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thedrifter
12-28-08, 07:44 AM
Hudsonhubtimes.com
Marine home for Christmas only in his family's dreams
4 hours ago

by Tim Troglen

Reporter

Hudson -- The song "I'll be Home for Christmas" was first recorded by crooner Bing Crosby in 1943, during World War II.

And now, during a different time and a different war, a local family will be dreaming of a time when their loved one will again be home for Christmas.

But this year, 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Colin Signs, who grew up in Hudson with the dream of one day becoming a Marine, will be spending Christmas in Afghanistan. As of the week before Christmas, his family hadn't heard from him in two weeks.

"He is at a forward observation post somewhere in Afghanistan," Steve Signs said of his son, a member of Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Signs was deployed to Afghanistan in November after completing basic training at Paris Island and advanced combat and deployment training at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

"They are close to the enemy, he has to be close enough to see the enemy with his own eyes," said Steve. "They direct air strikes and call in coordinates for air strikes as well as mortar strikes."

Capt. Tom Siverts posted a note on the company's Web site describing its progress.

"The company has been busy conducting patrols and securing the area," Siverts said in the post. "The Marines continue their outstanding performance as we begin operating in Afghanistan."

The job may sound exciting to others, but Steve said his son is simply "a Marine doing his job." Being a combat Marine also means being deployed in faraway lands with little opportunity to keep in contact with family, which is even more difficult during the Christmas season, Steve said.

And while he sometimes does not hear from Colin for weeks at a time, Steve said he doesn't worry "because I know he is a thinker and he is with people who have his back, and they would give up their lives for each other."

But it's not just dad who misses spending time with Colin. The lance corporal has two sisters, Katalin, of Denver, and Jeanine, of Montrose, who Steve said are "all very close." His mother, Denise Signs, lives in Wooster.

In a phone interview, Katalin began to cry as she said that being separated from her brother, especially knowing he is in a combat situation, has "been very hard."

"I'm really proud of him and I miss him every day," she said.

She called what her brother is doing a "very brave thing a lot of people would not think of doing."

"From what I hear he is very good at what he does," she said. "I am very proud that he is excelling and that he has a passion for what he is doing. This is his calling."

Her father agreed.

Steve said he knows the safety of his son is out of his hands, but added he's "very confident" that his son will come back.

"I love him and I just hope nothing happens to him," Steve said. "He is in a very dangerous occupation, but what he is doing is so important. It's about oppression versus freedom."

E-mail: ttroglen@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146

Ellie