Parents of Jonathon Cote Speak Out

its a shame that the parents
are at this point in finding
their son
lets take for instance if bush
had a son over their and lets
see how fast or faster a
task force would be formed
to find him i hope bush gets word of this.
god bless you and your family and lets hope for the best

First, I would like to offer my prayers for the safe return of their son. I'm sure this is very difficult for the Cote's to endure, not knowing where or how there son is.
But, it should also be kept in mind that he chose to go there - not as a serviceman but as an independent contractor -knowing the risks involved. Therefore, his capture and the difficulties of finding him and getting him back cannot be blamed on Bush as Lynne from Buffalo insinuated. And Lynne should know that Bush is already aware of the situation. The U.S. will not and CANNOT give in to the ransom requests of terrorists, partly because as the story suggests, they would then be giving money to the terrorists to buy weapons, etc. to use against us; also because the terrorists would then step up the kidnappings to a level beyond belief, demanding more and more money. You can't "deal" with the terrorists, and you can't sit down and talk with them. They don't want to talk, they want to kill.

I pray he is ok.God bless you.

I am so very sorry for the family and their son... but when people choose to go anywhere where there is know danger they know they are taking a risk and other lives should not be put at risk to "save" them.. Lets face it the reason some people take those jobs is because of the huge amounts of money they earn to go there..... once again money is not everything.....there is a point where one should ask are the big bucks worth the risks? The president is doing as he should I agree with Chris....

Chris,
Why don't you go out and get a job or another hobby?
You write negative comments all the time, that NO ONE cares about!
Why don't you stand up and join the military and do something about it instead of sitting back and making comments? Step up for what you "believe"

sam p wrote:

I am so very sorry for the family and their son... but when people choose to go anywhere where there is know danger they know they are taking a risk and other lives should not be put at risk to "save" them.. Lets face it the reason some people take those jobs is because of the huge amounts of money they earn to go there..... once again money is not everything.....there is a point where one should ask are the big bucks worth the risks? The president is doing as he should I agree with Chris....

I agree with you.

A military family member wrote:

Chris,
Why don't you go out and get a job or another hobby?
You write negative comments all the time, that NO ONE cares about!
Why don't you stand up and join the military and do something about it instead of sitting back and making comments? Step up for what you "believe"

Why are you attacking Chris? All those points are valid and true. If you really were part of a military family then you would have agreed with Chris. True military know you do not negotiate with terrorists.

A military family member wrote:

Chris,
Why don't you go out and get a job or another hobby?
You write negative comments all the time, that NO ONE cares about!
Why don't you stand up and join the military and do something about it instead of sitting back and making comments? Step up for what you "believe"

Sensitive much? I agree with Chris - Mr. Cote made a choice to go despite the risks.

A military family member wrote:

Chris,
Why don't you go out and get a job or another hobby?
You write negative comments all the time, that NO ONE cares about!
Why don't you stand up and join the military and do something about it instead of sitting back and making comments? Step up for what you "believe"

I'm sorry, but this is the first story I have ever commented on because I usually AM busy at my job.(There is more than one Chris in the world!) Today I happen to be taking a rare vacation day. I'm also sorry if you don't agree with my opinion, but that's what makes this country great. We can all freely voice our opinions. As for your suggestion that I join the military, but for reasons that are none of your business I can't. I too have family members who are in the service, believe in what they are accomplishing in Iraq, and proud of it.

I was at the benefit last night and have close ties to the people to organized it. I see both sides to this. I see the Cote's Side, if it was my relative, friend or loved one, I don't care I want them back. Who wouldn't feel that way. Yes he knew the risks, but it doesn't change the fact that there is no one out there that wouldn't do the same thing if they were in the Cote's position.

I also see the side of dealing with terrorists. First, who's to say when they go to trade $$$ for hostages, that the terrorists don't kill the money handlers and take the $$$? Now what have you accomplished? Also, if you do trade $$ for hostages, yes that money will go to funding their cause, which will provide them with weapons that will KILL more servicemen. That is Selfish.

Also, these men are all former military. How do you think they will feel and react to the fact that their loved ones gave $$$ to terrorists for their release??? They knew the risks, I don't think they would agree with that.

I Agree with Chris. I don't want to sound harsh or critical of the situation. I know Mr. Cote's parent's hope that money will free their son. Unfortunately we all know these terrorists are funded by countries which money means NOTHING to them. There is no guarantee either that if they pay them that he will be released. I understand their heartache at the time it's taking. Such a slow drawn out process. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of them

I think any information at all would be a comfort.
You're a young man, we all know how tough it is these days. You decide that when your military tour is up that you still want to help your country. You go over there, escort MILITARY convoys for other countries etc. to help out the "cause" and you're captured. The company says little to nothing, the gov't says little to nothing, no one has heard anything.
If it was an active duty military escort, we all know the gov't would do all in their power to get anyone back if they knew where they were being held. Why is it different to try and do it on your own if you're not getting assistance from political channels?
The only demand the captors have ever made is to have all US troops pull out of Iraq. Is that going to happen? No. Offering a reward for information ( even to Iraqi civilians ) isn't a big deal to me if it's the only bargaining chip you have left. It's not like any terrorist's wouldn't get whatever funds they need in another way. Another thing is that none of us knows the whole truth behind what happened other than whats being reported publicly. The situation could be far different from anything we can imagine and if the State Dept knows about it and isn't demanding they stop... where's the harm?
I would do the same for my children.

I don't the the US military should be involve in their rescue.These US citizens went to Iraq looking for a high paying job not to fight the war.They new what the dangers where before they went.Maybe the US military should charge them for their greed.

Joe D. Congratulations, apparently you've done everything right in your life so far and no one has ever needed to help you out!
Good for you!! So happy you are perfect and think everyone else should be too!! We should all try to be like Joe.

Jen wrote:

Joe D. Congratulations, apparently you've done everything right in your life so far and no one has ever needed to help you out!
Good for you!! So happy you are perfect and think everyone else should be too!! We should all try to be like Joe.

Good for you Jen!!!!!!!!! Joe, maybe you should think before writing. Did you forget this is someones family member and friend??????? They are suffering just waiting for word from him. Get a heart!

THEY ARE NOT TERRORISTS... get your facts straight!!! Go back and read the some articles before making comments. The captors are CIVILIAN CRIMALS... Look at it this way, if a person is abducted in America do you call the abductor a terrorist? No... just because someone commits a crime in Iraq does not make them a "terrorist". People are using the term too loosely. Think of this... is an Iraqi who steals from a convenient store a terrorist? What about an Iraqi who steals a vehicle, another terrorist? Of course not! These men conducted an kidnapping, a civilian crime.
Go back and get your information correct. At the bottom are a few good articles to read with real INFORMATION. Some of you are acting like typical American citizens who just want to put in your two cents, which make NO SENSE.

Some good reads for some "opinionated Americans", get the real story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/norther...

A military family member wrote:

THEY ARE NOT TERRORISTS... get your facts straight!!! Go back and read the some articles before making comments. The captors are CIVILIAN CRIMALS... Look at it this way, if a person is abducted in America do you call the abductor a terrorist? No... just because someone commits a crime in Iraq does not make them a "terrorist". People are using the term too loosely. Think of this... is an Iraqi who steals from a convenient store a terrorist? What about an Iraqi who steals a vehicle, another terrorist? Of course not! These men conducted an kidnapping, a civilian crime.
Go back and get your information correct. At the bottom are a few good articles to read with real INFORMATION. Some of you are acting like typical American citizens who just want to put in your two cents, which make NO SENSE.
Some good reads for some "opinionated Americans", get the real story.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/norther...

YOU need to get your facts straight...look it up.
Obviously, you are not what your name says...You must be one of them. We know how you people operate. You will be found you TERRORIST. You will not break us!

They could raise money for the little 3 year old battling cancer, instead of funding terrorism. Even though I do hope he's ok, it's probably not likely. I doubt the US Government will allow them to pay any ransom, because they would be, in fact, funding terrorism, which is against the law.

A military family member wrote:

THEY ARE NOT TERRORISTS... get your facts straight!!! Go back and read the some articles before making comments. The captors are CIVILIAN CRIMALS... Look at it this way, if a person is abducted in America do you call the abductor a terrorist? No... just because someone commits a crime in Iraq does not make them a "terrorist". People are using the term too loosely. Think of this... is an Iraqi who steals from a convenient store a terrorist? What about an Iraqi who steals a vehicle, another terrorist? Of course not! These men conducted an kidnapping, a civilian crime.
Go back and get your information correct. At the bottom are a few good articles to read with real INFORMATION. Some of you are acting like typical American citizens who just want to put in your two cents, which make NO SENSE.
Some good reads for some "opinionated Americans", get the real story.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/norther...

If this was a civilian crime then the Iraqi police and government should be handling this situation. It's not up to the US Military or the US government to handle civilian crimes in Iraq. We have enough on our plate. I feel very sorry for this family and I do hope that Jonathon is safe somewhere but to expect the US government to get involved hardly seems realistic. Once you leave the borders of the US there is no guarantee of protection from our government unless you of course are under US government orders to be in Iraq. Jonathan was there as a private contractor and he was a victim of a civilian crime per you. I'm sorry I don't see what this has to do with our military or our government under the circumstances.

I have great sympathy for the Cote family, but he went there knoing that the country was in turmoil and a vey dangerous place.

What did he expect other than a huge paycheck?

If people put themselves in harms way knowingly, then it should not be the responsibility of the government to expect extraordinary resources to retrieve them.