thedrifter
05-13-07, 08:34 AM
Twin Soldiers' Parents Hope For Sons' Safe Return
Jim Benemann
Reporting
(CBS4) HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. Ryan Mobley is heading out on his second deployment with a prayer ... not for himself, but for his identical twin brother Matthew who is already in Iraq.
"I pray for my brother to keep safe, keep his head down and hope he makes it back OK."
Ryan's twin, Spc. Matthew Mobley, is serving with the 82nd airborne paratroopers in Iraq. Cpl. Ryan Mobley has just left with the Marines on the USS Denver, heading for the Persian Gulf.
For the twins' parents, Mike and Deana Mobley, this is the most difficult time. Not just one, but both boys will be in harm's way.
At their home in Highlands Ranch, Mike Mobley sits in his office surrounded by pictures of his twin sons, playing baseball in high school and now carrying their weapons in Iraq.
Mike Mobley spends hours every day studying Internet reports about the war. He communicates with family members of other soldiers and Marines through Internet support groups. He stays in touch with both his sons by instant messaging. He watches television reports about the war.
When a CBS4 news crew visited their house, Mobley was worried. Nine soldiers had been killed in a bomb attack on a patrol base north of Baghdad. That is right where Matthew is serving, and when anyone is killed in action, all email communication shuts down.
He has been monitoring his e-mail, waiting and hoping for a message from Matthew.
This is how Mike Mobley manages his stress and his fears. He collects every piece of information he can about the war.
But in the kitchen, Deana Mobley, the twins' mother, has a different approach to managing her stress. She is packing boxes of girl scout cookies to send to Matthew. He likes Samoas.
When Mike tries to tell her about the war, Deana Mobley has a simple, straightforward reaction.
"Don't tell me. I don't want to know."
Deana spends her days working full time, gardening, exercising, crossing projects off her list as she finishes them. She wants to do anything to keep her mind off the dangerous job her sons have chosen.
"I'm a worrier," admits Deana Mobley. And I don't want to put myself in a position that I get so much information that I become paralyzed by worry. I'm the mother. I'm the head of the family and I need to keep strong. "
Back in his office, Mike Mobley has just received an email Deana will want to know about.
Matthew is instant messaging that he is OK. The attack was close but he was not injured.
Mike Mobley types back four letters.
"W-H-E-W."
And then another message comes in from Matthew.
"He says that one guy in the company was shot today," reads Mike Mobley. "The bullet went in the arm and out the neck. It was a weird ricochet."
Mike Mobley sits back from his computer and shakes his head.
"It could have just as easily been Matthew or Ryan, so I'm thankful," he says. "But I still worry."
He will not share this last message with his wife. She is busy in the kitchen, sealing the package full of cookies.
Ellie
Jim Benemann
Reporting
(CBS4) HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. Ryan Mobley is heading out on his second deployment with a prayer ... not for himself, but for his identical twin brother Matthew who is already in Iraq.
"I pray for my brother to keep safe, keep his head down and hope he makes it back OK."
Ryan's twin, Spc. Matthew Mobley, is serving with the 82nd airborne paratroopers in Iraq. Cpl. Ryan Mobley has just left with the Marines on the USS Denver, heading for the Persian Gulf.
For the twins' parents, Mike and Deana Mobley, this is the most difficult time. Not just one, but both boys will be in harm's way.
At their home in Highlands Ranch, Mike Mobley sits in his office surrounded by pictures of his twin sons, playing baseball in high school and now carrying their weapons in Iraq.
Mike Mobley spends hours every day studying Internet reports about the war. He communicates with family members of other soldiers and Marines through Internet support groups. He stays in touch with both his sons by instant messaging. He watches television reports about the war.
When a CBS4 news crew visited their house, Mobley was worried. Nine soldiers had been killed in a bomb attack on a patrol base north of Baghdad. That is right where Matthew is serving, and when anyone is killed in action, all email communication shuts down.
He has been monitoring his e-mail, waiting and hoping for a message from Matthew.
This is how Mike Mobley manages his stress and his fears. He collects every piece of information he can about the war.
But in the kitchen, Deana Mobley, the twins' mother, has a different approach to managing her stress. She is packing boxes of girl scout cookies to send to Matthew. He likes Samoas.
When Mike tries to tell her about the war, Deana Mobley has a simple, straightforward reaction.
"Don't tell me. I don't want to know."
Deana spends her days working full time, gardening, exercising, crossing projects off her list as she finishes them. She wants to do anything to keep her mind off the dangerous job her sons have chosen.
"I'm a worrier," admits Deana Mobley. And I don't want to put myself in a position that I get so much information that I become paralyzed by worry. I'm the mother. I'm the head of the family and I need to keep strong. "
Back in his office, Mike Mobley has just received an email Deana will want to know about.
Matthew is instant messaging that he is OK. The attack was close but he was not injured.
Mike Mobley types back four letters.
"W-H-E-W."
And then another message comes in from Matthew.
"He says that one guy in the company was shot today," reads Mike Mobley. "The bullet went in the arm and out the neck. It was a weird ricochet."
Mike Mobley sits back from his computer and shakes his head.
"It could have just as easily been Matthew or Ryan, so I'm thankful," he says. "But I still worry."
He will not share this last message with his wife. She is busy in the kitchen, sealing the package full of cookies.
Ellie