Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, June 17, 2006 Bush consoles Marine's family The Snohomish family of Cpl. Jeffrey Starr, who was killed in Iraq, meets the president in Seattle. By Yoshiaki Nohara / Herald Writer Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr would've enjoyed it. President Bush on Friday met the family of the Snohomish Marine who believed in freedom and died in combat in Iraq in May 2005. The private meeting in a VIP room at Boeing Field in Seattle brought honor, joy and comfort to Brian and Shellie Starr, their daughters, Hillary and Emily, and the Marine's fiancee, Emmylyn Anonical. "I really appreciated his time and effort to meet us," Shellie Starr said. "It meant that President Bush genuinely cares about service people," Brian Starr said. The president attended a fundraising event in Medina before meeting with the Starr family for about half an hour. The family shared photos of the Marine with Bush, who shook Brian Starr's hand and hugged Shellie Starr. The president offered condolences and support for the family, Brian Starr said. "It was bit of surreal, but it was real," Brian Starr said. Hillary Starr said she expressed her support for the troops during the meeting. "There are people in our country who believe in the war and support the president," she said. The family presented Bush with a large photo showing Jeffrey with Iraqi children, Brian Starr said. The photo included a few lines from the letter Jeffrey wrote to his fiancee before he died. "I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom," part of the letter said. Bush read the letter in a major speech in late 2005 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. "He knew about Jeff. He knew who he was," Brian Starr said. Hillary Starr said it was a comfort to know the president recognizes her brother's life and sacrifice for America. "He didn't die in vain," she said. "He was carrying a greater mission than anyone else realizes at this point." Just over a year has passed since her brother's death. "Jeff is in our daily thoughts," she said. Hillary Starr recently moved back to Washington after graduating from medical school in California. "Nothing will ever replace him. It's incredibly important to continue to support the troops," she said. Meeting the president doesn't make it easier for the family to deal with their loss, she said. But she knows this: Jeffrey Starr would've enjoyed meeting the president. Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@ heraldnet.com. Mike Kane / Seattle Post-Intelligencer U.S. Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr's father, Brian, and sister Hillary talk with the media after meeting with President Bush on Friday at Boeing Field in Seattle.

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