thedrifter
05-13-07, 08:26 AM
A Mother’s Day present from Iraq
By Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune
CHESAPEAKE — Kristal Taylor got a special present this Mother’s Day — one that many mothers with children serving overseas only wish they had. Her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kory Thomas, is home visiting from Iraq.
Thomas is a 2005 graduate of Collins Career Center and Chesapeake High School, where he played football and ran track. He graduated from boot camp at the top of his platoon last summer. His is currently serving a 14-month stint in Iraq.
“I miss him more often than I’m afraid for him,” said Taylor, a Chesapeake resident. “I have to have faith that this is his destiny.”
Although she admits she “cried her eyes out” when she initially found out her son would be deployed, Taylor said she is proud of her son and is counting on guardian angels to keep him safe.
“He feels he’s well-trained and he’s confident,” he said.
Taylor said her son’s transformation from a scruffy-faced guitarist to a confident man proudly serving his country is profound.
“He really enjoys it (the military) … he would not be anything but a Marine,” she said with a smile.
She said he and his fellow Marines in Iraq have lived up to their motto of “Courage, Honor and Commitment.”
Thomas is still as outgoing as ever, she said, and loves to hang out with his friends and play music. He has rarely had a free moment since he has been home, Taylor said.
Thomas, who is trained as a machine gunner, will be returning to Iraq Friday and will remain there until March 6, 2008, a date that his mother has permanently etched in her brain and on her heart.
“It can’t come fast enough,” she said of the day when she gets to see her son again.
She said her son will be turning 21 in Iraq and will miss every major holiday this year; those are the things that bother her the most about his deployment.
Since January, Thomas has been serving as a night guard at the military base in Fallujah. When he goes back, he will be trained to do other jobs and will be moved to a less secure region of Iraq, his mother explained.
“He will be on the road a lot more, but he wants to do other things (than be a night guard) and be where more of the action is,” Taylor said.
There are phone calls and emails that make the separation easier, Taylor said. Also, she said, she avoids watching the news coverage of the war in Iraq.
Taylor credits much of her positive attitude with her involvement in the Tri-State Marine Corps Family Support Group, which meets monthly and is open to all family members and friends of Marines. The group is lead by Ironton resident Mary Jo Vermilyea.
“I wouldn’t do well without them,” she said. “They have provided me with so much strength.”
Ellie
By Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune
CHESAPEAKE — Kristal Taylor got a special present this Mother’s Day — one that many mothers with children serving overseas only wish they had. Her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kory Thomas, is home visiting from Iraq.
Thomas is a 2005 graduate of Collins Career Center and Chesapeake High School, where he played football and ran track. He graduated from boot camp at the top of his platoon last summer. His is currently serving a 14-month stint in Iraq.
“I miss him more often than I’m afraid for him,” said Taylor, a Chesapeake resident. “I have to have faith that this is his destiny.”
Although she admits she “cried her eyes out” when she initially found out her son would be deployed, Taylor said she is proud of her son and is counting on guardian angels to keep him safe.
“He feels he’s well-trained and he’s confident,” he said.
Taylor said her son’s transformation from a scruffy-faced guitarist to a confident man proudly serving his country is profound.
“He really enjoys it (the military) … he would not be anything but a Marine,” she said with a smile.
She said he and his fellow Marines in Iraq have lived up to their motto of “Courage, Honor and Commitment.”
Thomas is still as outgoing as ever, she said, and loves to hang out with his friends and play music. He has rarely had a free moment since he has been home, Taylor said.
Thomas, who is trained as a machine gunner, will be returning to Iraq Friday and will remain there until March 6, 2008, a date that his mother has permanently etched in her brain and on her heart.
“It can’t come fast enough,” she said of the day when she gets to see her son again.
She said her son will be turning 21 in Iraq and will miss every major holiday this year; those are the things that bother her the most about his deployment.
Since January, Thomas has been serving as a night guard at the military base in Fallujah. When he goes back, he will be trained to do other jobs and will be moved to a less secure region of Iraq, his mother explained.
“He will be on the road a lot more, but he wants to do other things (than be a night guard) and be where more of the action is,” Taylor said.
There are phone calls and emails that make the separation easier, Taylor said. Also, she said, she avoids watching the news coverage of the war in Iraq.
Taylor credits much of her positive attitude with her involvement in the Tri-State Marine Corps Family Support Group, which meets monthly and is open to all family members and friends of Marines. The group is lead by Ironton resident Mary Jo Vermilyea.
“I wouldn’t do well without them,” she said. “They have provided me with so much strength.”
Ellie