Wheat Ridge mom locks horns with her Marine son

John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 11, 2007 at midnight

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WHEAT RIDGE - The Kaplan household is a house divided when it comes to the Iraq war.

Gaye Lowe-Kaplan is an outspoken opponent and wants the U.S. to bring its troops home.

Her son, Andy, a 23-year-old Marine who has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, said he is neutral on the question.

But it's clear within moments that mother and son don't see eye-to-eye.

At one point Tuesday, when his mother suggested that soldiers be brought back to the U.S., Andy Kaplan took a sip of water and strode into the kitchen saying, "Yeah, do you want Denver turning into Baghdad? I don't know."

"I don't know either honey," his mother replied.

"I can see where everybody's coming from," Andy Kaplan added. "But I really don't have an opinion on it."

Andy Kaplan said he had been interested in the military since he was a kid, and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were a big factor in his decision to enlist.

Initially, Lowe-Kaplan supported the war, believing that any weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein might have must be eliminated. She was glad when she saw a statue of the Iraqi dictator toppled.

But as the months wore on, her support of the war waned.

Then came the upsetting moment when Bush challenged the insurgents by saying, "Bring them on."

"I thought to myself, what kind of mentality is that," she said while sitting in her living room Tuesday. "You don't talk like that when people's lives are on the line. It's not a football game between two small Texas towns."

Behind her on the bookshelf are a batch of books such as Fiasco, which is critical of the war.

Still, she tried to remain supportive of her son and his fellow Marines. She helped organize a local bake sale that raised $4,000 for body armor to send over to Iraq.

Lowe-Kaplan said she realizes it's unrealistic to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq immediately. But she says Congress should start this week by limiting war funding.

"I have nothing but admiration and respect for my son," she said. "It's just Mr. Bush I have a problem with."

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