thedrifter
08-29-05, 06:24 AM
Marine Moms form allegiance
BY R. NORMAN MOODY
FLORIDA TODAY
MERRITT ISLAND - Alex Boswell is a new Marine, just out of boot camp.
Tina Boswell is a new "Marine Mom," working hard at recruiting more women to her organization to share stories, worries and camaraderie.
Boswell didn't get much notice about her son's choice.
"He came home one night and said, 'I'm joining,' " she said. "I was upset. I was sad. I understand the nature of deployment, and it scares me."
It didn't take long before Boswell found other mothers in the same situation -- a group called Marine Moms. And it wasn't too long before the group's leader moved away, and Boswell found herself recruiting other mothers to join the support group.
"You can talk to someone else going through the same thing," said Kem Weidig of Merritt Island. "It's not only the deployment."
Weidig's son, D.J. Van Buren, a 2005 Merritt Island High School graduate, is expected to graduate from boot camp Sept. 16.
There's more to the Marine Moms than talking about their children deployed overseas. Much of their focus is on preparation.
"You don't want to see your son go off like that, going to war, but I'm proud of him," Boswell said, adding her husband, Ronald, now retired from the Air Force, was among the first called up after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Boswell said she had worried whether her son, a Merritt Island High School honor graduate and football player, would decide to go away to school. When Alex Boswell decided to be a Marine, being part of a support group came natural to his mother.
"I think it's a good thing," said Pfc. Alex Boswell, on a break between boot camp and combat training. "If you're going through the same thing as other people, it helps you to get through it."
Alex Boswell spoke to the moms' group after he returned from boot camp.
"He talked to us and said, 'Here's what's going on,' " Weidig said.
The group welcomes other mothers of Marines, even those whose sons are in the Delayed Entry Program.
"We actually had a dad come and talk to us because he's the only 'mom' his kids have known for a long time," Weidig said.
Ellie
http://p089.ezboard.com/bthefontmanscommunity
BY R. NORMAN MOODY
FLORIDA TODAY
MERRITT ISLAND - Alex Boswell is a new Marine, just out of boot camp.
Tina Boswell is a new "Marine Mom," working hard at recruiting more women to her organization to share stories, worries and camaraderie.
Boswell didn't get much notice about her son's choice.
"He came home one night and said, 'I'm joining,' " she said. "I was upset. I was sad. I understand the nature of deployment, and it scares me."
It didn't take long before Boswell found other mothers in the same situation -- a group called Marine Moms. And it wasn't too long before the group's leader moved away, and Boswell found herself recruiting other mothers to join the support group.
"You can talk to someone else going through the same thing," said Kem Weidig of Merritt Island. "It's not only the deployment."
Weidig's son, D.J. Van Buren, a 2005 Merritt Island High School graduate, is expected to graduate from boot camp Sept. 16.
There's more to the Marine Moms than talking about their children deployed overseas. Much of their focus is on preparation.
"You don't want to see your son go off like that, going to war, but I'm proud of him," Boswell said, adding her husband, Ronald, now retired from the Air Force, was among the first called up after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Boswell said she had worried whether her son, a Merritt Island High School honor graduate and football player, would decide to go away to school. When Alex Boswell decided to be a Marine, being part of a support group came natural to his mother.
"I think it's a good thing," said Pfc. Alex Boswell, on a break between boot camp and combat training. "If you're going through the same thing as other people, it helps you to get through it."
Alex Boswell spoke to the moms' group after he returned from boot camp.
"He talked to us and said, 'Here's what's going on,' " Weidig said.
The group welcomes other mothers of Marines, even those whose sons are in the Delayed Entry Program.
"We actually had a dad come and talk to us because he's the only 'mom' his kids have known for a long time," Weidig said.
Ellie
http://p089.ezboard.com/bthefontmanscommunity