thedrifter
12-12-08, 05:18 AM
They’ll be home for Christmas
By Erin Sauder, esauder@mysuburbanlife.com
Batavia Republican
Thu Dec 11, 2008, 10:01 AM CST
BATAVIA, IL -
For Lex and Bonnie Fogg of Batavia, Christmas came early this year.
Their sons were able to return from overseas to spend the holidays with their family.
Both corporals in the U.S. Marine Corps, Aaron Fogg, 24, was stationed in Iraq, and Brandon Fogg, 21, in Afghanistan.
This was Aaron Fogg’s third deployment, and Brandon Fogg’s second. His first was to Iraq when he was 20.
“Being only 21, (Brandon has) covered a lot of territory in our world,” Bonnie Fogg said.
She had mixed emotions when her sons decided to join the military.
“You want them to grow up, but you don’t want them to leave the nest,” she said. “It was especially difficult when we learned they were both going to be deployed at the same time.”
Brandon Fogg, who returned home Saturday, dec. 6 said the 8 degree Chicago weather was a shock, but he feels blessed to be home.
“There’s a lot of people that are (overseas) right now and didn’t get the chance to come home,” he said. “I’m fortunate that I made it back in time for the holidays.”
Lex and Bonnie Fogg were able to keep in touch with their oldest son regularly because of the communications infrastructure in place in Iraq.
“We got e-mails frequently and once a month got a phone call,” Bonnie Fogg said.
But keeping in touch with their youngest son wasn’t as easy.
“Everything they did was based on setting up new (communications) infrastructure, so we could go six weeks without hearing a word from Brandon,” Bonnie Fogg said. “But we felt fortunate because other family members didn’t hear from their kids for months.”
The brothers both have less than a year left to serve. Aaron Fogg is based at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, and Brandon Fogg is based at Camp Pendleton in California.
Aaron Fogg is engaged to Sue Morrison of Batavia, and they have a May wedding planned.
Aaron Fogg got home from his deployment in mid-November. His emergency appendectomy last week forced the family to cancel a planned welcome home party for the brothers.
But Bonnie Fogg didn’t mind.
“I’m just so glad they’re home,” she said.
Ellie
By Erin Sauder, esauder@mysuburbanlife.com
Batavia Republican
Thu Dec 11, 2008, 10:01 AM CST
BATAVIA, IL -
For Lex and Bonnie Fogg of Batavia, Christmas came early this year.
Their sons were able to return from overseas to spend the holidays with their family.
Both corporals in the U.S. Marine Corps, Aaron Fogg, 24, was stationed in Iraq, and Brandon Fogg, 21, in Afghanistan.
This was Aaron Fogg’s third deployment, and Brandon Fogg’s second. His first was to Iraq when he was 20.
“Being only 21, (Brandon has) covered a lot of territory in our world,” Bonnie Fogg said.
She had mixed emotions when her sons decided to join the military.
“You want them to grow up, but you don’t want them to leave the nest,” she said. “It was especially difficult when we learned they were both going to be deployed at the same time.”
Brandon Fogg, who returned home Saturday, dec. 6 said the 8 degree Chicago weather was a shock, but he feels blessed to be home.
“There’s a lot of people that are (overseas) right now and didn’t get the chance to come home,” he said. “I’m fortunate that I made it back in time for the holidays.”
Lex and Bonnie Fogg were able to keep in touch with their oldest son regularly because of the communications infrastructure in place in Iraq.
“We got e-mails frequently and once a month got a phone call,” Bonnie Fogg said.
But keeping in touch with their youngest son wasn’t as easy.
“Everything they did was based on setting up new (communications) infrastructure, so we could go six weeks without hearing a word from Brandon,” Bonnie Fogg said. “But we felt fortunate because other family members didn’t hear from their kids for months.”
The brothers both have less than a year left to serve. Aaron Fogg is based at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, and Brandon Fogg is based at Camp Pendleton in California.
Aaron Fogg is engaged to Sue Morrison of Batavia, and they have a May wedding planned.
Aaron Fogg got home from his deployment in mid-November. His emergency appendectomy last week forced the family to cancel a planned welcome home party for the brothers.
But Bonnie Fogg didn’t mind.
“I’m just so glad they’re home,” she said.
Ellie