thedrifter
08-01-05, 06:27 AM
You are proud mom of a Marine if …
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Sunday, July 31, 2005.
By DENNIS ANDERSON
Valley Press Editor
This editor is not the author of the piece contained within this column. The author is Kolette Wolosznyek. Our sons are Marines. I asked if we could reprint her contribution, which is circulating on the Internet. It was called to my attention by Lt. Col. Drew Crane, flying with "The Moonlighters," the Edwards Air Force Base-based Marine Corps aviation unit that is a little more than halfway through its second tour in Iraq. We agreed these are the emotions of parents of any troops, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves.
Dennis, my son is Cpl. Brian Abell serving with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, Weapons Company near the Haditha Dam and at the city of Hit. He also gets down to the base at Al Asad periodically and usually calls us from there. His reserve unit was deployed in January and is scheduled to return to Akron, Ohio, in mid-October. I am incredibly proud of him, as I'm sure you are of your son. I will keep your son in my prayers.
You most certainly can use my "Marine Parent" piece and I'm sure it applies to all military parents, not just Marines. If you can, I would appreciate you mentioning the 3/25 Weapons Company Marines, and the fact that I would like to dedicate the piece to those in Weapons Company who were killed in action.
It absolutely breaks my heart that several parents will not be celebrating when the guys come home in October. Of course, being Marine families, I bet many of them will attend the event to welcome home their sons' brothers. (And we will be there to hold them up.)
You just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine
By Kolette Woloszynek
If you find yourself peeking around the corner before you turn down your street checking that no military vehicles are parked in your driveway and if you have nightmares about people wearing royal blue pants with a red stripe ringing your doorbell,
… you just might be the parent of a Marine serving in a combat zone.
If you put out your flag everyday and find yourself wanting to rip the face off anyone who disrespects that symbol of our freedom,
… you just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine.
If you feel guilty for wishing your son would get "injured just a little bit" because that would mean he would be safe and comfortable in a hospital for a few weeks,
… you might be the parent of a deployed Marine.
If you get really mad at the ignorant idiots who insist that all this fighting is just not necessary and that the world would be at peace if the U.S. would just mind its own business,
… you just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine whose life is on the line to protect the freedoms that these thankless bums take for granted.
If you negotiate with God every night before bed and the first thing every morning that if he will just bring your son or daughter home safe, you will do absolutely anything,
… then you are the parent of a Marine stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
If you deliberately keep yourself very busy, every minute, every day for the sole purpose of distracting yourself from thinking that at that very moment someone, somewhere on the other side of the planet is shooting at your child,
… you just might have a Marine in a combat zone.
If your shopping cart contains tuna fish, beef jerky, foot powder, Chapstick, playing cards, disposable shavers, car magazines, a prepaid phone card and small children's toys,
… you just might be the parent of a Marine who is spending a lot of his time patrolling the streets of Iraq.
If your son or daughter is halfway around the world fighting in 120 degree heat with 50 pounds of equipment on their back to preserve our country's freedom while your neighbor's smartass 20-year-old mouths off about our stupid military and you find you have to restrain yourself from slapping the crap out of him,
… you must be the parent of a U.S. Marine.
If you feel like an extraordinarily good mother because you know that you would sell your very soul, right now, to buy just one hug from your deployed Marine, … know that you are actually only the average Marine Mom.
If you get calls at 3 a.m. and barely recognize the voice of the child you raised between his satellite-delayed comments and then can't get back to sleep because you can't stop analyzing every word he said and kicking yourself for forgetting the things you tried to remember to ask, … you are the parent of a U.S. Marine who is far from home.
If you have memories of a tough, but precious little boy with a dirt-smeared face who idolized He-Man, always had a "sword" in his belt and a plastic knife in his boot and later played hockey or football (and definitely paintball) and now has a very pretty girlfriend,
… you just might have raised a U.S. Marine.
If you are someone who hasn't penned a handwritten letter since the day e-mail was invented, but now cranks them out daily,
… you just might be the parent of an active-duty U.S. Marine.
If your vehicle displays a yellow ribbon AND a red, white and blue ribbon, a USMC magnet, a blue star, a "Marine Mom" license plate holder and an American flag sticker,
… you are a proud mother of a U.S. Marine.
If you find yourself shamelessly, repeatedly, asking your friends and family to please send cards and packages to your child,
… you are the parent of a deployed Marine.
If you have never felt more heavy-hearted (and somehow guilty) at a wake than you did at the one you just attended for a handsome young man whose solitary portrait sat near his flag-draped casket,
… then your Marine may have just lost a good buddy.
If 45 years of a full life never presented a prouder moment than watching your son confidently march across the parade deck on graduation day at Parris Island or San Diego,
… then you are definitely the very proud parent of a U.S. Marine.
Kolette Abell Woloszynek is the human resources director for the City of Twinsburg, Ohio. Her e-mail address is: kwoloszynek@twinsburg-.oh.us.
Ellie
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Sunday, July 31, 2005.
By DENNIS ANDERSON
Valley Press Editor
This editor is not the author of the piece contained within this column. The author is Kolette Wolosznyek. Our sons are Marines. I asked if we could reprint her contribution, which is circulating on the Internet. It was called to my attention by Lt. Col. Drew Crane, flying with "The Moonlighters," the Edwards Air Force Base-based Marine Corps aviation unit that is a little more than halfway through its second tour in Iraq. We agreed these are the emotions of parents of any troops, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves.
Dennis, my son is Cpl. Brian Abell serving with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, Weapons Company near the Haditha Dam and at the city of Hit. He also gets down to the base at Al Asad periodically and usually calls us from there. His reserve unit was deployed in January and is scheduled to return to Akron, Ohio, in mid-October. I am incredibly proud of him, as I'm sure you are of your son. I will keep your son in my prayers.
You most certainly can use my "Marine Parent" piece and I'm sure it applies to all military parents, not just Marines. If you can, I would appreciate you mentioning the 3/25 Weapons Company Marines, and the fact that I would like to dedicate the piece to those in Weapons Company who were killed in action.
It absolutely breaks my heart that several parents will not be celebrating when the guys come home in October. Of course, being Marine families, I bet many of them will attend the event to welcome home their sons' brothers. (And we will be there to hold them up.)
You just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine
By Kolette Woloszynek
If you find yourself peeking around the corner before you turn down your street checking that no military vehicles are parked in your driveway and if you have nightmares about people wearing royal blue pants with a red stripe ringing your doorbell,
… you just might be the parent of a Marine serving in a combat zone.
If you put out your flag everyday and find yourself wanting to rip the face off anyone who disrespects that symbol of our freedom,
… you just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine.
If you feel guilty for wishing your son would get "injured just a little bit" because that would mean he would be safe and comfortable in a hospital for a few weeks,
… you might be the parent of a deployed Marine.
If you get really mad at the ignorant idiots who insist that all this fighting is just not necessary and that the world would be at peace if the U.S. would just mind its own business,
… you just might be the parent of a U.S. Marine whose life is on the line to protect the freedoms that these thankless bums take for granted.
If you negotiate with God every night before bed and the first thing every morning that if he will just bring your son or daughter home safe, you will do absolutely anything,
… then you are the parent of a Marine stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
If you deliberately keep yourself very busy, every minute, every day for the sole purpose of distracting yourself from thinking that at that very moment someone, somewhere on the other side of the planet is shooting at your child,
… you just might have a Marine in a combat zone.
If your shopping cart contains tuna fish, beef jerky, foot powder, Chapstick, playing cards, disposable shavers, car magazines, a prepaid phone card and small children's toys,
… you just might be the parent of a Marine who is spending a lot of his time patrolling the streets of Iraq.
If your son or daughter is halfway around the world fighting in 120 degree heat with 50 pounds of equipment on their back to preserve our country's freedom while your neighbor's smartass 20-year-old mouths off about our stupid military and you find you have to restrain yourself from slapping the crap out of him,
… you must be the parent of a U.S. Marine.
If you feel like an extraordinarily good mother because you know that you would sell your very soul, right now, to buy just one hug from your deployed Marine, … know that you are actually only the average Marine Mom.
If you get calls at 3 a.m. and barely recognize the voice of the child you raised between his satellite-delayed comments and then can't get back to sleep because you can't stop analyzing every word he said and kicking yourself for forgetting the things you tried to remember to ask, … you are the parent of a U.S. Marine who is far from home.
If you have memories of a tough, but precious little boy with a dirt-smeared face who idolized He-Man, always had a "sword" in his belt and a plastic knife in his boot and later played hockey or football (and definitely paintball) and now has a very pretty girlfriend,
… you just might have raised a U.S. Marine.
If you are someone who hasn't penned a handwritten letter since the day e-mail was invented, but now cranks them out daily,
… you just might be the parent of an active-duty U.S. Marine.
If your vehicle displays a yellow ribbon AND a red, white and blue ribbon, a USMC magnet, a blue star, a "Marine Mom" license plate holder and an American flag sticker,
… you are a proud mother of a U.S. Marine.
If you find yourself shamelessly, repeatedly, asking your friends and family to please send cards and packages to your child,
… you are the parent of a deployed Marine.
If you have never felt more heavy-hearted (and somehow guilty) at a wake than you did at the one you just attended for a handsome young man whose solitary portrait sat near his flag-draped casket,
… then your Marine may have just lost a good buddy.
If 45 years of a full life never presented a prouder moment than watching your son confidently march across the parade deck on graduation day at Parris Island or San Diego,
… then you are definitely the very proud parent of a U.S. Marine.
Kolette Abell Woloszynek is the human resources director for the City of Twinsburg, Ohio. Her e-mail address is: kwoloszynek@twinsburg-.oh.us.
Ellie