They won't be home for Christmas
Holston Soldiers in Iraq
By Suzanne C. Hickerson
A candle glows in a window of Sally Towe's home and a yellow ribbon hugs a tree in her yard. She eagerly awaits the return of her 25-year-old daughter, Lindsay, who has been serving in Iraq, as a nurse for nearly a year.
"Since she left, the candle burns for her and will burn until she comes home," said Sally Towe.
During this holiday season, there is a void in the hearts of many soldiers and their families, who will spend the festive time separated from one another. Whether serving overseas for the first time or serving as a career soldier, most troops find the holiday season to be difficult.
Many military families, including numerous ones from the Holston Conference, rely on faith, prayer, and a strong support system when their loved ones are at war on Christmas. Here, six parents talk about the children they miss.
Lindsay Towe
JONES MEMORIAL UMC
CHATTANOOGA DISTRICT
Following an attack in April, Lindsay Towe wrote in an e-mail to her family, "They called another 'mass casualty,' and this time I decided I wanted some action. I ran out to the emergency room, grabbed some Demerol and morphine and followed the doctor out to the landing zone. I helped triage and give pain medicine to the less critical patients right there on the landing zone, before the next bird came to pick them up to send them to Balad."
E-mail has been wonderful, according to Towe's mother, Sally. The technology has allowed the Towes and other military families the ability to communicate more often with loved ones overseas.
However, nothing takes the place of having her daughter at home.
"There's nothing like hearing her voice," Sally Towe said. "You just want to hug them and kiss them and you can't."
In high school and college, Lindsay Towe participated in the ROTC program and studied nursing. She was deployed in January and has reached the rank of first lieutenant in the Army.
She is stationed at the Ibn Sina Hospital, located in the green zone of Baghdad. The hospital once belonged to Saddam Hussein. The area was considered safe until a month ago when two suicide bombers penetrated the area. One of the bombs exploded about 300 yards from the hospital, according to Sally.
Recently Lindsay told her mom, "Mom, just pray that we will be safe until we get home. The enemy is getting better at what they do."
Sally tries to remain upbeat, but admits her daughter deals with her situation much better.
"She makes the best of wherever she is," Sally said. "She has a strong love for God and country."
Lindsay, a member of Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, is scheduled to return home in January 2005. She plans to relocate to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point.
John King Jr.
MEADOW/WILLIAMSON CHAPEL UMC
MARYVILLE DISTRICT
Army Sergeant John King Jr. initially joined the military to earn an education and to serve his country. Since that time he has become a career soldier. King, 32, was stationed in Germany before being deployed to Iraq in April. He is serving in Tikrit, Iraq, and providing security on base.
"It has been three years since John has been home," said the Rev. Gaye King, John's stepmother, who serves as pastor at Meadow UMC and Williamson Chapel UMC. "It's not something we like, but are accustomed to his being gone."
King is very dedicated to what he does and earlier sent an e-mail to his family saying he would not come home until every person in his group had an opportunity to return home on leave.
"We trust in the Lord," Rev. King said. "John has always been a risk-taker even before he was in the service. There were dangers here in Tennessee. We learned a long time ago to trust in the Lord."
In order to navigate through this difficult time, the pastor says a support system of family, friends, and church family is important. She also stays away from the television and trusts her stepson and the training he has had. During the holidays, King said she will miss John's sense of humor.
"He's always a big cut-up and keeps us laughing. He and his dad swap jokes. We miss that a lot."
Adam Collins
LEBANON CIRCUIT
ABINGDON DISTRICT
One of the first things Adam Collins packed was his Bible.
Adam, 19, has a strong faith and wanted to serve his country. He is currently located in the western Iraqi desert and his duties include security patrols with convoys and working as an electrician.
He enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 and has reached the rank of lance corporal. Adam left for Iraq in September and is scheduled to return home next summer.
"We have our good days and bad ones," said Adam's mother, the Rev. Deborah Collins, who serves Bascom UMC and Willis Chapel UMC in the Abingdon District.
As the Christmas holiday approaches, the pastor said she will miss watching her son open his presents and hearing his laugh. The support from people, who often ask about Adam and pray for him, has been a blessing, she added.
Despite the challenges of having a son fighting in the war, his mother said, "We turn everything over to God and pray. It has really given us the ability to function during each day. We are so proud of what he is doing. When he comes back, he will have so much to give."
Charles Baker
CLINTWOOD UMC
BIG STONE GAP DISTRICT
Although Marine Corps First Lieutenant Charles Baker has served in Japan, Germany and Korea, his deployment to Iraq in August marked the first time he has been in harm's way, said his mother, Brenda Baker.
Watching television and seeing the realities of war has been one of the most difficult aspects of Charles serving in Iraq, she said.
"He could be that Marine that they are showing," she said, referring to media coverage of the war.
While Brian and Brenda Baker think about and pray for their son often, they also think of all the other men and women serving in the military.
"I think when you have people in harm's way, whether it's popular or not, you support them to the fullest extent," Brenda Baker said. "Our country put them there - One soldier is not any more important than another."
Charles Baker is a combat engineer and executive officer. His duties include rebuilding infrastructure, such as water lines and roads. Baker, 25, is scheduled to return home in March 2005. His home church is Clintwood UMC.
R.J. Moser
SHILOH UMC
WYTHEVILLE DISTRICT
Like many other soldiers, R.J. Moser's name is on the prayer list at his home church, Shiloh UMC, and a yellow ribbon hangs outside his parent's home and on their cars, according to his mother, Sherry Moser.
"It is a good feeling, knowing that people care," she said, referring to the prayers and support from friends and family.
Moser joined the Army just before turning 18. He wanted to travel and earn an education. He was deployed in January and has been in the Army for nearly two years. The 20-year-old is part of the aviation unit and is a petroleum specialist, fueling trucks and helicopters. He is currently stationed in Taji, Iraq, and is scheduled to return home January 2005.
"I miss his smile ... his beautiful smile and his blue eyes," his mother said. "He's a witty person. I miss his sitting at the dinner table with us."
The absence of R.J. is difficult for his parents, Ronnie and Sherry, and for his brother, Brian. "It's really hard, but I know he is doing a job," Sherry said. "He is doing what he had to do. I try not to watch the news. The media blows thing out of proportion, but I try to keep informed."
Joshua D. Hooper
ST. ANDREWS UMC
KNOXVILLE DISTRICT
On Sept. 11, 2001, Joshua Hooper was in high school. During lunch that day, just hours after terrorists attacked New York and Washington D.C., Hooper and several classmates gathered around the flagpole to pray, according to his mother, Adrienne Sesler.
Hooper later dropped out of high school, earned his GED, and joined the military. He is an Army Specialist 4 serving in the infantry division and was deployed in March. He is scheduled to return from duty this spring. He is stationed in the green zone in Baghdad and has participated in missions in Sader City, Fallujah, and Mosul.
One time he called home, one of his best buddies was dead and another injured, Sesler says. During another phone call home, Hooper told his mom he was scared he was going to die.
"He called and asked me to help him write his will," she said. "How do you help your 19-year-old son write a will?"
Each time he calls home, Hooper asks for prayers, according to his mother, a member at St. Andrews UMC.
v The key to coping with her son's deployment is having a support system of friends and family, Sesler says. Being asked about her son by friends and family as well as being able to talk about Joshua helps her deal with her feelings.
Hooper followed in his father's footsteps when he joined the military. His father is Joshua C. Hooper, a retired command sergeant major of the Army, and his stepmother is Lieutenant Colonel Jeanne Hooper.
Susanne C. Hickerson is a freelance writer living in Salem, Va.
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