CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — When Brenda May heard a knock at her door on March 25, 2003, she learned her son was the first Virginian to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. More than two decades later, she says U.S. strikes on Iran have given her the closure she has long been searching for.
Marine Staff Sgt. Donald May Jr. was killed when the tank he was riding in fell into the Euphrates River.
For decades, May said she quietly wondered whether her son's sacrifice in Operation Iraqi Freedom had meant anything.
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That changed Saturday morning when she watched bombs fall on Iran.
"My thought originally was — it's about time," May said.
May said watching the strikes gave her a sense of comfort and closure.
"I'm not ashamed of it," May said. "We had to do what we had to do to protect the American people. And people like my son, and many others that passed in the beginning of the Iraqi war... It makes us parents, family members feel like they didn't die for nothing."
She said she has struggled for years with the fear that her son's death was in vain.
"I was really tired of thinking that maybe my son died for nothing, but with President Trump, I have full confidence in him," May said. "And to me, it's not a war — it's payback."
Not everyone shares May's view. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), a member of the bipartisan Gang of Eight, was briefed on Operation Epic Fury before the strikes were launched. He opposes the action.
"We need to make sure there's a clear purpose," Warner said. "Usually, when there's a strike, it's a reaction to something. In this case, having seen the intelligence, there is no imminent threat to our country."
A couple dozen people gathered near the Maggie Walker statue in Richmond on Saturday afternoon to protest the strikes. Adam Malinowski-Liu, director of the Richmond Liberation Center, called the action illegal and against international law.
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"The American people are overwhelmingly against these foreign acts of aggression," Malinowski-Liu said.
However, Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.) said the strikes are justified, pointing to Iran's role as a destabilizing force in the region.
"It's a whole lot of countries that are quietly helping the United States and Israel, because Iran has been a bully in the region for so long. And they've attacked people through proxies for a long time," McGuire said. "In fact, the Straits of Hormuz, I think 20% of the world's energy flows through there, and every time they shut it down or block it or cause something, it impacts the whole world."
The Trump administration's push against Iran is tied to a mix of strategic concerns, including the country's ballistic missile program, nuclear ambitions and support for proxy militias and terrorist groups.
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