Tracy Jopek Was Not Upset About Obama Mentioning Her Son Friday Night

There have been reports that Obama was in the wrong mentioning Sergeant Ryan David Jopek's bracelet during Friday's debate. It seems there has been a mix up with the truth.

From the debate Friday night Barack Obama mentioned a bracelet that he wears after John McCain talked about the one that he wears.

After John McCain made a point of highlighting a bracelet he wears, Obama piped up to host Jim Lehrer, "Jim, let me just make a point. I've got a bracelet, too, from Sergeant -- from the mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek, given to me in Green Bay. And she asked me, "Can you please make sure that another mother's not going through what I'm going through?"

While it is true that Tracy Jopek, mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek asked Obama in February by e-mail not to mention her son in speeches or debates the story takes a bit of a turn. Townhall.com reports Ms. Jopek as saying:

"I don't understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the Internet," she said.

Jopek goes on to say that Obama's comment suggested that there was more than one viewpoint regarding the Iraq War.

Ms. Jopek does have a wish when it comes to the candidates;

"I think these bracelets should be looked upon as an honor that both candidates wear them to respect the troops," Jopek said. "My request to both of them is that they honor the troops by lifting the conversation to the issues, and that they continue to live up to the standards our military deserves."

Robert Gibbs also spoke about the bracelet on Fox's "Fox and Friends." Gibbs is Obama's senior campaign adviser.

She was afraid that the memory of her son would become politicized. She asked Senator Obama in Green Bay. She gave him the bracelet and said, "Wear this in memory of my son." Barack Obama's done that every single day since.

She didn't want the memory of her son politicized and we understood that. But I think if you read the AP article from just yesterday, when people called her, she was ecstatic that the memory of her son became part of an historic presidential debate.

And Barack Obama said he's never going to forget the mothers that he meets, the fathers that he meets, the family members that he meets on the rope line every day that have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I can live our lives in freedom. And that's what we -- that's part of the mission in this campaign. Let's never forget that.