Shaffer
04-16-03, 07:21 AM
A veteran of the first Gulf War deals with his son's eagerness for a chance to fight in the second.
Having served in the first Gulf War, Ron Underdahl knows not to believe all he sees on TV about the war. But with both his wife and son deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he watches the briefings from Central Command in Qatar and checks the headlines several times a day.
Last he heard, his son, Marine Cpl. Ronnie Underdahl, was somewhere in the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Iwo Jima, waiting and ready to fight. His wife, a captain in the Navy Reserves, is stationed at the naval base in Jacksonville, Fla., as a nurse.
With his wife working at a hospital in the states - and likely to remain there - Ron Underdahl thinks about his son and relates to what the young man must be feeling at present.
Ron Underdahl's response to his son being overseas is mixed. As a former Marine, he's glad that his son has his chance; but, like any parent, he is not thrilled that his son could be sent into a dangerous situation.
"I wouldn't want him to miss it for his sake," Underdahl said.
Ronnie Underdahl is a member of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He is a tow-gunner, which means he handles the anti-armor weapon mounted on a Humvee. It is designed to provide protection against enemy tanks, his father said.
For the last month, Underdahl said, his son has been aboard the Iwo Jima. Not surprisingly, he is eager to get off, away from the constant rocking of the boat.
"Marines are taught that they don't want to miss the action," Ron Underdahl said.
He also believes his son will miss the comforts of the boat when he gets off - things like showers, beds, hot meals and the like.
Ronnie Underdahl joined the Marines right after graduating from Albany High School in 2001. It came as no big surprise to his family. Both parents served in the military and his grandfather was also a Marine.
"He's traveled with the Marine Corps all this life," Ron Underdahl said of his son. "It's kind of in the family."
The military life was often discussed in the Underdahl home, but the parents never pushed their son toward a military career. He was, however, brought up to view the military as an honorable career.
According to his father, Ronnie Underdahl did not want to go to college after high school, so the Marine Corps sounded like a good idea.
He entered under the delayed entry program and joined early enough that the Marine Corps could promise him he could go into basic training along with his friend, Nick Shipley. The two stayed together through basic training and then pursued different interests within the Marines.
Just when he'll come home - or at least make it off the boat - remains a big unknown in the Underdahl household.
Having served in the first Gulf War, Ron Underdahl knows not to believe all he sees on TV about the war. But with both his wife and son deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he watches the briefings from Central Command in Qatar and checks the headlines several times a day.
Last he heard, his son, Marine Cpl. Ronnie Underdahl, was somewhere in the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Iwo Jima, waiting and ready to fight. His wife, a captain in the Navy Reserves, is stationed at the naval base in Jacksonville, Fla., as a nurse.
With his wife working at a hospital in the states - and likely to remain there - Ron Underdahl thinks about his son and relates to what the young man must be feeling at present.
Ron Underdahl's response to his son being overseas is mixed. As a former Marine, he's glad that his son has his chance; but, like any parent, he is not thrilled that his son could be sent into a dangerous situation.
"I wouldn't want him to miss it for his sake," Underdahl said.
Ronnie Underdahl is a member of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He is a tow-gunner, which means he handles the anti-armor weapon mounted on a Humvee. It is designed to provide protection against enemy tanks, his father said.
For the last month, Underdahl said, his son has been aboard the Iwo Jima. Not surprisingly, he is eager to get off, away from the constant rocking of the boat.
"Marines are taught that they don't want to miss the action," Ron Underdahl said.
He also believes his son will miss the comforts of the boat when he gets off - things like showers, beds, hot meals and the like.
Ronnie Underdahl joined the Marines right after graduating from Albany High School in 2001. It came as no big surprise to his family. Both parents served in the military and his grandfather was also a Marine.
"He's traveled with the Marine Corps all this life," Ron Underdahl said of his son. "It's kind of in the family."
The military life was often discussed in the Underdahl home, but the parents never pushed their son toward a military career. He was, however, brought up to view the military as an honorable career.
According to his father, Ronnie Underdahl did not want to go to college after high school, so the Marine Corps sounded like a good idea.
He entered under the delayed entry program and joined early enough that the Marine Corps could promise him he could go into basic training along with his friend, Nick Shipley. The two stayed together through basic training and then pursued different interests within the Marines.
Just when he'll come home - or at least make it off the boat - remains a big unknown in the Underdahl household.