thedrifter
03-18-07, 08:42 AM
Our sons, our Marines, our heroes
By Susan Shinn
Salisbury Post
Beth Houck and Teresa Elrod look like any other moms chatting away at the local coffee shop.
Look closer.
Each of them wears a heart-shaped necklace. Each of them wears her son's dog tag.
Each of them is the mom of a fallen Marine.
Beth's son David, 25, was killed Nov. 26, 2004, during the Battle of Fallujah.
Teresa's son Nathan, 20, died Oct. 21, 2006, the result of an improvised explosive device — IED.
Both women say they want to see their sons' comrades finish the job in Iraq.
***
In February 2003, David Houck left for one of two tours of duty in Iraq. He'd joined the Marine Corps after Sept. 11.
"He was real angry about 9/11," his mom says. "He was working at Lowe's in Winston-Salem and he wanted to do something."
A home school student, David graduated from high school in 1997.
He had one semester of college, but, his mom says, "He got sick and tired of studying."
He graduated from boot camp on June 6, 2002 — D-Day his mom notes. David represented her family's third generation of military service.
Beth's father served in the Air Force during World War II. Her husband Bob is a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam.
David felt that the Marines offered the most challenge.
He was the type of child, his mom says, who, when told he couldn't do something was all the more determined to accomplish his goal.
Teresa, 48, and her husband Tim, 49, always expected Nathan to join the military. He'd participated in the East Rowan High School JROTC program, so they figured he'd join the Army.
His junior year in high school, however, he surprised his parents by telling them he wanted to join the Marines.
After he was killed, a teacher brought Tim and Teresa Elrod the "legacy" their son wrote in 10th grade.
"He wrote that he wanted to join the Marines and be the best," Teresa says.
When he was 17, his mom says, "he sat there and looked us straight in the eye, and told us what he wanted to do."
Because of his age, his parents had to sign his entry papers. His senior year, he joined the Marines' delayed entry program.
Nathan graduated from East in 2004.
"He felt good knowing what he was going to do when he got out of high school," his mom says. "He knew he was doing something important."
***
Nathan eventually wanted to join the Marines' special Reconnaissance Unit and to do so, he had to go into Infantry.
He became one of the best gunners in his weapons company, assigned to security detail for his lieutenant colonel during his first tour of duty.
When he returned to Iraq, however, he decided to stay with his weapons company.
When he went on patrol in a convoy of Humvees, he was moved from the last vehicle to the first, because of his skills.
"His lieutenant wanted the best to ride with him," Teresa says.
Two weeks before Nathan's death, his Humvee was hit by an IED.
"I only found out later," his mom says. "He didn't want me to worry about him."
On this night, however, an IED exploded when Nathan's convoy passed. He survived for 30 minutes before succumbing to his injuries.
***
On David's first tour, he was based on the U.S.S. Nashville.
On his second tour, he went to Fallujah. He was killed Nov. 26, 2004, the day after Thanksgiving.
"That was Black Friday," says Beth, 54.
Ironically, her husband Bob, 60, had served as a casualty assistant calls officer, so the Houcks knew something was terribly wrong when two Marines in dress blues came to their door at 8:30 p.m. that Friday night.
"That moment is frozen in time," Beth says.
She and her husband knew David had either been killed or seriously wounded.
"Bless their hearts, they couldn't say anything," Beth says. "Bob said, 'We know why you're here.' One of them said, 'I am so sorry to tell you your son has been killed in action today.' "
***
Teresa's husband Tim was out of town on Oct. 21, 2006, when their doorbell rang that morning at 5:30.
"I heard the dogs barking and I heard the doorbell," Teresa says. She thought someone might be having car trouble.
But she also felt a sense of dread.
"The night before Nathan died, I had a feeling I've never had before," she says. "His second tour, I didn't watch TV. I didn't have a good feeling. The night before, the television was on Fox News, and it mentioned Ramadi. I took a few deep breaths and started crying. Then the feeling passed."
She'd find out later that was about the time her son died.
***
"I got up and turned the porch light on, I saw two Marines in dress greens," she says. "I could see the green through the window. At that moment, I knew. I didn't want to open the door. I didn't want to hear what they had to say."
But she did open the door, and the two Marines stayed with her for the next couple of hours. They sent local Marines in Tennessee to notify Tim, who was staying with his brother and sister. He found out three hours later and flew home.
She was in shock, she says, in a daze.
"You really don't believe it," she says. "I kept asking, are you sure?"
The Marines called her pastor and deacons from First Baptist Church of Rockwell and her sister. They stayed with her until her pastor arrived.
"They were very good," Teresa says of the Marines. "They were very compassionate and caring. They took the time to ask about Nathan, to sit and talk about him."
Those Marines never knew Nathan Elrod.
"But every Marine is a brother," Beth says.
***
David Houck was killed as his team went from house to house in Fallujah, searching for insurgents. Each man would take turns being the first in line.
"They tried to keep the married guys in the back," Beth says, but they wanted to take their turns, too.
David put his left hand on the door.
"Are you ready?" he asked his friends, the last words he'd ever say.
"He was shot right through the door," Beth says.
There were 10-12 insurgents on the other side.
David was hit under his chin and left cheek. He fell against the door, trapping the insurgents.
Surprisingly, Beth was told later, there was very little blood.
The rest of the team lived.
"It was David's turn," his mother says simply.
"He was thinking of his brothers," Teresa says.
***
At first, Beth had a hard time realizing that life at home was going on without David.
She wanted to scream out in Wal-Mart about the sacrifices that service members were making.
"Our guys are doing that so they're not fighting in the streets over here," Teresa says.
So people can keep on shopping at Wal-Mart and going about the mundane tasks of their lives.
***
Nathan's group had been going on night patrols, providing security for Army mine sweeps.
While the Army soldiers drove on one road, the Marines traveled a parallel road.
No one swept their road.
Nathan may have been killed by the IED under the road, or by the secondary explosions that occurred.
He was pulled from the debris and arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes of the attack.
It didn't matter.
When her son came home, she asked to see him.
The answer was no.
Couldn't she at least see his face or even stroke his hand?
No.
"His injuries were such that we were not able to see him," Teresa says, "so we didn't have that closure."
***
The Patriot Guard Riders is a national organization of motorcycle enthusiasts who attend funerals and honor returning veterans.
Members of the group came to First Baptist to provide a phalanx of flags at Nathan's funeral — and, Teresa found later, to be on guard against any anti-war protesters.
There were none.
"I remember walking through all those flags," Teresa says. "I was in a daze. The church was full and there were people outside."
It seemed to her as if the whole town of Rockwell was there.
***
Teresa went back to work two weeks later after her son's death.
"There's not a moment I don't think about him," she says.
She keeps busy.
Her daughter Shannon, 16, is a junior in high school and she has a grown stepson, Chris.
"You just deal with it," she says. "It's an effort to get up in the morning. But I remind myself that he would want us to go on, not to dwell so much on it.
"There's a reason for it but it's not for us to understand."
Beth and Teresa take solace in the fact that their sons were Christians and were ready to meet their Lord.
Perhaps someone else in their position may not have been ready, they believe.
Several months after her son's death, Teresa says, "I don't mind talking about it. I still have two children. You can't make out like he didn't exist."
It helps her to remember, for example, his smile, and how he taught himself to play guitar.
"He just had a way of being a good friend," she says. "He wanted to be the best at whatever he did. In his legacy, he wanted to be remembered as a kind and caring person, and he definitely was."
***
Beth went back to school that Monday after Thanksgiving.
"I needed to be needed," says Beth, a third-grade teacher who's now at Koontz Elementary School.
She's chosen to focus on others.
David was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Beth's father is in section 6; his grandson is in section 60.
Beth had the chance to touch her son's face and stroke his hairline before he was taken to Virginia.
While Teresa has mainly drawn support from her church, family and friends, Beth is part of a network of 13 families of 1st Batallion, 8th Marines, Bravo Co., whose sons were killed in the battle of Fallujah.
She's developed a ministry of encouragement to the Marines in Bravo Co. who returned from battle.
She's helped edit a book, "Fallujah With Honor, Second Edition," by Gary Livingston, a North Carolina writer.
She sends a comfort package to every Bravo Marine — more than 100 men in all — which includes:
* the book "Desert Angel" by Dorothy Aileen Dalton.
* a CD by an Iraqi pastor who is grateful for freedom of religion.
* a CD of comforting Southern gospel music.
* the Gospel of John.
* a personal letter from Beth.
* David's autobiography.
Beth also has a MySpace page dedicated to David to reach even more Marines.
"That's become my ministry, to help those suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome," Beth says.
***
Teresa continues to send her homemade beef jerky to Marines who are in Iraq.
"That helps me to keep sending things over there," she says. "I know they appreciate it. I think our guys see a purpose over there. They agree we need to stay over there and finish the job.
"I think our guys would like to finish what they started."
"These guys are professionals," Beth says. "Let them do their job. With good intelligence and informants, you are pretty sure where the insurgents are.
"We need to let them be professionals. You cannot fight a gentlemanly war."
Teresa adds, "They have a mission. They want to complete it."
***
Contact Susan Shinn at 704-797-4289 or sshinn@salisburypost.com.
Ellie
By Susan Shinn
Salisbury Post
Beth Houck and Teresa Elrod look like any other moms chatting away at the local coffee shop.
Look closer.
Each of them wears a heart-shaped necklace. Each of them wears her son's dog tag.
Each of them is the mom of a fallen Marine.
Beth's son David, 25, was killed Nov. 26, 2004, during the Battle of Fallujah.
Teresa's son Nathan, 20, died Oct. 21, 2006, the result of an improvised explosive device — IED.
Both women say they want to see their sons' comrades finish the job in Iraq.
***
In February 2003, David Houck left for one of two tours of duty in Iraq. He'd joined the Marine Corps after Sept. 11.
"He was real angry about 9/11," his mom says. "He was working at Lowe's in Winston-Salem and he wanted to do something."
A home school student, David graduated from high school in 1997.
He had one semester of college, but, his mom says, "He got sick and tired of studying."
He graduated from boot camp on June 6, 2002 — D-Day his mom notes. David represented her family's third generation of military service.
Beth's father served in the Air Force during World War II. Her husband Bob is a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam.
David felt that the Marines offered the most challenge.
He was the type of child, his mom says, who, when told he couldn't do something was all the more determined to accomplish his goal.
Teresa, 48, and her husband Tim, 49, always expected Nathan to join the military. He'd participated in the East Rowan High School JROTC program, so they figured he'd join the Army.
His junior year in high school, however, he surprised his parents by telling them he wanted to join the Marines.
After he was killed, a teacher brought Tim and Teresa Elrod the "legacy" their son wrote in 10th grade.
"He wrote that he wanted to join the Marines and be the best," Teresa says.
When he was 17, his mom says, "he sat there and looked us straight in the eye, and told us what he wanted to do."
Because of his age, his parents had to sign his entry papers. His senior year, he joined the Marines' delayed entry program.
Nathan graduated from East in 2004.
"He felt good knowing what he was going to do when he got out of high school," his mom says. "He knew he was doing something important."
***
Nathan eventually wanted to join the Marines' special Reconnaissance Unit and to do so, he had to go into Infantry.
He became one of the best gunners in his weapons company, assigned to security detail for his lieutenant colonel during his first tour of duty.
When he returned to Iraq, however, he decided to stay with his weapons company.
When he went on patrol in a convoy of Humvees, he was moved from the last vehicle to the first, because of his skills.
"His lieutenant wanted the best to ride with him," Teresa says.
Two weeks before Nathan's death, his Humvee was hit by an IED.
"I only found out later," his mom says. "He didn't want me to worry about him."
On this night, however, an IED exploded when Nathan's convoy passed. He survived for 30 minutes before succumbing to his injuries.
***
On David's first tour, he was based on the U.S.S. Nashville.
On his second tour, he went to Fallujah. He was killed Nov. 26, 2004, the day after Thanksgiving.
"That was Black Friday," says Beth, 54.
Ironically, her husband Bob, 60, had served as a casualty assistant calls officer, so the Houcks knew something was terribly wrong when two Marines in dress blues came to their door at 8:30 p.m. that Friday night.
"That moment is frozen in time," Beth says.
She and her husband knew David had either been killed or seriously wounded.
"Bless their hearts, they couldn't say anything," Beth says. "Bob said, 'We know why you're here.' One of them said, 'I am so sorry to tell you your son has been killed in action today.' "
***
Teresa's husband Tim was out of town on Oct. 21, 2006, when their doorbell rang that morning at 5:30.
"I heard the dogs barking and I heard the doorbell," Teresa says. She thought someone might be having car trouble.
But she also felt a sense of dread.
"The night before Nathan died, I had a feeling I've never had before," she says. "His second tour, I didn't watch TV. I didn't have a good feeling. The night before, the television was on Fox News, and it mentioned Ramadi. I took a few deep breaths and started crying. Then the feeling passed."
She'd find out later that was about the time her son died.
***
"I got up and turned the porch light on, I saw two Marines in dress greens," she says. "I could see the green through the window. At that moment, I knew. I didn't want to open the door. I didn't want to hear what they had to say."
But she did open the door, and the two Marines stayed with her for the next couple of hours. They sent local Marines in Tennessee to notify Tim, who was staying with his brother and sister. He found out three hours later and flew home.
She was in shock, she says, in a daze.
"You really don't believe it," she says. "I kept asking, are you sure?"
The Marines called her pastor and deacons from First Baptist Church of Rockwell and her sister. They stayed with her until her pastor arrived.
"They were very good," Teresa says of the Marines. "They were very compassionate and caring. They took the time to ask about Nathan, to sit and talk about him."
Those Marines never knew Nathan Elrod.
"But every Marine is a brother," Beth says.
***
David Houck was killed as his team went from house to house in Fallujah, searching for insurgents. Each man would take turns being the first in line.
"They tried to keep the married guys in the back," Beth says, but they wanted to take their turns, too.
David put his left hand on the door.
"Are you ready?" he asked his friends, the last words he'd ever say.
"He was shot right through the door," Beth says.
There were 10-12 insurgents on the other side.
David was hit under his chin and left cheek. He fell against the door, trapping the insurgents.
Surprisingly, Beth was told later, there was very little blood.
The rest of the team lived.
"It was David's turn," his mother says simply.
"He was thinking of his brothers," Teresa says.
***
At first, Beth had a hard time realizing that life at home was going on without David.
She wanted to scream out in Wal-Mart about the sacrifices that service members were making.
"Our guys are doing that so they're not fighting in the streets over here," Teresa says.
So people can keep on shopping at Wal-Mart and going about the mundane tasks of their lives.
***
Nathan's group had been going on night patrols, providing security for Army mine sweeps.
While the Army soldiers drove on one road, the Marines traveled a parallel road.
No one swept their road.
Nathan may have been killed by the IED under the road, or by the secondary explosions that occurred.
He was pulled from the debris and arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes of the attack.
It didn't matter.
When her son came home, she asked to see him.
The answer was no.
Couldn't she at least see his face or even stroke his hand?
No.
"His injuries were such that we were not able to see him," Teresa says, "so we didn't have that closure."
***
The Patriot Guard Riders is a national organization of motorcycle enthusiasts who attend funerals and honor returning veterans.
Members of the group came to First Baptist to provide a phalanx of flags at Nathan's funeral — and, Teresa found later, to be on guard against any anti-war protesters.
There were none.
"I remember walking through all those flags," Teresa says. "I was in a daze. The church was full and there were people outside."
It seemed to her as if the whole town of Rockwell was there.
***
Teresa went back to work two weeks later after her son's death.
"There's not a moment I don't think about him," she says.
She keeps busy.
Her daughter Shannon, 16, is a junior in high school and she has a grown stepson, Chris.
"You just deal with it," she says. "It's an effort to get up in the morning. But I remind myself that he would want us to go on, not to dwell so much on it.
"There's a reason for it but it's not for us to understand."
Beth and Teresa take solace in the fact that their sons were Christians and were ready to meet their Lord.
Perhaps someone else in their position may not have been ready, they believe.
Several months after her son's death, Teresa says, "I don't mind talking about it. I still have two children. You can't make out like he didn't exist."
It helps her to remember, for example, his smile, and how he taught himself to play guitar.
"He just had a way of being a good friend," she says. "He wanted to be the best at whatever he did. In his legacy, he wanted to be remembered as a kind and caring person, and he definitely was."
***
Beth went back to school that Monday after Thanksgiving.
"I needed to be needed," says Beth, a third-grade teacher who's now at Koontz Elementary School.
She's chosen to focus on others.
David was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Beth's father is in section 6; his grandson is in section 60.
Beth had the chance to touch her son's face and stroke his hairline before he was taken to Virginia.
While Teresa has mainly drawn support from her church, family and friends, Beth is part of a network of 13 families of 1st Batallion, 8th Marines, Bravo Co., whose sons were killed in the battle of Fallujah.
She's developed a ministry of encouragement to the Marines in Bravo Co. who returned from battle.
She's helped edit a book, "Fallujah With Honor, Second Edition," by Gary Livingston, a North Carolina writer.
She sends a comfort package to every Bravo Marine — more than 100 men in all — which includes:
* the book "Desert Angel" by Dorothy Aileen Dalton.
* a CD by an Iraqi pastor who is grateful for freedom of religion.
* a CD of comforting Southern gospel music.
* the Gospel of John.
* a personal letter from Beth.
* David's autobiography.
Beth also has a MySpace page dedicated to David to reach even more Marines.
"That's become my ministry, to help those suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome," Beth says.
***
Teresa continues to send her homemade beef jerky to Marines who are in Iraq.
"That helps me to keep sending things over there," she says. "I know they appreciate it. I think our guys see a purpose over there. They agree we need to stay over there and finish the job.
"I think our guys would like to finish what they started."
"These guys are professionals," Beth says. "Let them do their job. With good intelligence and informants, you are pretty sure where the insurgents are.
"We need to let them be professionals. You cannot fight a gentlemanly war."
Teresa adds, "They have a mission. They want to complete it."
***
Contact Susan Shinn at 704-797-4289 or sshinn@salisburypost.com.
Ellie