Nadia McCaffrey

Nadia McCaffrey was born April 17, 1945 in Paris, France and married an American, Bob McCaffrey; then she immigrated to the United States. She is the founder of Angel Staff, a group of volunteers who bring a caring presence to terminally ill patients and their families. Her son and only child, Sergeant Patrick R. McCaffrey Sr. and his supervisor First Lieutenant Andre D. Tyson were killed while serving in Iraq, in an ambush near Balad, Iraq on June 22, 2004.

She has campaigned against the war in Iraq along with Cindy Sheehan in Crawford after her son's death when the Pentagon would not give her more details surrounding her son's death.

On June 20, 2005, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division concluded that the Iraqi Security Forces, ICDC officers patrolling with her son's unit had killed Patrick and 1st Lt. Andre D. Tyson. Scott Lindlaw from the Associated Press wrote: "TRACY, Calif. — He'd trained as a combat lifesaver. Now Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey lay gravely wounded, his blood pooling on a street in Balad, Iraq. Eight bullets had found flesh between the heavy body-armor plates meant to protect the California National Guardsman's torso. They sliced into his lungs, liver and other organs and struck two vital arteries, including his aorta. Lt. Andre Tyson sprawled next to him, a round having pierced his forehead. He was gasping for breath. Despite medics' frantic efforts, McCaffrey, 34, and Tyson, 33, soon died. But with their deaths a strange subplot in the Iraq war was born — a legal case still quietly unfolding today, as the U.S. Army pursues a murder trial. McCaffrey and Tyson were slain by enemies posing as "friendly" Iraqi national guardsmen, according to Army investigators. The Iraqis patrolled alongside the Californians, then betrayed them when they turned their backs, investigators say."

Journey to Peace
Journey to Peace: One Mother's Quest to Stop the Suffering of War by Mark Manning features the personal outreach of Nadia McCaffrey. Nadia's son Patrick was killed in Iraq in June 2004. His death received national attention after Nadia invited the press to Sacramento International Airport to record images of this flag-draped coffin returning home, contravening U.S. Military policy and president Bush's ban on the filming of U.S. Soldiers' coffins returning home from Iraq. Following the death of her son, Nadia McCaffrey has become an international voice for peace and responsibility in government. In December 2004 Nadia embarked on a peace mission to the Middle East to meet with Iraqi families who have also lost loved ones in the Iraq war. These meetings between families from opposing countries at war [sic: of course the United States is in actuality allied with Iraq] were emotional and deeply healing for all who witnessed them. Through this film, Nadia will share that healing with all who see it and allow us to follow her on this journey to peace. She has since traveled through Europe conducting interviews in Paris with FRANCE3 TV and radio, and ARTE CHANNELS TV (EU). In the US, she interviewed with Good Morning America, The Today's Show, The Paula Zanh Show, The Aaron Brown Show, MSNBC, CNBC, DemocracyNow TV, Morning on 2, and CNN. Her story has been told through documentaries, radio shows, and in magazines (such as Vanity Fair) and newspapers. She has appeared on the front page of USA TODAY (twice), and the Washington Post, Newsweek. Nadia spent 23 days in Belgium and 10 days in Jordan, meeting with magazine, newspaper, radio, and TV media outlets. Her message is sympathy, compassion and peace as the means to ending the immorality of the U.S. Invasion and occupation of Iraq".

In 2006 she started a nonprofit 501c3 Patrick McCaffrey Foundation or VeteransVillage as a National not for profit corporation: The mission of Patrick McCaffrey’s Foundation is to promote mental and holistic wellness and palliative care among veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by providing a live-in retreat village, wherein with the help of trained professional staff and volunteers, veterans will find inner healing and an eventual re-entry into society. One on One attention and Home-Like Care, a second Home