Son Killed in Iraq Known for Quiet Service By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
53 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO - His gentleness and quiet but firm commitment to family, church and country are what people remember about Casey Sheehan, the 24-year-old soldier whose mother has people talking in new ways about the war in Iraq.
Among family and friends, opinions vary about Cindy Sheehan's decision to stage a peace vigil in Casey's name on President Bush's doorstep in Texas. Like others, they struggle with whether her determination to bring the war home honors or diminishes his choice to join the Army.
But those who knew the young man she so publicly mourns agree that if anyone is an appropriate face for the war's nearly 1,600 U.S. casualties, it is Casey. He is a former altar boy, church youth leader and Eagle Scout who re-enlisted after the war started and volunteered for the rescue mission in which he and six others were killed last year.
"Casey was quiet, but he loved to serve and it didn't matter whether it was working in the kitchen, backstage or up front," recalled Steve Tholcke, who directs a Catholic youth camp where Sheehan worked as a counselor and organized youth retreats. "If something needed to be done, Casey was there to do it."
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