thedrifter
05-14-07, 07:48 AM
Mom's best gift is reunion with sons
With two sons in the military, family time is tough to arrange
By WENDY ISOM
wisom@jacksonsun.com
It had been two years since Dana Magneson had both of her sons home for a Mother's Day weekend.
"Patrick joined the Marines in August 2005. Christopher joined the Air Force in November 2005," Magneson said.
Between basic training and tours of duty, the sons have not had the opportunity to be home at the same time with their mom for Mother's Day. Until this weekend.
"Patrick's unit came back from Iraq, and Christopher was able to get leave," Magneson said. "It was a fluke, really, that they're both home for Mother's Day." But she'll take it.
Patrick Magneson, 19, spent last Mother's Day doing desert training in California preparing for his tour in Iraq. He recently came back from Iraq and is stationed in Hawaii. Christopher, 21, is stationed at the Air Force base in Minot, N.D. The brothers hadn't seen each other in almost two years.
Military life is nothing new for this family. Magneson and her husband, Terry, both retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service.
Their home in Three Way is the one with three flagpoles in the front.
They took the time to catch up with one another and take in some movies together before Christopher had to fly back out on Saturday. They saw "300" and "Spider-Man 3" at Hollywood 16.
"Christopher hadn't seen Spider-Man 1 and 2, but we dragged him to 3," Dana Magneson said with a laugh.
Christopher Magneson said he only wished he could have stayed through Sunday.
"I was extremely happy. I love spending time with my family," he said in a phone interview Sunday from his base in North Dakota. "It was really special to be at home around Mother's Day."
"She's always been there for me and my brother," Christopher said in response to a reporter's question of what makes his mother special.
Both brothers agree that their mother is easy to shop for.
She loves books. So, they got her a gift card from Books-A-Million.
"They are right on the money with that," Dana Magneson said. "I'm a huge book lover. I'm going to go wild (in Books-A-Million)."
However, she still cherishes the ceramic Mother's Day gifts her sons made for her long ago. She admits it's still fun to look at those early gifts, letters and cards and see how much they have grown.
The celebration and the gifts won't stop this month. On May 18, the Magnesons will celebrate 22 years of marriage.
"We've got a lot of things going on in May," she said.
Visit jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.
- Wendy Isom, 425-9782
Ellie
With two sons in the military, family time is tough to arrange
By WENDY ISOM
wisom@jacksonsun.com
It had been two years since Dana Magneson had both of her sons home for a Mother's Day weekend.
"Patrick joined the Marines in August 2005. Christopher joined the Air Force in November 2005," Magneson said.
Between basic training and tours of duty, the sons have not had the opportunity to be home at the same time with their mom for Mother's Day. Until this weekend.
"Patrick's unit came back from Iraq, and Christopher was able to get leave," Magneson said. "It was a fluke, really, that they're both home for Mother's Day." But she'll take it.
Patrick Magneson, 19, spent last Mother's Day doing desert training in California preparing for his tour in Iraq. He recently came back from Iraq and is stationed in Hawaii. Christopher, 21, is stationed at the Air Force base in Minot, N.D. The brothers hadn't seen each other in almost two years.
Military life is nothing new for this family. Magneson and her husband, Terry, both retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service.
Their home in Three Way is the one with three flagpoles in the front.
They took the time to catch up with one another and take in some movies together before Christopher had to fly back out on Saturday. They saw "300" and "Spider-Man 3" at Hollywood 16.
"Christopher hadn't seen Spider-Man 1 and 2, but we dragged him to 3," Dana Magneson said with a laugh.
Christopher Magneson said he only wished he could have stayed through Sunday.
"I was extremely happy. I love spending time with my family," he said in a phone interview Sunday from his base in North Dakota. "It was really special to be at home around Mother's Day."
"She's always been there for me and my brother," Christopher said in response to a reporter's question of what makes his mother special.
Both brothers agree that their mother is easy to shop for.
She loves books. So, they got her a gift card from Books-A-Million.
"They are right on the money with that," Dana Magneson said. "I'm a huge book lover. I'm going to go wild (in Books-A-Million)."
However, she still cherishes the ceramic Mother's Day gifts her sons made for her long ago. She admits it's still fun to look at those early gifts, letters and cards and see how much they have grown.
The celebration and the gifts won't stop this month. On May 18, the Magnesons will celebrate 22 years of marriage.
"We've got a lot of things going on in May," she said.
Visit jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.
- Wendy Isom, 425-9782
Ellie