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Sunday, March 23, 2003
Maine mother tells of pride in son's sacrifice
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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PORT CLYDE — The mother of a U.S. Marine killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait says she is proud of her son and has no reason to question his military assignment. "I feel we have to trust the government and what they're doing," Melissa Derbyshire said Saturday. Her son, Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, was one of four Marines who died when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed and burned in Kuwait on Thursday. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The victims also included Maj. Jay Aubin, 36, who grew up in Skowhegan. The Pentagon identified the other two Marines as Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill., and Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, of Baltimore. The helicopter went down about nine miles south of the Iraqi border town of Umm Qasr. Eight British Marines also died. Officials said the crash was not caused by hostile fire. Waters-Bey's father, Michael Waters-Bey, held his son's picture up before WBAL-TV cameras Friday in Baltimore and said, "I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son." He then walked away in tears, with his family behind him. But Derbyshire said she doesn't question the assignment her son's superiors in the U.S. government gave him. "I believe we don't know everything going on . . . we have to trust the government," she said. John Derbyshire said his stepson "had a job to do and he would step forward and do the best job he could. We're very proud of him, and the country should back our troops." Kennedy graduated from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Ill., with honors in 1995, then attended Purdue University before transferring to Texas Tech in 1998. He enlisted in 1999. He was active athletically, playing football and lacrosse in high school and continuing to play lacrosse in college. "I was lucky enough to know him for 25 years and I just remember him always laughing and having a good time," his mother said. "And now, he's fine. He's OK right now. We're the ones who have to adjust." His father, Mark Kennedy, who lives in Houston, said his son "was very pleased to be with the Marines in Kuwait and he was thrilled to have the assignment he had. He gave his life in an effort to contribute to the freedom of the Iraqi people." Aubin's father, Tom Aubin, said from his home in Bangs, Texas, that his son, who grew up in Skowhegan, was always surrounded by airplanes. His lifelong love of flying led him to enlist in the Marines at 18, and then return after two years of school so he could get a position as a pilot, his father said. "When he was 4 years old, we all went to the airport and he had sat on one of my airplanes like a grown man, and somebody would walk up and I would say, 'Well, what's wrong with this airplane?' And he would say, 'Well, they didn't get a big enough engine but it still flies good.' Everybody would get a kick out of him," Tom Aubin said. Elsewhere in Maine, people put up yellow ribbons Saturday as a show of support for military personnel. "We're all in the same boat," said Jerice Goulet of Saco, whose son, Marine Cpl. Brad Gaumont, is serving in Kuwait. Goulet and others put up dozens of ribbons in downtown Saco Debbie Davis, owner of Artistry in Bloom in Saco, made and sold hundreds of the ribbons. "We've had a lot of people calling ahead, some wanting 10 or more," Davis said. She described the downtown as "a beautiful sea of yellow." Goulet expressed her condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the war. "When you hear about a casualty, you get a knot in your stomach, wondering if it's your son," she said. "You hope it's not - and then you hope it's not someone else's." In Portland, a group of about 100 people gathered in Monument Square to rally against the war, while some veterans drove by waving flags and honking to silence the protesters. On Friday evening, some demonstrators involved in a Monument Square protest were seen kicking cars along Congress and Fore streets and briefly blocked an ambulance that was trying to leave Mercy Hospital for an emergency call, said Lt. Judith Ridge. One protester was arrested around 7 p.m. Friday after he pushed a pro-troops supporter nearly into the street, grabbed the supporter's sign and ran off, straight into a police officer, Ridge said. Eric White, 19, of Palmyra, was charged with disorderly conduct and held at the Cumberland County Jail until he was released at 11:35 p.m. on $40 bail, according to a jail spokesman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Staff Writer Ted Cohen can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:
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