thedrifter
10-08-07, 07:48 AM
Area Marines and families prepare for next tour of duty
Diane Vance/MVM News Network
KEOKUK - Karen Swinderman of Keokuk traveled to Camp Dodge in Des Moines Sept. 17 to say good-bye to her son, Lance Corporal Jeremy Hamelton, U.S. Marine reservist.
Hamelton, 22, is training with his unit, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. It is Iowa's only Marine reserve unit.
In January the infantry unit is expected to deploy to Iraq for seven to eight months.
“This will be Jeremy's second tour to Iraq,” said Swinderman. “His unit served in Iraq from September '04 to April '05.”
Hamelton, a Keokuk native, is a 2004 Keokuk High School graduate.
“He went through boot camp in San Diego and graduated as a Marine in May 2004, then returned here to graduate with his high school class,” said Swinderman. “He signed up for eight years; he wanted to serve his country.”
When not called up, Hamelton lives in Keokuk and works as a jailer at the Lee County Jail. His mom says he likes his job. Hamelton is interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice.
“When he first enlisted I was terrified,” she said. “I support him. I support our troops. I no longer support this war.
“He's 22-years-old and going on his second deployment to Iraq. The first time he was called up he was excited to go. While over there, he saw a lot of stuff at 19. His first close-range kill really affected him. Now, facing his second deployment, he knows more what he will face.”
Swinderman also is more aware of what she is facing. When she travels to the Des Moines area and Camp Dodge she notices more public awareness of troops.
She can reach out to family support groups and other families with deployed soldiers and Marines.
“Here in Keokuk, people aren't as aware,” she said. “I guess that's true anywhere. If it doesn't involve you, you aren't paying attention.”
Swinderman went to San Diego for her son's graduation.
“There are monthly candlelight vigils held on the beach in San Diego,” she said. “There are rows of white crosses set up signifying the number of American troops killed in this war. To see the number of crosses on the beach stretched out - it's overwhelming. And that was back when troop deaths numbered around 2,000. It's nearly doubled now.”
In Keokuk - other than her own family - Swinderman has no support group. She travels to Des Moines once a month to connect with other Marine moms.
“The Marine moms are raising money for the unit,” she said. “Half the unit can go home for Christmas and half for New Year's before deployment. But it's all at their own expense. It's expensive to buy an airline ticket at the holidays from southern California to Iowa, about $700. Some of them are not going to be able to afford it. So the Marine moms are raising money to help with airfare for visits home.
“Anything anyone in Keokuk can do to help and support our troops is greatly appreciated,” she said.
Swinderman knows the importance of keeping in touch with her son halfway around the world.
“We used e-mail, phone calls and lots of letters,” she said.
On his first tour in Iraq, Hamelton, a rifleman, had an occasion to drive a handful of Marine snipers into Baghdad.
“He called me from the U.S. embassy there,” said Swinderman. “I have caller i.d. and I was used to Jeremy's calls at 3 a.m. or other odd times. This time, in the middle of the night, the i.d. said ‘U.S. government' and it really scared me. But I recognized his voice. He was really impressed to be inside the embassy. He said it was very ornate and he didn't feel worthy to be there. But he was excited to get to use a flush toilet.”
Some of the highlights of his tour included shopping in the Green Zone and seeing so many camels just wandering around.
“The kids really bothered him,” she said.
Asked if seeing kids in hunger or begging on the streets was the problem, Swinderman said no.
“We sent candy and toys to the unit and the Marines could hand those out to the children. It was the kids with guns,” she said. “He had to choose between shooting or being shot.”
When Hamelton first returned from Iraq he had trouble sleeping, jumped at loud noises and didn't like seeing something alongside the road.
“He was jumpy and nervous,” said Swinderman. “All that gradually went away.
Then this year in April he was sent to Israel for anti-terrorist training. He went to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina twice for training. The date and the location kept changing. We knew something was up. Then the call to activation came.
“As the time for him to leave got closer he grew moodier. I watched him draw into himself.”
Hamelton has a girlfriend, Stacy Newlon, who attends the University of Northern Iowa.
“They dated in high school a bit,” said Swinderman. “Having a girlfriend helps Jeremy be more motivated to stay safe and return. And Stacy is just awesome. If she hears from Jeremy she'll contact us to let us know. I appreciate that.”
Hamelton's sister, Elizabeth, married this week. Her brother was scheduled to be in the wedding party when wedding plans were first made.
“Jeremy can't even attend,” said Swinderman. “It's very hard on our daughter. In September we threw a bridal shower for Elizabeth in the afternoon and had a going-away party for Jeremy the same evening. It was difficult to have a happy occasion earlier in the day when we knew we'd be sad about Jeremy leaving.”
Another Keokuk man, Colby Barker, 19, and newly married to Tory Messenger in June, is in the 24th Marines Regiment and training in California's desert for deployment to Iraq. A third Marine, Andy Schulte, was scheduled to go.
Schulte was seriously injured in a train accident while working his civilian job with the Burlington Northern Railroad earlier this year.
Swinderman and her husband Dave can be contacted at 795-2884. Hamelton can be e-mailed at jeremyhamelton@hot-mail.com.
Ellie
Diane Vance/MVM News Network
KEOKUK - Karen Swinderman of Keokuk traveled to Camp Dodge in Des Moines Sept. 17 to say good-bye to her son, Lance Corporal Jeremy Hamelton, U.S. Marine reservist.
Hamelton, 22, is training with his unit, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. It is Iowa's only Marine reserve unit.
In January the infantry unit is expected to deploy to Iraq for seven to eight months.
“This will be Jeremy's second tour to Iraq,” said Swinderman. “His unit served in Iraq from September '04 to April '05.”
Hamelton, a Keokuk native, is a 2004 Keokuk High School graduate.
“He went through boot camp in San Diego and graduated as a Marine in May 2004, then returned here to graduate with his high school class,” said Swinderman. “He signed up for eight years; he wanted to serve his country.”
When not called up, Hamelton lives in Keokuk and works as a jailer at the Lee County Jail. His mom says he likes his job. Hamelton is interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice.
“When he first enlisted I was terrified,” she said. “I support him. I support our troops. I no longer support this war.
“He's 22-years-old and going on his second deployment to Iraq. The first time he was called up he was excited to go. While over there, he saw a lot of stuff at 19. His first close-range kill really affected him. Now, facing his second deployment, he knows more what he will face.”
Swinderman also is more aware of what she is facing. When she travels to the Des Moines area and Camp Dodge she notices more public awareness of troops.
She can reach out to family support groups and other families with deployed soldiers and Marines.
“Here in Keokuk, people aren't as aware,” she said. “I guess that's true anywhere. If it doesn't involve you, you aren't paying attention.”
Swinderman went to San Diego for her son's graduation.
“There are monthly candlelight vigils held on the beach in San Diego,” she said. “There are rows of white crosses set up signifying the number of American troops killed in this war. To see the number of crosses on the beach stretched out - it's overwhelming. And that was back when troop deaths numbered around 2,000. It's nearly doubled now.”
In Keokuk - other than her own family - Swinderman has no support group. She travels to Des Moines once a month to connect with other Marine moms.
“The Marine moms are raising money for the unit,” she said. “Half the unit can go home for Christmas and half for New Year's before deployment. But it's all at their own expense. It's expensive to buy an airline ticket at the holidays from southern California to Iowa, about $700. Some of them are not going to be able to afford it. So the Marine moms are raising money to help with airfare for visits home.
“Anything anyone in Keokuk can do to help and support our troops is greatly appreciated,” she said.
Swinderman knows the importance of keeping in touch with her son halfway around the world.
“We used e-mail, phone calls and lots of letters,” she said.
On his first tour in Iraq, Hamelton, a rifleman, had an occasion to drive a handful of Marine snipers into Baghdad.
“He called me from the U.S. embassy there,” said Swinderman. “I have caller i.d. and I was used to Jeremy's calls at 3 a.m. or other odd times. This time, in the middle of the night, the i.d. said ‘U.S. government' and it really scared me. But I recognized his voice. He was really impressed to be inside the embassy. He said it was very ornate and he didn't feel worthy to be there. But he was excited to get to use a flush toilet.”
Some of the highlights of his tour included shopping in the Green Zone and seeing so many camels just wandering around.
“The kids really bothered him,” she said.
Asked if seeing kids in hunger or begging on the streets was the problem, Swinderman said no.
“We sent candy and toys to the unit and the Marines could hand those out to the children. It was the kids with guns,” she said. “He had to choose between shooting or being shot.”
When Hamelton first returned from Iraq he had trouble sleeping, jumped at loud noises and didn't like seeing something alongside the road.
“He was jumpy and nervous,” said Swinderman. “All that gradually went away.
Then this year in April he was sent to Israel for anti-terrorist training. He went to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina twice for training. The date and the location kept changing. We knew something was up. Then the call to activation came.
“As the time for him to leave got closer he grew moodier. I watched him draw into himself.”
Hamelton has a girlfriend, Stacy Newlon, who attends the University of Northern Iowa.
“They dated in high school a bit,” said Swinderman. “Having a girlfriend helps Jeremy be more motivated to stay safe and return. And Stacy is just awesome. If she hears from Jeremy she'll contact us to let us know. I appreciate that.”
Hamelton's sister, Elizabeth, married this week. Her brother was scheduled to be in the wedding party when wedding plans were first made.
“Jeremy can't even attend,” said Swinderman. “It's very hard on our daughter. In September we threw a bridal shower for Elizabeth in the afternoon and had a going-away party for Jeremy the same evening. It was difficult to have a happy occasion earlier in the day when we knew we'd be sad about Jeremy leaving.”
Another Keokuk man, Colby Barker, 19, and newly married to Tory Messenger in June, is in the 24th Marines Regiment and training in California's desert for deployment to Iraq. A third Marine, Andy Schulte, was scheduled to go.
Schulte was seriously injured in a train accident while working his civilian job with the Burlington Northern Railroad earlier this year.
Swinderman and her husband Dave can be contacted at 795-2884. Hamelton can be e-mailed at jeremyhamelton@hot-mail.com.
Ellie