Rosemarie Slavenas considers herself a patriotic, hardworking woman with a good sense of values.

Ten years ago, she would probably never have participated in an antiwar march. But Jan. 26, Slavenas marched in Washington to protest the U.S. involvement in the Gulf.

The war is personal for Slavenas. Her son is somewhere on the front lines.

Slavenas, 47, an assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction, has been worried ever since her son joined the Marines after graduating from high school in 1988. “It was a source of conflict,” she said. “When I heard he was being stationed in the Gulf, I cried for five days.”

After she found out the United States had bombed Iraq, Slavenas had a nervous breakdown. “I collapsed and went into shock. I’ve never had such a trauma in my life,” she said.

The last time she heard from Marcus, 20, was Jan. 3. Slavenas said her son hopes the war blows over soon, but his feelings about the war are mixed. “It’s not real clear to him, but he knows I’ve taken an aggressive stance against the war,” she said.

Her younger son, Brian, 18, a senior at DeKalb High School, had been seriously considering the service prior to the conflict, but he has changed his mind, she said.

If there was a draft, she would encourage Brian to resist. “I would encourage him to practice civil disobedience,” she said. “There are some things worth fighting for, but this isn’t one of them.”

Slavenas said she is dismayed by the way the government has led the country into war.

“First of all, war is a failure of diplomacy,” she said. “The things he has done to lead us to this crisis make it appear as two possibilities: either he (Bush) is a failure at diplomacy or he’s made it inevitable that war will start.”

In the 1960s, at the height of the protests against the Vietnam War, Slavenas was never an active protester. However, partly because of the emotional nature of this war, she has paid more attention than she might have otherwise, she said.

“When George Bush orders 40,000 body bags, it’s for my son,” she said. “If he was planning to negotiate, why’d he order 40,000 troops” to be placed in the Gulf, she asked.

Slavenas was happy with the turnout at the march and said she plans to protest again until the U.S. pulls out. “I’ll protest in any way I can, any time, any place.”

Concerning Saddam Hussein, Slavenas said, “I have heard interviews on the radio of Palestinians that say someone’s brought the issue (the Palestinian question) before the world, but I don’t think I know enough from the censored press.”

If she could speak to President Bush, Slavenas would ask him to resign. “I think he’s done a deliberate disservice to this country if he’s so belligerent he has to belittle other heads of state in order to obscure the actual issues,” she said.

For now, Slavenas is trying to cope the best she can. “I want him to come home,” she said. “I pray for his safety, for him to keep a clear head and to take care of himself.”