thedrifter
09-05-07, 07:33 AM
Woman's tours of duty follow family's footsteps
By KRISTI FUNDERBURK
Staff Writer
kfunderburk@thedailyjournal.com
VINELAND -- Joining the military is in Jasmin Garcia Nowden's bloodline.
Her father and uncle were Marines in the Vietnam War. Her father died shortly after his return in 1968 and her uncle received a Purple Heart after suffering extensive injuries.
Nowden's brother served in the National Guard as a tank driver, medic and military police before being injured while training for deployment to Iraq.
Her 21-year-old son served in the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Myer in Virginia, and is scheduled to graduate from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina next week.
Nowden, 40, enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Vineland High School, and went on to serve as a military police officer in Operation Desert Storm. She has traveled to various parts of the country and world, from Orlando, Fla., and El Centro, Calif., to Egypt and Spain, in order to fulfill her duty.
Now she's working as administrative support at Fort Stewart, Ga., as part of the 3rd Infantry Division. Anytime between Oct. 10- 16, she'll leave for Iraq, where she'll work as a Humvee driver.
It's all part of the job, Nowden says.
Whether it's the Marines, the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Army, looking beyond branch, rank, and job, "we're all soldiers," she said.
Nowden's aunt, Rosa Agosto, doesn't share all of her niece's enthusiasm because having a military family means seeing them less and saying goodbye often, but she supports them and their jobs just the same.
"Sometimes it's very exciting that they're in the military. Sometimes I'm thinking, 'Are they coming back?'" Agosto said. "But we're very proud of them."
Agosto only gets to speak to Nowden once a month and has rarely spoken with Nowden's son, Jerald Luis Cotto Jr., because of his time spent training.
In fact, Nowden missed her own son's wedding while she was away at training. She was happy to learn she won't deploy before his graduation.
Agosto also hasn't heard from her nephew, Nowden's brother Harry Garcia, in about three years.
"It's hard because for their birthdays, they're not here. Sometimes you call them, but you don't reach them," she said. "And we don't get together for Christmas anymore."
She is afraid after seeing her brother, Angelo, come home wounded from Vietnam that another one of her family members could come home injured, or worse. Her confidence lifted a little when Nowden returned home from Desert Storm unharmed.
Nowden said her experience there meant long hours, several covert operations in and out of enemy territory and a lot of losses. One of the most difficult parts of serving is knowing life at home continues while she's at war. Hours and days "can be long, very long," when a soldier isn't home, Nowden said.
Though she misses her family and friends when she's away, she needs to continue serving.
"Freedom doesn't come cheap," she said.
Nowden was working for the state Department of Corrections on Sept. 11, 2001, and reported to Ground Zero to assist with crowd control. Being there felt like being in another country, Nowden said.
Cotto was the first to react, enlisting in the Army. An injury kept him out of Iraq, but he served on the Presidential Honor Guard. Nowden said the work was sometimes difficult for him because he worked funerals, often burying soldiers of a similar age.
Soon after Cotto joined, Nowden went on active duty and switched from the Navy to the Army so she could serve again.
"They need people like me who are willing to go back and fight," Nowden said. "Regardless of whether we agree with the political side, we have to unite."
Ellie
By KRISTI FUNDERBURK
Staff Writer
kfunderburk@thedailyjournal.com
VINELAND -- Joining the military is in Jasmin Garcia Nowden's bloodline.
Her father and uncle were Marines in the Vietnam War. Her father died shortly after his return in 1968 and her uncle received a Purple Heart after suffering extensive injuries.
Nowden's brother served in the National Guard as a tank driver, medic and military police before being injured while training for deployment to Iraq.
Her 21-year-old son served in the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Myer in Virginia, and is scheduled to graduate from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina next week.
Nowden, 40, enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Vineland High School, and went on to serve as a military police officer in Operation Desert Storm. She has traveled to various parts of the country and world, from Orlando, Fla., and El Centro, Calif., to Egypt and Spain, in order to fulfill her duty.
Now she's working as administrative support at Fort Stewart, Ga., as part of the 3rd Infantry Division. Anytime between Oct. 10- 16, she'll leave for Iraq, where she'll work as a Humvee driver.
It's all part of the job, Nowden says.
Whether it's the Marines, the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Army, looking beyond branch, rank, and job, "we're all soldiers," she said.
Nowden's aunt, Rosa Agosto, doesn't share all of her niece's enthusiasm because having a military family means seeing them less and saying goodbye often, but she supports them and their jobs just the same.
"Sometimes it's very exciting that they're in the military. Sometimes I'm thinking, 'Are they coming back?'" Agosto said. "But we're very proud of them."
Agosto only gets to speak to Nowden once a month and has rarely spoken with Nowden's son, Jerald Luis Cotto Jr., because of his time spent training.
In fact, Nowden missed her own son's wedding while she was away at training. She was happy to learn she won't deploy before his graduation.
Agosto also hasn't heard from her nephew, Nowden's brother Harry Garcia, in about three years.
"It's hard because for their birthdays, they're not here. Sometimes you call them, but you don't reach them," she said. "And we don't get together for Christmas anymore."
She is afraid after seeing her brother, Angelo, come home wounded from Vietnam that another one of her family members could come home injured, or worse. Her confidence lifted a little when Nowden returned home from Desert Storm unharmed.
Nowden said her experience there meant long hours, several covert operations in and out of enemy territory and a lot of losses. One of the most difficult parts of serving is knowing life at home continues while she's at war. Hours and days "can be long, very long," when a soldier isn't home, Nowden said.
Though she misses her family and friends when she's away, she needs to continue serving.
"Freedom doesn't come cheap," she said.
Nowden was working for the state Department of Corrections on Sept. 11, 2001, and reported to Ground Zero to assist with crowd control. Being there felt like being in another country, Nowden said.
Cotto was the first to react, enlisting in the Army. An injury kept him out of Iraq, but he served on the Presidential Honor Guard. Nowden said the work was sometimes difficult for him because he worked funerals, often burying soldiers of a similar age.
Soon after Cotto joined, Nowden went on active duty and switched from the Navy to the Army so she could serve again.
"They need people like me who are willing to go back and fight," Nowden said. "Regardless of whether we agree with the political side, we have to unite."
Ellie