CRAWFORD, Texas—In an event shallowly reported by the mainstream media, a letter has emerged from the paternal family of Casey Sheehan, a 24-year-old Vacaville man killed April 4, 2004, while fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The fallen soldier’s mother, Cindy, has made international news as an outspoken critic of the war and of President Bush; she is now camping outside of the president’s Crawford ranch home, demanding he speak with her.

Cindy Sheehan’s protest has drawn attention from news agencies worldwide. Hundreds of protestors have joined Sheehan from cities across the globe. The demonstration has also attracted support from left-wing activists like Michael Moore and actor Viggo Mortensen.

Yet another angle to the story erupted Friday when members of the Sheehan Family announced their support for President Bush. In a letter written by Cherie Quartarolo, Casey Sheehan’s aunt and godmother, the family expressed their concerns over Cindy Sheehan’s Crawford protest.

The letter reads:

“The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son’s good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.”

The letter is attributed to “Casey Sheehan’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.”

Cindy Sheehan has since confirmed that the letter was authentic. In a response issued on her blog at Michael Moore’s Web site, the Vacaville mother said the Sheehan family was entitled to their opinion.

“My in-laws sent out a press conference disagreeing with me in strong terms; which is totally okay with me, because they barely knew Casey,” she writes. “We have always been on separate sides of the fence politically and I have not spoken to them since the elections when they supported the man who is responsible for Casey’s death. The thing that matters to me is that my family: Casey’s dad and my other 3 kids are on the same side of the fence that I am.”

Casey Sheehan’s father, Pat, has remained quiet about his wife’s activism, notably absent at her rally in Crawford and among the list of signatories in the Sheehan Family letter. After the death of their son, Pat and Cindy Sheehan have separated.

Unless personally met by the president, Cindy Sheehan plans to remain entrenched outside Bush’s ranch home through the month of August.

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For Previous Coverage of the Sheehan story visit:

Vacaville Mom’s War Protest Grows in Support, Opposition.

For more information on the Sheehan Family letter visit:

The Drudge Report