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Posted by: kwflatbed

By GLEN JOHNSON
AP Political Writer


BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Mitt Romney, who has pledged to return home for important occasions and prided himself on attending the funerals of Massachusetts servicemen killed overseas, skipped the funeral of an Malden Marine on Friday to campaign in South Carolina and Michigan.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican said Romney instead called the widow of Lance Cpl. Edward M. Garvin, a 19-year-old who was killed Oct. 4 in combat operations in Iraq's al Anbar province. Romney is considering a run for president in 2008, and the two states he visited Friday are early in the primary calendar.
"Gov. Romney was not at the funeral because he was out of state," Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's communications director, said an e-mail. "He spoke with the widow and the soldier's mother, and the widow is coming to meet with him privately."
The governor's long-distance phone call contrasted with the standard Romney set for himself last month, when he was questioned by The Associated Press about two weeks of travels that consistently took him out of Massachusetts
For the past month, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who serves as acting governor in Romney's absence, has led the state more than her boss, based on a review of his public schedule. That schedule is heavily redacted and does not show most of the meetings Romney holds or the places he visits each day.
"The legislators and the candidates are out politicking and I'm doing the same," Romney said on Sept. 24 as he attended a Republican fundraiser in Stratham, N.H.
"I'm helping Republican candidates," the governor added. "But, of course, whenever there's an area of concern or a special need, I'll drop politics. I mean, when (former Gov.) Ed King passed away, we changed the schedule to make sure I can be here for the ceremonies and the funeral tomorrow, because my state responsibilities always come first."
Fehrnstrom, the Romney spokesman, said Healey "represented the administration at the wake," while Thomas G. Kelley, state secretary of Veterans Services and a Medal of Honor winner, attended Garvin's funeral.
Garvin was a 2005 graduate at Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School in Wakefield. His widow, Melissa, who married Garvin in May, was among the speakers at his funeral Friday morning.
Since the beginning of October, Romney has been in Massachusetts all or part of six days. And even when he has been in town, his events have had a national patina.
On Oct. 2, Romney traveled to Dorchester to announce the first enrollee in the Commonwealth Care, part of the state's new universal health plan. On Oct. 5, Romney was back in Massachusetts to announce a terrorism prevention measure: random bag searches on the MBTA. The governor first leaked the news to The New York Times, which published a story the morning of his Statehouse news conference.
Romney has been out of town since Monday, the end of the Columbus Day weekend, during which time he has visited Detroit, Chicago, Washington and Philadelphia. On Friday, his itinerary included an 8 a.m. speech in Columbia, S.C., and a 5 p.m. speech in Macomb, Mich.
All told, Romney has been in Massachusetts all or part of 12 days since Sept. 11. When he has been out of town during the past month, Healey has served as acting governor, as prescribed in the state constitution.
The trend will continue next week, when Romney plans to visit Utah and California.


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Posted by: kwflatbed

Fallen Marine Laid To Rest

Garvin Leaves Behind Young Widow


EVERETT, Mass. -- Family and friends of a young Marine who was killed in Iraq laid him to rest on Friday.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Lance Cpl. Edward Garvin, 19, was killed last week during combat in Iraq's Anbar province.

Garvin and his childhood sweetheart, Melissa, were married for only a couple of months before he was deployed.

"Edward Marcel Garvin was not just a Marine, he was my husband. He inspired me to do everything that I have accomplished in my life," Melissa Garvin said.

Garvin's funeral procession passed Lincoln Elementary School, where the couple met as children. They both attended Northeast Metro-Regional Voc-Tech High School.

"We met in the second grade, and we were never apart since," Melissa Garvin said.

"I don't think Eddie set out to prove anything. (After) listening to you all talk about Eddie, his main objective in life was making people laugh -- whatever he did, wherever he was, " said the Rev. Robert Bowers.

"Before he left for Iraq, we used to talk about what to do if anything happened to either one of us. He wanted me to let everyone to know that he loved them, and to celebrate his life, and not cry about him being gone," Melissa Garvin said.

Garvin was killed four weeks into his tour in Iraq.




Video: Marine Laid To Rest


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