Sue Sapir Niederer of Pennington, NJ, is the mother of Army Lt. Seth J. Dvorin who was killed in Iraq on February 3, 2004. She has been married to Greg for almost 8 years. Seth and his sister Rebekah are Sue’s children from a previous marriage. Sue is a realtor and a substitute teacher.
In countless media reports, you have been referred to as a "mom turned protestor" or a "mom on an antiwar warpath"; what do you think of this label that has been placed on you, and what were your views on war and the US military before the invasion of Iraq and the death of your son Seth in that war?
I consider the nicknames of “mom turned protestor” or “mom on an antiwar warpath” to be honors. How many people are willing to accept the consequences for what they say and feel? I am and always will be. My feeling towards the war prior to the killing of Seth was that it was uncalled for and unjustified. This occupation was based upon lies, deception, and greed. Our president is supposed to be a leader and think before he decides to take us to war – this one didn’t. I had no real feelings toward the military prior to Seth’s enlisting.
Last September you brought national attention to the tragedy of this war by going to a speaking engagement by Laura Bush and publicly holding her accountable for her views and the actions of this administration. At these events you have been threatened with arrest and have been forcibly removed by the police. Can you tell us what motivated you to go up against the "First Lady"?
My motivation was simple: Laura Bush needed to get a dose of reality, and see the effect that it has upon family members. Her blinders needed to be taken off to face people whose lives are thrown into upheaval by the lies of her husband and his administration. She needed to be asked why her children and children of Bush’s administrative staff who voted for this war and feel that it is so justified have not volunteered to serve for this country. If this war is so righteous, then they should be the first ones fighting it.
How did the other people who attended this event react to your message? How have the authorities such as the police and Secret Service dealt with you?
The reaction of people was that of being stunned. Prior to my speaking out, they spoke with me and offered their condolences, but they still felt that Bush was making the correct decision. They had never before met someone such as me who actually had lost a loved one. After I spoke out, they became a herd of obnoxious Republicans pushing, shoving, and yelling “Four more years.” One even had the nerve to say that my son “volunteered to fight” and that it was “OK for him to have died.” Let the shoe be on the other foot and let me see what they say.
The Secret Service acted in a totally rude and discourteous manner. There was no reason for them to get in my face, make rude remarks, and treat me as if I were a criminal. I had a pass to get into this event. Having me arrested was just the Bush government flexing its power and saying: “Do not speak out against the man or you will be arrested. Dissent is not acceptable.”
As President Bush continues to wage war on Iraq, people across the US are becoming more and more worried that he may reinstate the draft. Here at CCCO we try to educate people about the poverty draft, which basically is made up of people who join the military because they see it as their only option for job training, money for college, to travel. Can you explain some of the reasons or motivation behind your son's enlistment into the military?
You hit it right on the head in relation to why people enlist. Seth had been recruited from the time he was a junior in high school and his recruiter kept on him during college. He began with him because I believe that he felt that I was a single parent and would not be able to afford to send Seth to college. So he offered him the world: money, women, travel, college money – anything to entice him into signing up. It did not work – Seth went to college and graduated. Then the recruiter got to Seth again and informed him that since he had a degree, he could go to officer training school and that college would be paid for and he would be able to continue his education on the government. What he did not inform him was that he would go to combat and receive on-the-job training that would eventually lead up to his being killed.
Seth was killed while sweeping IED’s (improvised explosive devices). Seth was trained in Air Defense Artillery, not in seeking out bombs. Also, these devices should be detonated via remote. So you shouldn’t send out untrained people without the proper equipment to hunt for IED’s.
In several interviews you have made some strong comments about recruiters and their aggressive and deceptive practices. What advice would you give to other parents who are reading this, who have children who may be thinking of enlisting?
The government is going to continue to offer anything and everything to the poor and the under-privileged in order for them to be able to maintain some type of military. To parents that might have children considering enlisting, I say: DO NOT LET THEM DO IT. There are other ways by which your children can go to college or obtain job training without risking their lives. Investigate the alternatives. They are out there – it just might take some research [see CCCO’s brochure, “Financing College without Joining the Military -ed.]
Recruiters LIE AND DECEIVE; what they say has to be taken with a GRAIN OF SALT. They only state the good and not the bad. Remember that when your child enlists, he or she gives up all of their civil rights and yours. You cannot sue the government or do anything to them for the benefit of your child; they have all the rights and you have none. Ask the recruiter about this!
We just found out that Bush has taken power again. What are your thoughts on this? What do you see happening in the next four years for the United States and this endless war on terror?
What thoughts can I have? I HATE IT. This person is now being given the opportunity to do with this country as he sees fit to do; he will! Carte Blanche. Four more years of George Bush is like seeing this country going to hell and back again. He will continue to alienate all the other countries in the world and will seek help and advice from no one. This is a man on a mission. What that mission is besides lining his pockets with money and that of his friends is beyond me.
As for the war, it will only get worse and we will invade other countries as well. More young lives will be lost for the greed and arrogance of one George W. Bush and friends.
Have you been contacted by people in the military who support the actions you have taken to bring the troops home?
The people that contacted me are from Military Families Speak Out, of which I am a member, and some private persons whose family are in the service. Service members per se have not, since I believe that they are afraid to speak out while still serving. I have only heard from one member of my own son’s platoon. Does that inform you of something???? It does for me. Either they are told to stay away from me or something is not Kosher about the way my son was killed.
Are there any last thoughts you have for our readers?
Last thoughts – I want people to understand that I am just trying to carry out my son’s last works before he left to go back to Iraq.
I MUST BRING MY MEN HOME SAFELY I AM THEIR COMMANDER.
He did not want to go back but did, so that his men would have their commander to lead them and guide them. He felt that the war was wrong and was never going to be won: a complete waste of time and effort. His men or what is left of them are home. Two others are dead, two are critically wounded, and some suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. That is out of an original 18.
What I wish and hope for is that our men come home ASAP, that we get out of this war now, and that all returning persons are treated with respect and given all benefits that they are entitled to and more. Most important is that people who have been injured are taken care of, along with their families and the families of the fallen heroes of this battle. As of now, they certainly are not.