The long, long war

Mary Manning and Ed Koch

Sunday, March 18, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

Nevada parents who lost children in the Iraq war are frustrated and question the conduct of the war by the United States, but most say the nation needs to persist - and win.

On Tuesday the war will reach a milestone that World Wars I and II never achieved - commemoration of a fourth anniversary of U.S. involvement.

As the anniversary approached the Sun tried to reach the families of all 28 Nevadans who have died in the war. Most could not be located. The newspaper eventually spoke with six families.

Of those, four said they supported the war when it began and still do, although some question its purpose and doubt the wisdom of escalating troop levels as President Bush is now doing.

All six families said they supported their children's decisions to join the military and go into battle, although two said they initially tried to talk their sons out of joining.

Inspired by the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Army Sgt. Kenneth Eric Bostic enlisted a week after he graduated from high school two years later. He served in Afghanistan in 2005 and was killed in Baghdad this year.

"At first I supported the war," his mother, Patricia Thyne, said. Now, "I don't know."

Other families also expressed conflicting feelings.

"I am like a battery with two wide poles," said Helena Lukac, mother of Marine Pfc. John Lukac, 19. "One says let us finish what we started and let us win. The other says I don't want other mothers to go through what I am going through."

She said Bush should let his generals in Iraq run the war because she believes they know a lot more about what is going on over there than the president. Lukac supports escalation and says the extra troops should be deployed along the border to keep agitators out of Iraq.

Caroline Cathey of Reno said her son, Marine 2nd Lt. James J. Cathey, had told her many times, "If we don't fight it over there, we'll be fighting it over here."

The 24-year-old officer was killed a year and a half ago.

Cathey supports the troop surge and fears that Congress, now controlled by Democrats, will cut funds for the war.

"We can't go to half-war, we have to go to full war," said Cathey, a registered Democrat.

Other parents say they wish they stopped their children from enlisting.

"Never in my life did I think I'd lose him," said Marina Vance, mother of Army Spc. Ignacio Ramirez, 22, of Henderson, who was killed last year.

"I felt like I failed him, because I was supposed to protect him."

Former Nye County Sheriff Wade Lieske of Tonopah, who raised Marine Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, has opposed the war since Day 1.

"This war is no different from Vietnam," said Lieske, who served 14 months in Vietnam as a helicopter gunner and was awarded two Purple Hearts. Pokorney and other Marines "got shoved into a situation with no armor. They were led into a slaughterhouse."

Pokorney died four years ago Friday . He was the first Nevada casualty of the Iraq war and the first Marine casualty of that conflict to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Pokorney also received the Silver Star, the third-highest U.S. military medal.

Army Capt. Joshua T. Byers of Sparks, the son of Baptist ministers, had wanted to join the military from childhood, his family said. By middle school, he decided to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1996.

"He wanted to command troops - and command troops in war," said his younger brother Milam Byers of Nashville, Tenn.

Joshua Byers, 29, was killed 3 1/2 years ago on the birthday of his mother, Mary Byers.

"When I think about (the troops) just pulling out, I wonder, are these lives lost in vain?" said Byers, also of Nashville. "I don't know. It's a very complicated situation.

"I have mixed emotions. But I still believe we did the right thing going over there."