wrbones
05-17-03, 02:12 PM
http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1052903067233320.xml
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
By RUSS FLANAGAN
The Express-Times
For as long as his family can remember, Sgt. David Messinger wanted to be a Marine.
And as fate would have it, he wound up serving with the same Marine division in Iraq that his grandfather fought with during World War II.
"I thought it was pretty interesting for my grandson to get in the same outfit," said Charles Sarkady, who fought with the 25th Marines in the South Pacific. "I think that it's great."
Messinger, 25, a 1995 graduate of Easton Area High School, is still serving in Nasiriyah, Iraq, providing security as a scout/sniper with the 2nd Battalion.
While his mother, Diane Kale of Palmer Township, isn't certain when her son will be coming home, one thing she is sure of is that he is happy with what he's doing.
"It's all David ever wanted to do," Kale said of the Marine Corps. "He signed up as early as he could."
Over his career, Messinger has come up through the ranks pretty quickly, moving to the rank of sergeant in four years and earning the prestigious Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for outstanding service while in command of a unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Messinger joined the Marine Corps right after high school and served four years before enlisting in the reserves. Kale said one of the things that most intrigued her son about serving in the military was the opportunity to travel the globe.
"Whenever an opportunity came up he took it," Kale said, adding that her son had been through Japan, Iceland and Germany before landing in Iraq.
When his four years were up, Messinger came home and worked as a private investigator tracking insurance fraud on Long Island, N.Y. But his heart was always in the military.
He signed up for the reserves under the guise that he would be given his dream detail in the sniper unit, to which the Marine Corps agreed. Messinger's one-year obligation was up just before Christmas, but as the standoff with Iraq escalated, his stay with the Marines was extended.
"He loved it, but I wasn't real happy," Kale said.
Then came news he would be going to Iraq.
"It was very nerve-wracking for me," Kale said. "I knew when it came down to it he was going. I knew there would be no stopping him."
Although the prospect of her son going to war was unnerving, she said Messinger constantly reassured her he'd be OK. As war loomed, Kale said she watched the news closely but couldn't bring herself to watch it after fighting broke out.
"It's a tough time," she said. "I finally stopped watching. Once he was (over there) I couldn't handle it. I didn't watch too much."
While Messinger was fighting in Iraq, Kale said she was forced to come to grips with the possibility that she may never see her son again.
"I believe in God, and I figured that whatever was going to happen was going to happen and I'd have to deal with it," she said.
One thing that helped ease Kale's nerves were the phone calls she would get from people who had loved ones serving in Messinger's unit. Her fears were quelled even further when she began to receive letters from her son, the first two arriving on April 1 from Kuwait.
Then last week, Kale received her first phone call.
"He sounded tired," she said. "He said it was very hot and very buggy."
During the brief phone call, Kale said Messinger told her he was doing fine but was sick of the military rations he's been eating and asked her to send him tuna, Gatorade, protein bars and bug spray.
Reporter Russ Flanagan can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at rflanagan@express-times.com.
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
By RUSS FLANAGAN
The Express-Times
For as long as his family can remember, Sgt. David Messinger wanted to be a Marine.
And as fate would have it, he wound up serving with the same Marine division in Iraq that his grandfather fought with during World War II.
"I thought it was pretty interesting for my grandson to get in the same outfit," said Charles Sarkady, who fought with the 25th Marines in the South Pacific. "I think that it's great."
Messinger, 25, a 1995 graduate of Easton Area High School, is still serving in Nasiriyah, Iraq, providing security as a scout/sniper with the 2nd Battalion.
While his mother, Diane Kale of Palmer Township, isn't certain when her son will be coming home, one thing she is sure of is that he is happy with what he's doing.
"It's all David ever wanted to do," Kale said of the Marine Corps. "He signed up as early as he could."
Over his career, Messinger has come up through the ranks pretty quickly, moving to the rank of sergeant in four years and earning the prestigious Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for outstanding service while in command of a unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Messinger joined the Marine Corps right after high school and served four years before enlisting in the reserves. Kale said one of the things that most intrigued her son about serving in the military was the opportunity to travel the globe.
"Whenever an opportunity came up he took it," Kale said, adding that her son had been through Japan, Iceland and Germany before landing in Iraq.
When his four years were up, Messinger came home and worked as a private investigator tracking insurance fraud on Long Island, N.Y. But his heart was always in the military.
He signed up for the reserves under the guise that he would be given his dream detail in the sniper unit, to which the Marine Corps agreed. Messinger's one-year obligation was up just before Christmas, but as the standoff with Iraq escalated, his stay with the Marines was extended.
"He loved it, but I wasn't real happy," Kale said.
Then came news he would be going to Iraq.
"It was very nerve-wracking for me," Kale said. "I knew when it came down to it he was going. I knew there would be no stopping him."
Although the prospect of her son going to war was unnerving, she said Messinger constantly reassured her he'd be OK. As war loomed, Kale said she watched the news closely but couldn't bring herself to watch it after fighting broke out.
"It's a tough time," she said. "I finally stopped watching. Once he was (over there) I couldn't handle it. I didn't watch too much."
While Messinger was fighting in Iraq, Kale said she was forced to come to grips with the possibility that she may never see her son again.
"I believe in God, and I figured that whatever was going to happen was going to happen and I'd have to deal with it," she said.
One thing that helped ease Kale's nerves were the phone calls she would get from people who had loved ones serving in Messinger's unit. Her fears were quelled even further when she began to receive letters from her son, the first two arriving on April 1 from Kuwait.
Then last week, Kale received her first phone call.
"He sounded tired," she said. "He said it was very hot and very buggy."
During the brief phone call, Kale said Messinger told her he was doing fine but was sick of the military rations he's been eating and asked her to send him tuna, Gatorade, protein bars and bug spray.
Reporter Russ Flanagan can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at rflanagan@express-times.com.