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Every Mother’s Day, Darlene Geurin can’t help but remember her son; her only child.

“He challenged rules, and he pushed boundaries,” Geurin said. “It was my job as his mother to ... frequently rein that strong spirit in.”

On July 15, 2003, exactly a year after starting boot camp, Marine Lance Corporal Cory Ryan Geurin fell off the roof of the Iraqi palace he had been guarding. He later died of his injuries. He was 18 years old.

Darlene had spoken to him only three hours before. It was a quick conversation; he had called just to let his mother know that he was fine. She had always worried for his safety, unwilling to let him go, especially at the airport.

“He was very calm and collected (when he left), and I was the basket case,” she said.

Geurin was one of over two dozen mothers whose spoke Saturday at UCLA during a rally for mothers of those lost or still fighting in Iraq.

The rally preceded a screening of an upcoming documentary, Angeliki Giannakopoulos’ “My Child: Mothers of War.” Prior to the screening, Giannakopoulos invited several mothers and local officials to talk about motherhood and war.

“Jonathan was not (just) my loss, just like Cory was not just Darlene’s loss,” said Vickie Castro, who lost her son to a suicide bomber in 2004. “Each of you lost them, too. You lost the chance to know them.”

As Castro left the stage, she kissed her son’s picture, which she had brought with her.

Other speakers included American Gold Star Mothers President Judith Young, local religious leaders and even congressional candidates, who praised mothers and offered comfort to those who have lost their children.

Jihad Turk, the director of religious affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California, related a well-known story from the Hadith, a collection of sayings and doings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in which a man asks Muhammad to whom he should give his respect.

Three times Muhammad responded, “To your mother.” The fourth time he finally said, “Then to your father.”

Turk, a UCLA doctorate candidate, and Pastor Mark Jasa of the University Lutheran Chapel, praised mothers for the sacrifices they make during war.

“You have raised noble and courageous sons and daughters,” Jasa said.

Jasa, who has two brothers in the service, offered his condolences to the mothers and read from the Bible.

“There is no greater love than this that a man would lay down his life for his friends,” said Jasa, quoting John 15:13.

The mothers and other speakers differed in their opinions on the war in Iraq, but most still expressed support of the troops, applauding their bravery.

“They are protecting the freedoms that we have,” said Vietnam War veteran Carl Davis. “They all have one purpose and one purpose (only) in mind – serving our country.”

Giannakopoulos said she created and directed the film to give a voice to mothers who sent their children overseas to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. She decided to screen the documentary over Mother’s Day weekend to bring hope to mothers whose children died in the war.

“Mother’s Day is a really tough day to go through when they’ve lost their kids,” Giannakopoulos said.