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thedrifter
05-11-08, 08:59 AM
With her three sons deployed to two war zones, mother eagerly awaits their return


By Scott Schonauer, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, May 11, 2008

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Some parents lose sleep over having one child deployed to a combat zone.

This Mother’s Day, Mary Maray has three.

Her eldest son is an Army staff sergeant serving the final months of a 15-month tour in Baghdad. Her twin sons deployed to Afghanistan this year.

“It’s difficult to have them all gone,” their mother said by telephone from her home in Fayetteville, N.C. “But I left it in God’s hands. I’m at peace with it.”

Army Staff Sgt. David Maray, 24, fixes helicopters in the Iraqi capital. Airman 1st Class Andrew Maray, 22, is an A-10 Thunderbolt II crew chief with the Spangdahlem, Germany-based 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. His twin brother, Spc. Eric Maray, is a topographical analyst with the Army.

Mary Maray’s faith has helped her through the worst, angst-ridden days.

When she found out she would have three sons downrange at the same time, she did what many mother would do: She broke down and cried.

It took some time to accept. The movie “Saving Private Ryan” made her think the worst. But her prior experience of watching a loved one go off to war helped.

Her husband, Fred, retired from the Army in 1997 after a career in the Special Forces. He fought in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and participated in the Grenada operation. But she discovered that it is different watching her children go to a combat zone.

“She’s kind of used to my father being gone,” Eric said. “But her kids are her kids.… She stresses out a lot.”

When her sons followed a family tradition by joining the military, Mary knew they would probably have to go overseas. But she never thought they would be gone at the same time. Her husband is dealing with it a little better.

“He’s proud of his sons,” she said. “I’m proud of my sons, too. But it does make me worry. I’m like a mother hen who wants to protect her chicks. But you have to accept it.”

She can take some solace that her twin sons have had the incredible luck of being at the same base. This is the first deployment of their young military careers, and they have relied on each other to get through the ups and downs.

Like most twins, Andrew and Eric Maray are close. Both joined the military around the same time less than two years ago. Andrew chose the Air Force, he said, partly because he talked with their recruiter first. That decision has made him a prime target for some friendly ribbing delivered by his Army father and brothers.

Every Sunday, the brothers make a point to eat lunch together.

Although they work long hours and their schedules don’t always match, they try to hang out as much as they can.

They are fraternal twins but look identical. They look so much alike that many people on base get them mixed up.

“It’s kind of funny when people walk up and say, ‘Hey, you look like Maray,’ ” Eric said. “I’m like, ‘I am Maray.’ ”

In a few weeks, schedules will split the twins. Andrew is a couple of weeks from finishing his four-month tour and returning to Germany, while Eric has more than a year left in his 15-month deployment to Afghanistan.

“It has boosted my morale and motivated me a little bit,” Eric said of having his brother around. “It’s going to suck when he leaves, though. I won’t have anything really to look forward to except 15 months. That’s about it.”

His mother will probably be counting down the days until all three leave.

“Every time I pray, I pray to protect them mentally, physically and spiritually,” she said. “I’m just grateful they didn’t go infantry.”

Ellie