A Gold Star family whose son died in May in rollover accident in Syria said Thursday that they harbored "no hard feelings" against President Donald Trump for not reaching out after their loss.
"It doesn't matter," Sheila Murphy, the mother of Army Spc. Etienne Murphy, 22, told Anderson Cooper on CNN. "No hard feelings towards President Trump for not reaching out to us."
Etienne Murphy, of Loganville, Georgia, died on May 26 in Al-Hasakah, Syria, in the rollover. The incident is under investigation by the Pentagon.
He left behind a wife and two young sons, according to his parents, Sheila and Calvin Murphy.
"This is just something that has happened to us," Sheila Murphy said. "I'm not expecting him to call or send us a letter.
"I'm not angry or upset or surprised by it.
"It's just something that happened to us. We're just trying to get through it, through the day.
"My son would not care about a letter, either," she added. "I just didn't want people to forget my son — and I just want people to know that there is an aftermath of soldiers and Gold Star families.
"I can only speak for mine," Murphy added. "I want people to see our pain."
Mrs. Murphy told Cooper that she wrote Trump a letter "just thanking him for what he's doing over there" in Syria.
"Thanking him for trying to bring some type of solution.
"I still don't know what is going on about the letter and phone call," she added. "I reached out to President Trump just to thank him.
"He was my son's commander-in-chief and my son loved this country. I would not want his name to be involved in something that was negative about a phone call or letter."
Calvin Murphy told Cooper that his healing comes from his wife speaking about their son's service, as well as his devotion to his wife and sons.
"When I sometimes hear her pouring out her feelings, I get uncomfortable because I think it's just going to bring more pain to her," he said.
"But I'm finding out when she does that it might be healing her little by little.
"As long as I know she's healing, then I know I can heal as well."
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