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The Iraq War Hits Home....

( He is from my town - from the Bergen Record )

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 By JOHN A. GAVIN STAFF WRITER
LITTLE FERRY

The remains of Marine Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton, who died Friday of injuries sustained last month in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq, will lie in repose in the Borough Council chambers.

Fenton, whose goal was to become a police officer in his hometown, will receive a full military funeral with a Marine honor guard at the casket's side and a procession down Liberty Street to St. Margaret of Cortona R.C. Church, 31 Chamberlain Ave.

His remains will be brought to Borough Hall, 215-217 Liberty St., on Thursday. Public viewing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

A funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Margaret.

"In the coming days, the citizens of the borough and the surrounding communities will come together to honor Sergeant Fenton and bid him farewell," Council President Mauro Raguseo said. "He made the ultimate sacrifice to save others. For this, Sergeant Fenton is a hero, and his return to Little Ferry warrants a respectful, somber and dignified hero's welcome."

On Tuesday, the Department of Defense issued its first official statement about the death, confirming that Fenton was wounded while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province on April 26. He died at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Fenton was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Fort Devens, Mass.

On Tuesday, flags flew at half staff at public buildings, memorials and schools in the borough as residents paid tribute to Little Ferry's first war casualty since Vietnam.

Saturday's funeral begins at 10 a.m. with the Fenton family and local officials walking in procession behind the hearse to the church. Services will conclude with a 21-gun salute and presentation of the flag to Fenton's mother. Cremation will be private.

For those from out of town attending the public viewing, parking will be available at the Valley Fair parking lot on Bergen Turnpike. Shuttle buses will take people to Borough Hall. 

They even mentioned this on the radio news this morning on Q-104 - yes in their 2 minute newscast my town was on air.

It is very sad. My current sitter's 22 year old son knows him -  I told her what happened today. The library is even closing early Thursday and Friday due to the wake, and will be closed Saturday too - and all the flags are at half staff in town. I hope those stupid anti-war protestors from that church do not come and distrupt the funeral. I'm pondering stopping by to pay my respects even though I don't know him.

Sigh

Alan was very very fussy this AM. I thought he was just being cranky, but I got call from the nursery school that he was sick with a fever. So Mark (who was working from home today) is going to get him.

Mixed news in my world

Good - Mark's oldest friend (known since they were 13) and his wife had a baby girl by c-section. I know the name, but not the size or exactly when she was born (the message was left yesterday around 11 AM). We'll see them once she's home (they live upstairs in our building). I guess I get to go girl shopping at Gymboree :)

Not so good - Alan was sent home today from daycare with a fever. But Mark happened to be working from home today. And I was able to talk Mark through on the phone on how to give him medicine (finding the medicine in the cupboard and the dosage (which I googled on the net)). He seems to be doing better as the Motrin kicked in. Hopefully my MIL will watch him for a bit this afternoon while Mark does work related errands (and claim all the records from my car - good thing I cancelled my car repair appointment for today).

Also, the friend's mom we ran into Saturday night is in the hospital for heart surgery today (at NYU). Don't know the whole medical history, I'm guessing this was something they saw on a test. Hopefully she'll be ok, our friend would be really lost with out his mom. She lost her husband of 50+ years 2 years ago, but is doing ok with that.

Sigh

I wrote some stuff my LJ today about Iraq and Alan being sick. No one commented :(

(I thought the majority my LJ friends have similar political views, so I was hoping someone one would notice.)

Alan

He seems to be doing ok. He had a low fever late this afternoon when the motrin wore off. He was a bit subdued but still hungry - he fell asleep pretty easily (he didn't nap, except for at nursery school before he was picked up). I hope he'll be ok tommorrow and they don't make him stay home for a day - I can't take off the next 2 days because it is review time. All we know is the boss will do them tommorrow or Friday - times haven't been scheduled - her deadline is Friday.

I do have to get another AM sitter though. His current one has to go back to work. But she found someone in town - connected through the nursery school - so hopefully that will work out for the next 5 weeks or so until public school ends. The school superindendent has a coffee hour in 2 weeks, I'm going to ask about having extended care for pre-k since it starts so late 8:50 in the morning in the future. (Out of the 2 classes I can't be the only working parent....the afternoons next year should be easier - they get out 15 minutes after the rest of the school, so I'm sure a parent or junior high student can walk him over if the daycare can't. (Although the 8-9 days a year when they do a 1/2 day for the district and both pre-k classes go for a shorter time in the AM will be tricky.)

My SIL still hasn't heard from her landlord about a lease/key etc for her new place (2 buildings down). She doesn't mind that she decluttered and started to pack some stuff...but my trunk is FULL of records and hopefully my MIL will find someplace to donate them. (Books and videos went to my local library for their fundraising sales.)

Wow

So that map meme that's going around is interesting. It shows 221 sites as of 10:36 tonight (I guess that includes me at home, which it records as Newark, NJ). Some of the places I know who they are, some I don't.

These are the ones it list on the left of the map:

Newark (you!), NJ - me at home
Pflugerville, TX
Livermore, CA
Oakland, CA
Roseville, CA
Bellevue, NE
Salinas, CA
Terre Haute, IN
Manassas, VA
Manassas, VA
Edmonton, AB
Oakland, CA
Seminole, FL
Dundee, OR
Birmingham, MI
Houston, TX
Spring Park, MN
Columbus, OH
Oakland, CA
Davenport, IA
Philadelphia, PA
Bronx, NY - I think this is me at work (even though I'm in Manhattan)
Omaha, NE
Bellevue, WA
Napa, CA
Bellevue, NE
Norfolk, VA
Troy, MI
Plano, TX
Huntsville, AL
Lafayette, LA


It's nice to know a lot of people click on my journal (I think there are 207 on my friends list, although I'm sure some are long gone.)

And thanks for the comments today!

Beyond the bounds of decency

http://www.wins.com/pages/34347.php or the audio of the actual comments
Pretty sick stuff. I'm not a fan of shock jocks (Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony etc.) nor listen to Hip Hop Radio in NYC (Power 105 or the very troubled HOT 97). I even thought Charles Laquidara on WBCN was edgy in the day.

I just hope the rumors I see on the the NY Radio Message Board (interesting reading) don't come true about possibly putting Howard Stern on WPLJ in the AM.

(Then again, on an average day I listen for all of 5 minutes when I drive my car!)