Relationships & Family

Christmas in Iraq

jbloustein — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:46:43 -0600

7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq.

I sat in a metal chair at a long conference table in my usual spot as Logistics Officer. At the head of the table, the Colonel called our weekly staff combat operations briefing to order. No sentimentality. No Christmas decorations. Certainly no Christmas carols. Stick to our mission and take care of serious business. That suited me just fine.

Injured Soldier Given a Dream Home with Help of Volunteers

batch — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:05:07 -0600

When Corporal Visnu Gonzalez returned home from Iraq five years ago, he was paralyzed from the chest down due to a sniper's bullet.

CBS reports that since then, he'd been in and out of hospitals, without really being able to settle down.

This recently changed when the non-profit organization Homes for Our Troops heard about Gonzalez' story and wanted to help. They recruited volunteers to help build Gonzalez his dream house that he would be able to fully function in.

Help for Fort Hood

mcherkezian — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:05:00 -0600

Last week’s tragedy at Fort Hood in Texas was a blow struck at all decent people but one that landed most heavily, I think, on members of the military present and, like me, past.

I spent my whole career in the army, retiring several years ago with the rank of Major General, Chief of Chaplains. I know Fort Hood well. It is the single largest U.S. military installation in the world, home to nearly 50,000 soldiers and 120,000 family members.

Wreaths for Fallen Soldiers

batch — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:05:10 -0600

This December, a Texas-based nonprofit group has the goal of placing more than 55,000 wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers, in a movement that was sparked by a little boy's question.

When Alex deMasi was 8 years old, his father Scott deMasi took him to a remembrance ceremony at Houston National Cemetery.

As they watched the observance, Alex asked his dad why each burial site at the city's cemetery did not receive a live wreath like the graves at Arlington National Cemetery do.

Their Stories

admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:44:00 -0500

My name is Nicholas Rider. I'm 14 and last year I published my first book. How's that? you ask. Well, it started with my grandfather.

Grandpa was a veteran of World War II, and maybe because I loved building model airplanes, I always used to ask him about what he'd done in the war. He was pretty modest about it. "Not a whole lot," he said.

Precious Time for Talking

jbloustein — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:14:08 -0500

Long-distance relationships are rarely easy, testing even the most resilient couples. And when one or both partners is in the military and has been deployed abroad, the separation can leave each one feeling like a stranger.

Experts say some of the biggest challenges facing military couples come when they finally reunite. Each partner has gotten used to living without the other and may not know how to open up. Meanwhile, it can be difficult for one spouse to adjust if the other has gone through a personal change.

Giving Veterans Hope

batch — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:05:11 -0500

Lynn Hughes understands the pressures facing American veterans all too well.

Returning home after the Vietnam War, Lynn struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. To make matters worse, his military records were lost, creating a bureaucratic nightmare when it came time to claim benefits.

Lynn and his wife Robin—also a veteran—learned a lot during their six-year battle to obtain Lynn's benefits. These days, they use that experience to help others at risk of falling through the cracks.

Lillie and GI Joe

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:23:03 -0500

Our tour bus thrummed along the highway. Our group, the Oak Ridge Boys, was on its way to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

It was late. The other guys were asleep in their bunks. I sat in the back with my laptop, figuring I'd catch up on my e-mail. Instead, my thoughts kept going to our next gig.

We do 170 shows a year, but tomorrow night would be different. We were playing Lancaster's American Music Theatre, and had invited 40 people from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Veterans Center.

Remembering

admin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:57:24 -0500

Frankly, I wasn't all that impressed when it was announced that a memorial for World War II veterans would be built on the Mall in Washington, D.C. As a vet, I had never felt the need for a special monument. The freedoms we enjoy in the United States are memorial enough. And reminders of war—any war—are painful.

Then last May I read about the dedication, with its pomp and ceremony. Yet all I could see from the photos was a boring circle of granite columns flanked by two arches.

At His Side

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:48:00 -0500

Since the Iraq war began five years ago, more than 30,000 American servicemen and women—including my husband, Kenny, a Marine master sergeant—have been wounded. In one sense, that's actually a hopeful number. Battlefield medics these days are so skilled they're saving soldiers who, in any other war, would've died.