No easy way to send loved one to a war zone

By Linda A. Odum
For the Monitor

January 04. 2007 8:00AM

I was caught off guard. While my husband and I watched my 23-year-old stepdaughter, Jennifer, go through security at Logan Airport on her way back to Norfolk, Va., I began to cry. I fought hard to keep Jen from seeing the tears when she turned and gave her final wave before heading to her gate.

We have said goodbye to Jen several times since she joined the U.S. Navy almost two years ago. This time was different. This time Jen was headed to war. Her ship leaves this month for deployment to the Persian Gulf.

Yes, I know I shouldn't worry. After all, Jen is stationed onboard the USS Bataan, a multipurpose amphibious assault ship that looks like a short aircraft carrier. She will be on the water, not on land, where there are improvised explosive devices and snipers. Plus, I never see any reports of ships being fired upon during this war. Hopefully hers will not be the first.

Jen's ship transports and supports a Marine Expeditionary Unit. According to the ship's website, it may transport at any one time M-1 tanks, light amphibious vehicles, howitzer and military trucks and trailers. Add to that a few air cushion landing crafts, Harrier jets and helicopters, plus a crew of approximately 1,200 and 2,000 Marines, and you get a pretty good idea of the ship's size.

I marvel at how much Jen's life has changed. She married Thomas, a young Texas man who had just finished his Navy stint. They have had their ups and downs, which is common with young people who rush into marriage in the early months of a relationship. Lately they seem happier together, perhaps drawn closer by the knowledge that she will be gone for at least the next six months.

Jen's professional life has also changed. Before the Navy, she was a licensed nursing assistant caring for brain-injured adults. Now she is Machinist Mate Odum, wearing coveralls and working in the ship's oil lab, where they transfer, monitor and test the 2 million gallons of fuel oil. Her area also oversees the ship's water supply for both the steam boilers and human usage.

The ship has been going on short voyages all year in preparation for this deployment. For Jen, the hardest aspect is the convoluted work hours. Sometimes she works six hours on-duty with six hours off. On their last trip, they did what is called a five and dime - five hours on and 10 hours off-duty. Your body is never put on a regular schedule.

The Marines are her other annoyance. For example, they tend to hog the food lines, making it hard for anyone else to get a meal. They have nothing to do onboard. Some stand watch over the Humvees. Like anyone is going to steal a Humvee in the middle of the ocean.

Jen has to pack carefully for the next six months because of very limited space. She sleeps in a rack that is smaller and shorter than a twin bed. Underneath is her storage, along with a tiny locker. Her plan is to take enough supplies and snacks for three months. She left me a list of toiletries and other items that I will mail to her when she is about to run out.

"I don't think people understand how living in tight quarters can be," she said. "Picture waking up and being at work. And not going home after work. You live with everyone you work with. Even if you can't stand them, there is nothing you can do. You can't escape it. But, you have a lot of friends. You get used to different types of people."

When she left, Jen was not worried about this deployment. Always the adventurous one, she was excited about possible stops in Spain, Sicily and Turkey. She said her only concern, besides missing her husband and family, was that her great-grandmother, who has been ill for some time, might pass away while she was gone.

But I think reality finally set in once Jen returned to Virginia. She said as much in a phone call a few days ago.

"It is beginning to sink in that I'm going to be gone for a long time," she said.

It's nice to know she has finally caught up with the rest of us.

(Linda A. Odum is a freelance writer who lives in Hillsboro.)

Ellie