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Troops' Departure Brings out Emotion, Appreciation
By: Hilly Schiffer, Kentucky Kernel (U. Kentucky)
October 4, 2006 1:34 PM

(U-WIRE) LEXINGTON, Ky. - Tears slowly slid down her face as she grasped her husband of nearly 11 years.

Her husband pulled her as close to him as he possibly could.

They held each other.

He got on the bus.

And then he left.

Ten feet away, a couple in their very early twenties hid between two buses, hugging and kissing in hopes that he wouldn't take the final step onto the bus.

Twenty feet away, a mother and a father stood under an umbrella, holding each other as their only means of standing up as the bus driver started the engine. The mother held a tissue and fit her head under her husband's shoulder as she attempted to pull her hand away from wiping tears long enough to raise her hand to wave good bye. Meanwhile, the father, a grown man, was weeping out loud.

In the midst of all the hugs, kisses, prayers and tears stood another man. Single and alone, he strolled through the other soldiers, watching and smoking a cigarette.

And then there was me.

I stood letting every rain drop hit me without ever feeling wet. I tried to be to strong and not cry. But it was impossible.

This scene was only a week and a half ago in London, Ky., where I watched more than 140 American soldiers load a bus heading to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss., from which they will then all be sent to fight in Iraq.

I know the Iraq war has been going on for a long time, but I hadn't felt the effects of being personally connected until now. Although I knew one soldier in Iraq, I didn't see the look of his family's faces when they said farewell.

I met Johnny and Jackie two days before his send-off. The two were nice enough to let me observe Johnny's last days in Kentucky until next June.

This send-off was not their first. They had gone through the same pain before, when Johnny went to fight in Bosnia.

Five weeks before being deployed, Johnny was able to come home to watch his wife give birth to their third son, Jackson. He is also the father of Ryan, 9, and Alex, 3. Two days before loading the bus, Johnny heard his son, Ryan, announced during a middle-school football game.

The day before his departure, Johnny visited family and friends as they gave their farewells. The couple had a family had a portrait made. His final stop before the last night he'd spend in his bed was to his mother's home for his favorite meal - ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, green beans and apple dumplings.

Johnny volunteered to fight in Iraq. He felt like it was something that he needed to do. His courage amazed me.

As we were talking and he was holding Jackson and watching the other boys play, he jokingly said, "I don't know which battle is harder, the fight at home with the kids or in Iraq. My wife is the one going through the combat."

He seemed so emotionally strong and not at all concerned. Jackie's courage was just as incredible. After the send-off, I asked her how she dealt with him being gone for so long.

"I don't have time to think about it - I have to take care of three kids," Jackie said.

What a sacrifice. Johnny is sacrificing by missing the first nine months of his son's life. He is missing time with his wife as she is holding things together at home. Neither of their situations is easy, and for that, I admire their selflessness.

Johnny's family is now only left with the hope that he will be back and that every day he is gone is one day closer to him being home.

When Johnny left, his mother looked at me and said, "He's my baby, and he'll always be my baby."

Now, when I'm walking on campus and see the men and women walking around with camouflage uniforms on, I think of Johnny and his family. I truly honor and respect our soldiers and their families. And to those families and soldiers, in case you haven't heard it, you are very much appreciated.

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