Tuesday, May 20, 2008 5:11 PM CDT
COLUMN: Joy, pride offset by thoughts of those who didn't return
By BILL LAIR, Managing Editor
blair@jg-tc.com
“The Rough Writers” are back in the States. My son, Patrick, called late last week to say his Oregon National Guard unit had landed at Bangor, Maine. After a short layover, they continued on to Fort Lewis, Wash.
His unit, the 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, should be released from their deployment by this weekend.
Whew!
He will be reunited with his wife and son where they live in — appropriately after a lengthy absence— Sweet Home, Ore.
Patrick’s unit was activated a year ago today. They spent a couple months training on the East Coast and then served a little more than nine months in Iraq.
He is a reporter/photographer in the National Guard.
In Iraq, he produced three video news reports, 201 photos, 29 articles and a number of Web site blogs for the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier and for the Albany Democrat-Herald newspaper in Oregon, where he is a staff writer.
He was stationed first in Diyala Province, north of Baghdad, and then transferred to Mosul.
Suicide bombers, IEDs and rockets fired by terrorists can occur anywhere in Iraq but Diyala Province and Mosul often made the news in the past nine months.
Mosul still does.
Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently went to Mosul to supervise a military offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq.
“Maliki’s flight to northern Iraq mirrors a similar trip he took almost two months ago to the southern city of Basra, where government troops fought radical Shiite militias,” AP said.
And from a Monday morning AP report:
“So far, more than 1,300 people have been arrested in and around Mosul in the operation, though 240 were cleared of suspicion and released, said Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal, the deputy interior minister for intelligence and security affairs.”
I am very proud of Patrick.
But I now know what parents of military men and women in war zones have felt for thousands of years: Moms and dads think about their son or daughter’s safety every day.
Every ... single ... day.
So, Cheryl and I are thankful for his return. We are anxious to reunite this summer. We appreciate the prayers, thoughts and words of support that so many people have offered over the past year.
Many of you also commented about Patrick’s blogs and photos on the newspaper’s Web site.
All of the kind words are appreciated.
But many other families in the area have loved ones still serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We will continue to keep them in our prayers. We know several young people from Charleston and Mattoon who currently are serving in the Middle East. Many more from this area are preparing for deployment this summer.
And our appreciation for Patrick’s safe return is tempered by the knowledge that there are mothers and fathers nearby who did not get to experience the joy that we felt when we learned that Patrick had touched down on U.S. soil.
Please keep them in your thoughts this Memorial Day.
Memorial Day is not just in honor of those who died in wars long ago.
As Memorial Day approaches, my thoughts will be with the families of Army Spc. Charles Neeley of Mattoon, Marine Cpl. Allen Roberts of Arcola, Marine Sgt. Nickolas Hopper of Montrose, Army Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Hines of Westfield, Army National Guard Sgt. Shawna Morrison of Paris, Army National Guard Spc. Charles Lamb of Casey, Marine Cpl. Nathan Moore of Champaign and others throughout the area whose loved ones died in Iraq while serving their country.
As I was working on this column, an e-mail arrived from a Susan B. McConnell of Mobile, Ala., who calls herself a “Marine Mom.”
Like Cheryl and me, she was elated at the recent return of her son from Iraq.
But she, too, is thinking of other families:
“That same week, another Marine arrived at his home in Wisconsin. Lance Cpl. Dean Opicka, was escorted off the plane by Marine honor guards in a flag-draped coffin,” she wrote. “Instead of a welcoming hug, his parents received a folded American flag and appreciation from a grateful nation.”
“As Memorial Day approaches, and families celebrate the holiday with cookouts, parties, picnics and fun activities, may we take a few moments to remember those, like LCpl. Dean Opicka, who throughout our 232-year history have given their lives in war to secure the freedoms we enjoy today,” she wrote.
“Currently, 4,077 of our service members have made the ultimate sacrifice in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every life given in the pursuit of defending our liberties deserves tribute from those who live to enjoy it.
“This Memorial Day, take time to thank a veteran, current military personnel and military family members. Fly the American Flag proudly. Pray for our nation’s political leaders and troops serving to defend our freedom. May the sacrifice of our military never be forgotten.”
“Marine Mom” and I, as Memorial Day nears, know the sacrifices many families continue to make on behalf of all of us.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
