqi people felt toward Americans. It was at the same time the Abu Gharib prison scandal broke.
Then, on June 22, his unit was on patrol, walking in 120-degree heat for several hours. They were training Iraqi soldiers who were supposed to take over the fighting once American soldiers left. But the soldiers turned on McCaffrey's unit, shooting Patrick eight times in the torso and his fellow soldier Andre Tyson in the head. Both men died.
Initially Nadia was told conflicting stories of what happened, that he was the victim of sniper fire. But she soon learned the truth after members of her son's unit arrived at her home and told her what happened. She was told one of the shooters was killed shortly thereafter. Another is on trial in Iraq and Nadia, four years later, is still waiting to hear the latest developments. In fact, she was told the trial happened two months ago, but that now there is a new trial underway. She wants to attend the trial, but thinks the military is not notifying her because of safety concerns.
Because her son was killed in the war she is now a Gold Star Mother. But she is more than that. Since that fateful day four-plus years ago, her push to do more for veterans has brought her to Sauk Centre.
Along with local activist Alice Karakas, the hope is to raise $5 million to make the home a reality in Sauk Centre. But all Nadia McCaffrey has to hear is someone saying it can't be done.
It took Patrick's death for her to start her crusade.
"I decided to be positive about it," she said. "It's also my way of grieving. It's a victory for me."
She couldn't help her son, but maybe she could help the sons of other mothers.
"This war is different," she said. "People are suffering from different effects and we don't know the full impact yet. But we do know they need help. They need treatment. They need peace."
Providing that peace for others, perhaps, will help her find her own.
Nadia McCaffrey to speak
Wednesday, 10 a.m.,
Oak Ridge Campus
(north of Sauk Centre on Highway 71)
McCaffrey to discuss plans for turning Oak Ridge campus
into a long- and short-term veterans care facility.
For more on McCaffrey's mission go to veteransvillage.org.
