Elaine's son, Spc. Darius Jennings, age 22, was killed in action in Iraq on November 2, 2003, when his Chinook helicopter was shot down, taking his life and the lives of fifteen other soldiers. "I forced the president to meet with us," she said. "I asked him why soldiers like my son were still dying in Iraq, and he said 'to finish the mission'. I asked what the mission was, but he was already leaving the room." Ever since then, she has been a mother on a mission, who is not only a Gold Star Mother, but also a member of Military Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families Speak Out, and the founder of Spc. Darius T. Jennings organization

The war in Iraq has also been devastating for Elaine's community: "There were four soldiers from the same area as my hometown killed in a short time, and Darius was one of them," she said. "This has been a great loss for the community and has hit hard. Our middle and low class family are the ones who are hit the hardest because of the lack of funds for college and no jobs, so the military is the next choice.

Ms. Johnson, who works at an industrial plant in the Orangeburg area and is a member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, spoke out immediately after her son's death, questioning why U.S. troops remained in Iraq. She publicly challenged Bush a week after Darius was killed, questioning why he could come to South Carolina for a $2,000-a-plate Republican fundraiser, but could not bother to contact her and offer his condolences.

Topics covered

• A Gold Star Mothers Perspective: Why we need to end the War!
• Speaking Truth to Power