thedrifter
06-19-06, 05:47 AM
American flag makes long journey
from Iraq to Greenwood business
June 19, 2006
BY BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer
The American flag hanging in the lobby of One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning has survived one of the most dangerous environments on Earth. Decorated with the signatures of a Marine platoon, the flag has flown in a convoy through Al-Taqaddum, Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad, Samara and Tikrit in Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Brian Lee Moody mailed the flag to Dianne and John Collins, his wife’s parents and owners of One Hour, several weeks ago.
The trip through Iraq took several days for Moody’s convoy, so he sent the flag home as a reminder of the journey, said his wife, Jill Moody.
The flag will stay up until Moody, a Greenwood native, comes home in September, Dianne Collins said. “I’m gonna give it back to him when he gets home,” she said.
The Collinses and Moody’s parents each received a flag.
Moody was born on Sept. 24, 1970, in Greenwood.
He was a good-natured kid with a very go lucky attitude, Diane Moody said of her son.
Moody raised cattle as a child, something that displayed the discipline he would use later in the Marines, she said.
A fan of Civil War history and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Moody talks about opening his own barbecue place once he gets back from Iraq, Diane Moody said.
He’s in his second tour of Iraq, Dianne Collins said.
Moody served in Iraq during Desert Storm, she said.
He’s been in the Marines for 11 years, she said.
Moody returned to Iraq because he wanted to serve his country, Dianne Collins said.
He married the Collins’ daughter, Jill, after coming back from Desert Storm.
The Collinses liked Moody right away, John Collins said.
Moody talks with Jill, the Collinses and his mother as often as he can by phone or e-mail.
Diane Moody worries a little less about her son this time in Iraq.
During Desert Storm, he slept in a hole he dug in the desert floor, she said. Now, he at least gets to sleep in a tent.
Moody is kind of used to the heat, Dianne Collins said.
He trained with his platoon in California before going to Iraq.
Even with the luxury of temporary shelter, Moody’s conditions aren’t always ideal. That‘s the way he likes it, Diane Moody said.
When she talked to him on June 2, Moody had gotten two hours of sleep in 48 hours.
“But things are going well,” Moody told his mother.
Moody doesn’t complain too much, she said.
“Complaining only reinforces the negative,” Moody told his mother.
Jill Moody stays near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. with their three children while Moody’s in Iraq, Dianne Collins said.
Moody spent five years as a Greenwood police officer after Desert Storm, eventually becoming a captain, Dianne Collins said.
But the pull of the Marines called him back to service in 1998, she said.
Moody liked being a police officer, but he was gung-ho about being a Marine, Dianne Collins said.
“He just loves the military,” Dianne Collins said. “He said he needed to be over there.”
The Collinses are supportive of Moody, even though the distance between them makes them feel helpless, John Collins said.
“I told him when he gets home, I’d kiss him on the cheek,” Dianne Collins said.
When Moody gets back, all he’ll want to do is spend time with his wife and kids, Diane Moody said.
“He won’t want a big to-do,” she said.
People have to remember soldiers like Moody and support them until they come home, John Collins said.
“You can’t just forget about it,” he said.
Ellie
from Iraq to Greenwood business
June 19, 2006
BY BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer
The American flag hanging in the lobby of One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning has survived one of the most dangerous environments on Earth. Decorated with the signatures of a Marine platoon, the flag has flown in a convoy through Al-Taqaddum, Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad, Samara and Tikrit in Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Brian Lee Moody mailed the flag to Dianne and John Collins, his wife’s parents and owners of One Hour, several weeks ago.
The trip through Iraq took several days for Moody’s convoy, so he sent the flag home as a reminder of the journey, said his wife, Jill Moody.
The flag will stay up until Moody, a Greenwood native, comes home in September, Dianne Collins said. “I’m gonna give it back to him when he gets home,” she said.
The Collinses and Moody’s parents each received a flag.
Moody was born on Sept. 24, 1970, in Greenwood.
He was a good-natured kid with a very go lucky attitude, Diane Moody said of her son.
Moody raised cattle as a child, something that displayed the discipline he would use later in the Marines, she said.
A fan of Civil War history and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Moody talks about opening his own barbecue place once he gets back from Iraq, Diane Moody said.
He’s in his second tour of Iraq, Dianne Collins said.
Moody served in Iraq during Desert Storm, she said.
He’s been in the Marines for 11 years, she said.
Moody returned to Iraq because he wanted to serve his country, Dianne Collins said.
He married the Collins’ daughter, Jill, after coming back from Desert Storm.
The Collinses liked Moody right away, John Collins said.
Moody talks with Jill, the Collinses and his mother as often as he can by phone or e-mail.
Diane Moody worries a little less about her son this time in Iraq.
During Desert Storm, he slept in a hole he dug in the desert floor, she said. Now, he at least gets to sleep in a tent.
Moody is kind of used to the heat, Dianne Collins said.
He trained with his platoon in California before going to Iraq.
Even with the luxury of temporary shelter, Moody’s conditions aren’t always ideal. That‘s the way he likes it, Diane Moody said.
When she talked to him on June 2, Moody had gotten two hours of sleep in 48 hours.
“But things are going well,” Moody told his mother.
Moody doesn’t complain too much, she said.
“Complaining only reinforces the negative,” Moody told his mother.
Jill Moody stays near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. with their three children while Moody’s in Iraq, Dianne Collins said.
Moody spent five years as a Greenwood police officer after Desert Storm, eventually becoming a captain, Dianne Collins said.
But the pull of the Marines called him back to service in 1998, she said.
Moody liked being a police officer, but he was gung-ho about being a Marine, Dianne Collins said.
“He just loves the military,” Dianne Collins said. “He said he needed to be over there.”
The Collinses are supportive of Moody, even though the distance between them makes them feel helpless, John Collins said.
“I told him when he gets home, I’d kiss him on the cheek,” Dianne Collins said.
When Moody gets back, all he’ll want to do is spend time with his wife and kids, Diane Moody said.
“He won’t want a big to-do,” she said.
People have to remember soldiers like Moody and support them until they come home, John Collins said.
“You can’t just forget about it,” he said.
Ellie