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A listener sent Grunwald an anonymous
email regarding his upcoming trip to Iraq.
We read the email on the air Tuesday
and got a tremendous response
with every single caller supporting Grunwald.
Here is the original email to Grunwald:
I have heard bits and pieces that you are going to Iraq. As
a mother of a soldier who was in the skies over Iraq when
Bagdad fell, who came home injured, I don't think you as a
dj have any business going into a war zone. American
Soldiers trying to survive in a war zone do not need to have
to baby-sit you and keep you safe.
Far better you had taken sponsor funds and publicized the
plight of the soldiers, of their loved ones here at home, of
the injured soldiers, of the fallen soldiers. This would
have some meaning.
Basic training, yeah right. My son went to basic training
and also to desert training at Fort Polk where two of his
buddies died... and you think you are qualified to go into a
war zone?
War is Hell. The year my son was in Iraq we all suffered,
worried, prayed and cried for his safety. He enlisted on
9/11 to serve his country, he picked up an M16 to protect
his country. You are belittling the sacrifice of our
American military men and women by this stunt, and stunt is
all I can call it.
Here is Grunwald's response:
First off I am so very sorry for your son’s injury. It's
people like him that allow me to do my job and be able to enjoy life
here in the greatest country in the world: THE USA. Forgive me if this e
mail is harsh but I am beyond angry. I take great offense to the tone of
your letter. First off, WYCD has raised lots of money for different
causes for our soldiers. In The last a few months, we even helped Sgt.
Raymond Plougher from White Lake, who died leaving a wife and two kids
behind. We felt so bad, we had to do something. The Dr. Don show raised
$7,000 for his family. Ask that family how grateful they were. That’s
just one example of many. I know that what I am doing is good and will
help people. Most of all, my heart is in the right place.
Second, no one will be baby-sitting me in Iraq. I will have to carry my
own weight as part of the government’s special embedding program. I will
be talking to different soldiers from Michigan and the Detroit area.
This is good for their morale and the morale of the families who live
here in the Detroit area. I am also getting the word out to over a
million people about our troops who are still there. I am doing this for
personal as well as professional reasons. Am I qualified to go to war or
be in that area? Hell, no. I can take care of myself and don’t need our
soldiers risking their lives for mine. Am I risking my own life by
reporting and bringing the soldiers the world’s largest yellow ribbon?
This is not a stunt. Do you honestly think I am going into a war zone
for fun and games because it will sound cool on the radio? I’m not. I
would never disrespect the soldiers that are there or who have died by
living there by doing such a thing. They risk their lives for all of us
every single day and this is the least I can do to try to express our
gratitude. YES it’s going to be rough. I’m not going to get much sleep
and, personally, I am scared to death. But I am going, anyway. And the
Motor City supports me. So far, I have received over a thousand e
mails..... 99% of them from soldiers and military people and all of them
behind me. Yours is the only negative one, so far. But I will make you a
deal. I will ask our listeners if they feel the same way you do. If they
do, I will apologize to everyone and cancel the trip. I would never
dishonor anyone who fights or has fought for this country.
Sincerely,
Steven Grunwald
WYCD
Detroit
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