College lender to forgive debts of fallen local Marine

WOW! That's mighty white of 'em!

Good

This is outrageous. This father should be ashamed of himself for leveraging his son's death for financial gain. The law is very clear that he is responsible for the debt, not to mention the fact that there would have to be some sort of life insurance policy for the Marine. God bless Ian McVey... to hell with his dad.

Have a Merry Christmas Ms. John McVey.

If he was killed in a motorcycle accident in Carolina, I'm not sure 'fallen Marine' is the right term.

I am glad to read this. I am truly sorry for the loss of this young man. I am uplifted to see a large organization admit they were wrong and that it should have been handled differently.

THANK-YOU Sallie Mae for doing the right thing.
To the McVey family, I didn't know your son personally, but I would have been proud to have known him. God Bless you with peace, love, and compassion.

Wonderful that the Globe's intervention made Sallie Mae do the right thing. What about all those whose stories are not carried in the Globe?

I wonder who is going to help the Iraqi translators who fought with not only the Marines but with army , national guard , special forces , military police ,sea bees , navy and civil affairs teams ? So far no one is offering any type of financial services so they can develop their academic skills in order to navigate US job market.

This sounds fine, but I don't see why ANY parents should be asked to pay their kids' school debts. Nor do I see why members of the Marine Corps should get preference over other government employees.

Don't tell me soldiers are "serving their country" in a way that, say, school teachers or postal workers are not. Military personnel are serving the GOVERNMENT -- it's not the same thing. I know that many people see the military as somehow mystically different from other forms as work, but shooting up the Middle East isn't providing any "service" for you or me. How are we the better for it?

And soldiers aren't "defending us from terrorism". The 9/11 attacks were done by Saudi citizens, organized in Hamburg, Germany. Invading and occupying Iraq was and is completely irrelevant .

Military personnel may be dedicated and hard working and deserve respect, but no more than those, like school teachers, who are serving us in more useful ways.

Thank goodness. I was amazed at the number of Ebeneezer Scrooge-like responses to the earlier column. The number of readers who sided with Sallie Mae shocked me. I don't care if this Marine was killed in combat or not. As a nation we should not be so stingy with those who serve our country. Anyone who enlists should receive a free education. That's how a grateful nation treated previous generations of veterans, with a GI Bill that rewarded service with free educations, monthly stipends and great support for home mortgages and health care. The result was a major ingredient in the longest period of economic growth and fairness in our country's history.

This is Boston Globe at its best -- lending a voice to those who have none.

Well done Kevin Cullen, hopefully the McVey's can sleep a little easier tonight!

I don't for a minute believe "the wrong button was pushed". I do believe Sallie Mae was embarrassed into correcting their bad behavior (in this case). That Mr. McVey is treated fairly is the important thing.

Way to be Mr. Cullen, I think you helped here.

Thank you Boston Globe and Kevin Cullen. Well done.

Thank you Mr. Cullen for righting this obviously very wrong situation. My condolences to the McVey family for their loss.

It would be nice if the Globe did better reporting. Cullen's original story generated hundreds of comments, not least of which were comments from myself and fellow military service members who are wondering why the deceased Marine's SGLI was not used to cover the debt. Those of us in the military who honor our debt obligations find this story troubling. What happened to 2LT McVey's SGLI payout?

Nice to see the globe at least go the fact that the father co-signed the loan into the article this time. Maybe next time Kevin Cullen will think his columns through.

Ridiculous. His parents get a huge break just because he was a marine (he died stateside, in a car accident--not while serving abroad). I'm sure that thousands of parents are saddled with such debt each year. Such preferential treatment smacks of unfairness.

Another day, another bailout.

It is really sad that a young man had to die for his country and then a news reporter had to write an expose in order to have the loan waived, especially with all these corporate bail-outs....

The power of print and public scrutiny.
Given all the corruption at "Sallie", it's the least they could do.

It has been 13 years since I finished my studies, and the terms may have changed since that time, but as I recall, all government/FannieMae-backed student loans are forgiven upon the death of the debtor.

When I was still in school, and for a few years after, as I had not yet paid back my student loans and my net worth was in the negative territory, I used to say that I was worth more dead than alive. It was not a joke. It was a statement of fact.

I read the earlier article in the Globe, and I'm very glad that this was the resolution. Sallie Mae improved slightly, in my eyes, by forgiving this debt.

I believe Sallie Mae. I can see how a person can get lost in the system. It's a huge company. Im very very glad that A.) it was mentioned in the column and B.) that it was waived.

There is no other proper option in story. He gave his life. Period.

Journalism at its best. Making change for the better.

the power of the press!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to hear it!! I was bothered by the earlier article. I agreed with this marines father about how all the companies have been bailed out. My brother is a marine and I understand what military families deal with.. My blessing are with the rest of this marines family!!

Once again, Kevin Cullen's column makes a difference in someone's life !!!!!

Congratulations Boston Globe. You have succeeded in having one family's legitimate debt obligations waived for no legitimate reason whatsoever.. You have sunk to the lowest levels of journalism. This story showed absolutely no objectivity or professionalism at all. You did not bother to report on how much life insurance this family received, or how much they received from the insurance company of the lady who killed their son. Do you think that none of our country's 3 million military personnel (or their families) should have to follow the same rules that the rest of us do??? I for one can not comprehend your thinking, and I for one will no longer turn to the Boston Globe for news (not that you have reported the news for a long time).

I'm glad Sallie Mae saw Christmas future.

Why isn't the woman who mowed him down responsible for it?

Since my motorcycle accident Sallie Mae has fought tooth and nail to forgive my loans, even after the doctor signed off on the permanently disabled form on the dotted lines....Sallie Mae is spinning this story for their own benefit because their phones always are answered by someone I PROMISE just keep pressing "0" and you will get a live one.
And I got the same response after recording and letting them know they were being recorded....the wrong letter was sent or the wrong person got the letter, or the guarantor wants a doctors license! (after providing the #)
But hey if I lent someone that kind of money I would want some proof as to why they want discharge status on the loan to me.
The policies are in place as a check and balance to make sure there is no question left unanswered, so I have learned.
All about the documentation

This comment section is a total embarrassment . Although many people are whole-heartedly and thoughtfully making comments, allowing people like "russ" and "san" an opportunity to air their ignorance totally unsolicited and unchecked is just plain wrong. Stay tuned, I'm sure they'll chime in and slander me once they read this. Maybe it's time for the comments section to go away. We want the news. These people who make cruel and unnecessary comments just don't deserve a platform.

Wow! As soon as I hit submit on my last email, an automated message appears and tells me that my comment may not make it as the "bloggers" are trying to keep the troublemakers at bay... To be specific:

Depending on the blogger, your comment may or may not go live right away. We want to keep the troublemakers at bay, so this blogger may choose to look over the comments he or she receives before posting them. Just trying to keep the discourse civil.

Don't worry; the fact that you're getting this message means that we received your comment, so there's no need to submit it again.

Thanks for taking part.

Freedom of speech is one thing, but recognizing an idiot and still allowing them to make insensitive comments is something all-together different. I wonder if this comment will ever make it to prime time... That will really say something about free speech as far as I'm concerned.

Regardless of whether or not Sallie Mae should have forgiven the loan, the real issue is the appalling customer service this article indicates. Mr. McVey made repeated inquiries to Sallie Mae and all he received was a letter demanding he pay with a "Condolences for your loss" in the middle (which seems to contradict Sallie Mae's claim that someone hit the wrong button. Despite the father's previous efforts, the senior people at Sallie Mae did not know his situation. It appears to me they chose to forgive the loan as a quick fix, but nowhere did they say anything about addressing these customer service issues.

To the McVey family, as a graduate of The Rivers School, I am very poud and saddened for your Son's loss. I hope you have pride that Ian was serving his country. As a Father of 3 boys, one of which is 20, I can feel for you. My thoughts are with you.

I agree with Matt.
The father should have used the proceeds of the life insurance policy or the wrongful death lawsuit I am sure he will file against the 84 year old woman to re-pay the college loans.

Thank goodness we have not yet returned to the old English tradition of Charles Dicken's time....... the debtor's prison............. I guess that we have come a long way since then........... though we sometimes need to be reminded....................

What happened to 2LT McVey's SGLI payout? Why wasn't that used to pay down the Sallie Mae debt? Something doesn't smell right here, although it may just be inadequate reporting.

That's what's so terrible about this " computer age "........too efficient and lost the human touch.

This young man was killed North Carolina...not Iraq. He was not drafted but chose, after a costly education, to volunteer for service. His debt should not be written off unless ALL debts are about to be forgiven for all college students who then can't pay them!

kpc -

There is no "financial gain" here. He lost his son to a horrible accident, and was doing the right thing by looking out for his remaining family's best interest by attempting to eliminate this debt. I don't think he's out to get the extra buck, or to profit off of his son's death. I think "outrageous" is a little strong of a word to use in this situation.

Haidar...we helped you by liberating your miserable country! You don't like it, you can always go back. You speak a highly valuable foreign language you should be able to get a job in any one of the federal agencies, you are just lazy!

I am glad it worked out for the family, and it was gracious of the lenders to forgive the debts.
However, a note was signed, and no lender should be forced to forgive the debt - the dad cosigned - promising to pay if his son' couldn't. I realize it may sound harsh, but Sallie Mae is not obligated to forgive this debt. Also- what if the son wasn't in the military? Would the answer have been different? I think it would. I don't think it was the wrong for the father to ask - however, the article gives the slant that Sallie Mae was in the wrong to even consider saying no. That is not right.

It is sad that Sallie Mae succumbed to extortion by the Boston Globe.

Why is this trivial paperwork process news?

Stay on topic Haidar or go home and make a difference.

It's a sad story, but the kid wasn't killed in the line of duty. If I was hit by a car fresh out of college, my parents would still be on the hook for my loans, unless of course they sued the person who was actually responsible for this tragedy: the 84-year-old woman who likely shouldn't have been behind the wheel in the first place. This guy just hit the lottery by getting a columnist to publish his sob story, and all it cost him was a few stamps and a few phone calls. Meanwhile, the government foots the bill for the education that the father made the son get, while the person who actually killed him gets off the hook, (as far as we know). What a country.

To repeat the relevant facts:
1) Son died on a motorcycle, not in the course of his duty as a Marine
2) All military members have the option of obtaining extremely low-cost life insurance coverage via Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SLGI). From the website, "The premium for part-time coverage is $28 per year for $400,000 of coverage."
3) Other than that fact, Ian McVey's status as a Marine is irrelevant - a red herring, if you will.
4) Turns out the dad indeed appeared to be a cosigner on the loan, which makes him secondarily liable should anything happen to Ian.

Although I am very sorry for John McVey's loss, this sure appears to be a financial windfall to the him, thanks to manipulation of his son's story through the press. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. McVey just recognized $53,000 of income due to discharge of indebtedness under section section 61(a)(12) of the tax code, which should be applied to reduce any capital losses he may be claiming and/or the basis in his assets to recapture this income.

WE HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED BY THE BOSTON GLOBE AND THESE ARTICLES. They JUMPED on a Sensational story about a heartless lender and a fallen hero. WHAT MANIPULATION! The Boston Globe allowed to be published as ‘News’ a highly OPINIONATED Article which seemed to have a goal of getting Sallie Mae to forgive this loan. WHY did the Author NOT contact Sallie Mae before publishing? MINIMUM Standards of Journalism demand this PRIOR contact for many reasons (like the Verification of Facts, like hearing the story DIRECTLY from the other party, FAIRNESS of ‘Representation’, Opportunity to BE HEARD, - all FUNDEMENTAL TENETS of a Fair and Democratic Society…), but the Author may have been afraid of LOSING THE SENSATIONAL STORY! Maybe he feared that, if he contacted Sallie Mae to verify facts and listen to what they have to say, then Sallie Mae MIGHT have simply forgiven the Loan right away! BUT that would mean NO SENSATIONAL STORY.

WHY was it published under the 'News' Heading? It was FULL of Author's Opinion; it did NOT meet minimum journalistic standards; it OMITTED crucial facts, like the fact that the father CO-SIGNED the Loan (PURPOSEFULLY OMITTED from first article OR the Author AND Editor are both completely incompetent).

I believe that a Fundemental TENET of Journalism is that 'News Reporting is NOT performed IN ORDER TO AFFECT AN OUTCOME'. YET, it seems that this piece was written for EXACTLY THAT PURPOSE - TO AFFECT AN OUTCOME!

At the least, The Boston Globe owes to all Readers a full explanation regarding that original Article and specifically WHETHER IT IS 'NEWS' OR OPINION. As a long-time Reader, I'd like to know.

I am glad that Sallie Mae did the right thing. They absolutely should. I really enjoy reading Kevin Cullen's column.

I wrote in, even though I doubted it would make a difference. It's nice to be proven wrong.

Merry Christmas

First off this comment has nothing to to with this fine young man
lets make this clear.

Why on earth should Sallie Mae not get the Money back? The School should give the money back to Sallie Mae . That\'s the way I see it.

The School should do the right thing. Universities/colleges never give anything back to the community or to their alumni. It\'s all about their bottom line.

The original column was MANIPULATIVE! It Manipulated Readers and we all acted exactly as the Author intended. Is that OK?

Is it OK that the Author OMITTED many crucial facts regarding Legal Basis for demanding repayment, about LIFE INSURANCE and amounts, etc. ?

Is it OK that the Author DID NOT EVEN CONTACT SALLIE MAE PRIOR TO PUBLISHING? WHY did The Globe PUT THE FATHER THROUGH ALL of this Public airing of PRIVATE matters? It seems CLEAR that Sallie Mae WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN THE LOAN QUIETLY. See Mr. McVey's own comments regarding whom he spoke to - THIS ENTIRE MATTER WAS MISHANDLED BY THE GLOBE.

Is it OK now to MANIPULATE Readers with no regard to which Tenets of Journalism are implicated? Is it OK to Omit crucial facts (while relying heavily upon RELATED Facts), to keep one party totally in the dark with no opportunity to hear that side of the story? What standards of Journalism DO apply to Mr. Cullen's Column? SPECIFICALLY HOW are the standards of Journalism applied to this Column? Your answer is extremely important, because I am relying upon it to tell me: Where is The Globe heading, with regard to Journalistic Standards?

Mr. Cullen's Original Column seems to me an example of SENSATIONAL journalism which falls below the standards of The Boston Globe. It was published under the 'News' heading Online, when it ought to have been under 'Opinion' (it does NOT meet minimum standards of a 'News Report'). It OMITTED absolutely KEY facts: Did the Father Co-Sign? Under what circumstances? How much LIFE INSURANCE did Ian have? Does the Estate have sufficient assets to cover the loan? MOST IMPORTANTLY, the Author FAILED TO CONTACT SALLIE MAE PRIOR TO PUBLISHING THE COLUMN. This last act violated MINIMUM standards of Fairness and Tenets of Journalistic Equity and Fairness. The resulting Column is a SENSATIONAL, MANIPULATIVE piece which blatantly uses the death of a young man to paint a picture of a Heartless Lender refusing the family of a Fallen Hero. The Author's offenses spring from his attempt to FORCE the facts and circumstances into this Picture he is trying to create.

WHY did Kevin Cullen NOT contact Sallie Mae BEFORE publishing the Column? As events showed us all, Mr. Cullen's original piece was unfairly biased against Sallie Mae, did NOT give Sallie Mae an opportunity to be heard, to verify facts, etc. This failure to contact the only other party to this entire matter seems suspicious to me. Tenets of Journalism must include the notion that ALL parties ought to be given an opportunity to be heard in situations like this one. AT THE LEAST, the other party should be CONTACTED and given a 'heads up' what will be written about them, they should be asked to verify facts, etc. Importantly, Mr. McVey HIMSELF stated that ""I was overwhelmed with what he said, and how he said it," WHY did Mr. Cullen choose to put Mr. McVey through this entire ordeal of making public a very private aspect of one's life ESPECIALLY when it relates to the death of a loved on and how that death affects finances. HOW UTTERLY INSENSITIVE on the part of The Globe and Mr. Cullen - it appears crystal clear that, had Mr. Cullen simply CALLED Sallie Mae PRIOR to publishing the 'Article', then the loan would have been forgiven and the PRIVACY (among other dignities that were encroached) would NOT have been violated by Mr. Cullen and The Globe in order to SELL PAPERS.

The entire column seemed crafted to be SENSATIONAL and it certainly achieved that goal. Is this the direction The Globe is headed? This Column was posted ONLINE under the 'NEWS' heading. I did NOT know it was a column (and therefore an Opinion piece) until reading TODAY'S follow-up. My ignorance about this and other matters surrounding this Column and it's aftermath (and as reflected in the 'Reader Comment' I posted Online, copy below) certainly is my own responsibility, but it seems that my ignorance - and specifically WHAT I am ignorant about - seems to have a basis in exactly WHICH facts were originally Omitted by Mr. Cullen.

Did "somebody hit the wrong button" or did nobody push any button at all or answer letters or the phone for that matter? Sounds like Sallie Mae needs to slightly revise thier customer service system or lack therof. This whole "wrong button" excuse eminds me of the movie BRAZIL...

You people make me sick with your awful comments about this yougn man and his father. Mr. McVey lost a son and certain individuals here seem to concentrate more on what they see as Mr. McVey's "financial gain?" Are you serious? He lost a son who was killed in a freak accident. He lost a son who joined the marines in order to serve his country instead of jumping right into a private sector job. That to me does NOT sound like a person who is living solely for their personal gain. This young man was willing to put his life on the line as he was being deployed to Iraq. Just because he didn't actually make it there does not make him any less of Marine. Shame on all of you who have made such heartless comments.

I am a bit confused as to why as co-signer his father did not pay off his obligation with the proceeds from the life insurance policy. I suspect, not knowing enough about this situation, that since he died in the U.S. his family was not entitled to the full death benefit, if any. In that case, it would be an undue burden for his family to pay off the debt and a constant reminder of their loss.

I'm very sorry his son was killed, but many families out there lose loved ones every day and it may be difficult for them to pay loans back, too. I guess unless they're the squeaky wheel and get media attention, they'll have to repay their loans.

It's nice to see the season of giving and love and forgiveness is so strong in Boston as evidenced by the comments.

Good on Sallie Mae for what they did.

Bless you, Mr. McVey. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers during this holiday season. I'm sure you miss your son badly and would trade anything in the world to have him back. SOME in this nation are grateful to you all for your sacrifices.

Hey "Blogger"..regarding Matt's comment....DID YOU REVIEW THAT BEFORE YOU POSTED IT?!!!

Soldiers who serve our country and protect American citizens and our freedom should receive a college education at the cost of us tax payers. It is the moral thing for us to do, regardless of where our economy is right now.

Sallie Mae initially handled the situation with no class, but the end result (thanks to the Boston Globe) is ultimately, the right thing Sallie could've and should've done.

Once again, so no one mistakes my intent - I am deeply saddened by the McVey family's personal loss and the nation's loss of what seems like a promising young Marine. Those of you who are accusing either the McVey family or Sallie Mae of extortionary greed should pause since we STILL do not know all of the facts around this story, thanks to the Boston Globe's highly selective non-reportage of pertinent facts.

For a tax-payer subsidized premium ranging from $4.25 to $27 per month, EVERY marine, sailor, soldier and aircrew can buy a minimum of $50,000 and up to $400,000 of life insurance. It is damned near impossible to opt out of this SGLI - the service member who tries is at risk of being officially Bored to Death by Counseling from just about everyone in his/her chain of command. I know because on the 2 occasions I have been required to provide this counseling to 2 feckless junior soldiers, we were merciless in our counseling; the soldiers eventually succumbed and obtained the SGLI due to sheer nervous exhaustion. There is no reason, short of mutiny, treason, spying, or desertion, that SGLI payout can be denied.

KEVIN CULLEN - do your bloody job! What happened to this Marine's SGLI payout? For the millions of military service members and their families who are straining every fiber of their being to meet their debt obligations, making those difficult choices with their families, and enduring the excruciating but necessary hours of tedium of mandatory family financial planning sessions, the Boston Globe is doing us a grave disservice.

While it is gratifying that Sallie Mae finally chose to forgive this young man's debt and more importantly finally have the decency to speak directly to the McVey family and express their sympathy for the family's loss, I am very disturbed by this public witch hunt of Sallie Mae conducted by the Boston Globe on the basis of some rather shoddy reporting. Sallie Mae clearly made some procedural mistakes that ignored basic tenets of human decency, but nothing that was reported indicated that they have any obligation to forgive the parents as co-signers on the debt. Wake up America - the reason we are in this financial mess is that too many people, from big government on down to corporations and individual private citizens have been unwilling to face the consequences of their improvident financial decisions.

While I appreciate the emotions of those of you who advocate the forgiveness of 2LT McVey’s debt simply because he died a Marine – what you advocate is practically impossible. As AnonymousGuest-2 has persevered gamely in suggesting, every non-payment of debt is coming out of someone else’s pocket, and it’s not just some evil rich corporate officer – it’s pension funds across America that are affected. Please think about what you are suggesting: every time a service member dies or suffers long-term disability, regardless of manner of death or dismemberment, you want to forgive that person’s debt? While that would be great short-term gain for me as an army officer and for my family, it would be an inordinate financial burden on this country. For debt held by the federal government, taxpayers directly shoulder this burden; for debt held by private corporations or investors, taxpayers indirectly bear this cost. The end result also would be that no one but the federal government would lend money to anyone in the military.

And what distinguishes my service in the military from the service of public schoolteachers, the police or firefighters? They’re all laying their lives on the line every day. It’s romantic nonsense to elevate my service over theirs. My cousin’s wife was a public schoolteacher; she taught special-needs kids and juvenile delinquents – she now has metal plates patching her skull thanks to those kids. She certainly laid her life on the line for lousy pay in the name of public service. Shouldn’t we include her in the public service debt forgiveness program? Where does this contempt for the honoring of financial obligations end?

Again, it is entirely possible that Sallie Mae did the right thing here – but we won’t know for certain until the Boston Globe or someone else does a better job of revealing the facts including the very significant one of 2LT McVey’s SGLI payout.

2LT McVey – may you rest in peace and God bless you for wanting to serve the public.

Peace, and out.

By the way - Haidar - thanks for your service; you and your fellow translators risked your lives to make your country and in consequence the world a better place, and I thank you for your courage in serving alongside us. And I'm sorry about some of the rude and callous comments you received after asking a not unreasonable question. Unfortunately the US has not had a great track record on helping those who help us in sticky foreign locales. I hope we do better in future. Respectfully, an Army Officer Who Needed Translators

I was warned not to read the comments here, but I did and I'm not happy with some of my fellow citizens. First of all, there appear to be some people here who are resentful that a service member would get anything that they themselves don't get. This story garnered the attention of people who don't agree with them, and a resolution was made in the Marine's favor. If you disagree, well; that's too bad. It obviously upset some enough to complain loudly, some to the point of shouting like some bad Sam Kinnison imitation.

Secondly, assuming that you know who the beneficiary of the Marine's SGLI was is a mistake. The story does not mention who that beneficiary may have been. It's none of your business, either. It could have been his grandmother, his brother, or his girlfriend. It's immaterial. Those of you who just want to show off your "knowledge" of SGLI should know that as well. There are additional death benefits for death in combat or due to wounds suffered in combat. He did not receive those.

Thirdly, a young man volunteered to put his life on the line for this nation. I see that patriotitism goes only so far as long as that volunteer doesn't get anything that others don't get. Boston, mentioned favorably in history as a den of patriots (their football team is even named the Patriots,) is pretty short on it these days. Now it only counts if the young man actually made it to war before his life was snuffed out. If he had made it to war, there would still be complaints from the jealous crowd. Some want to tell the father what he can or cannot have due to his son's death. Fine bunch you are. The men who speak up about how their loans should be forgiven equate themselves, as if going to their office job is the same as service in wartime. Whatever makes you feel better.

Haidar, thanks for your service as a translator and good luck with your new life here in the States. Never forget what you came from and you will appreciate what you are able to build for yourself here. Your biggest benefit is a shot at the American dream. Make the most of it.

Crank, Sir, I respectully disagree. Why don't we lump Postal workers in there, too? They are likely to be shot by their co-workers. How about road crew workers who risk being run over? Yes, Sir, there is a difference, your cousin's wife's experience notwithstanding. There is a difference between armed conflict in service of your country and a victim of a criminal act. Police and Firefighters are a different story. They knowingly go into danger on a consistent basis. Soldiers and Marines are not victims, nor are Firefighters or Police. They stand in harm's way to preserve the safety of others and therein lies their honor. It seems that there are plenty of other Bostonians who don't get that, either. Your moral equivalency doesn't hold water, Sir. I'm surprised that as an Army officer you can't understand that. Cheapen your own uniform, Sir, but leave the rest of us out of it.

There are benefits available for victims of crime, and while she was victimized in public service, the teacher did not knowingly put herself in harm's way to preserve the freedom of others. That is the difference. She was a victim of crime in the workplace.

You people should be ashamed of yourselves. As a society have we forgotten compassion? It really does not matter how it came to happen what is important here is that at the end of the thanks to the brother hood of the beliefs of our Marine Corps Semper Fi Jack Hewes held true to that. For those of you who don't know what Semper Fi means it means always faithful.
It is nice to see that someone has compassion in a large organization regardless of how it benefits the organization or the press. Come on people this is a good thing put your cynicism aside and look at the good for once.

For those of you who sat and tried to figure out the angle the McVey's must be trying to use for financial gain, you need to take some personal reflection on your arrogance and hurtfulness. For those of you who have understood the situation and written in support and compassion and revealed some humanity towards a family in immense pain, God bless you.
You want to know what the McVeys would do with a lot of money, if they could? This is a recent quote in an email from Ian's mom, my dear friend:
"I would pay a million dollars for the rest of my life just to have Ian back, even for a day. I would take that. I was thinking of the last time I hugged him and how it felt. It was when he was leaving with John for the airport on the Mon. after the 4th of July. It was around 5:00 in the morning and the house was dark and quiet. I was sitting at the computer checking if his flight was on time. It was, and he gave me a big hug and kiss good bye. That was always hard for him and us when he said good bye. He loved being home."
There have been memorials, birthdays, Thanksgiving and now Christmas approaching without Ian. Yes, it's Christmas. Would it be so hard to offer comfort as Christ would have done, or do you really think everything has to have a monetary equation and motive? Some people have a lot to say anonymously.
This family aches for the loss of their beloved son and brother. May his memory be eternal. He was quite a young man, he adored his family and they adored him. You can't put a price on your child. I wish they could have that one more day.
My love to the McVeys and may God bless them this Christmas.
Nikki

felt. It was when he was leaving with John for the airport on the Mon. after the