Photo By Staff Sgt. Megan Leuck | Sgt. Valentina Herrera of the New Mexico Army National Guard reads a book for her son...... read more read more
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By Cheryl Dilgard
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Mother's Day, the second Sunday of May, is set aside to honor the women who wiped our noses, made our dinners and tucked us in at night.
This day can be very difficult for moms in the service who are deployed and away from family. Four service women here at Guantanamo Bay typify mothers in the armed forces, and offer good advice for all service members – especially women coping with being away from family.
Sgt. Valentina Herrera, mother of three and a member of the New Mexico Army National Guard, will miss Mother's Day with her children this year. She has been in Guantanamo Bay since late January. Herrera – a Native American from the San Philipe Peublo tribe of San Philipe Peublo, New Mexico – holds the teachings of her ancestors and tribal leaders close to heart.
"As a mother, I try to carry myself as dictated by our elders and proudly represent our ancestors," Herrera explained. "Our creator has blessed us (women) with the ability to have children. Children don't ask to be born – we ask for our children. So I take my responsibility as a mother seriously."
Herrera also takes her responsibility as a Soldier seriously and is proud of the job she is doing. This is the first deployment for the 8-year Guard member.
"My two older children, I knew they would be okay, but I thought my 11-year-old son couldn't live without me," she said. "Now I call home and he is doing all kinds of things. I call and talk to my son and he says, 'Hi mom, how are you,' then he is off and running."
Sometimes the hardest part of being a soldier and mom is separating the roles of nurturer and disciplined Soldier.
"I love being in the Army, but I feel like the one thing I really excel at is being a mom," Herrera said.
She is not alone in that feeling. Being a mom and a service member is often not an easy combination.
Staff Sgt. Michelle Wickell, a 12-year Air Force veteran, has a 9-year-old son with her husband at home in Las Vegas. Wickell is used to maintaining strong family relations while being deployed.
"I was deployed Mothers Day '07 in Alaska, '06 in Thailand, and '04 in Qatar," Wickell recounted.
The importance of remaining close to family despite location is part of Wickell's deployment routine.
"I call every night to tuck my son into bed," she said. "Sometimes I call in the morning before he leaves for school and tell him to make good choices. I think it is important that he just hears my voice. When it gets hard, it's important to remember that everything will come to an end and to make as much contact as possible."
Lt. Col. Doris Acevedo of Puerto Rico has been in the Puerto Rico Army National Guard for more than 20 years. This is her first deployment.
"During the first Gulf War I was worried about getting deployed and being away from my son who was four at the time," she said. "I finally realized that if God allows me to be sent away, God will give my son the person in his life to fulfill his mission in life. God always provides what you need for your mission in life. If we have to be away from our children, it will be their strength."
Acevedo contends now is the best time for her to be deployed. She was thankful to be able to wait until her son was an adult before being deployed.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Carol Smith, the division officer of the detention hospital, has been in the Navy for 15 years and is serving on her first deployment. This is also her first time away from her children during Mother's Day. Smith is taking advantage of the opportunity of having her family visit.
"It is so important to keep in close contact with your family, send pictures, web cam if you can, and just find ways to stay in touch," said Smith.
Navy Lt. Angela Corriano, the JTF psychologist and officer in charge of Joint Stress Mitigation and Restoration Team, is an expert at ways to reduce stress.
"It is really important to keep lines of communication open with family back home and find ways to stay in touch." Corriano said. "Being away from family is a big stressor for most people. We have a lot of tools that can help."
JSMART offers group and private sessions as well as offering a variety of tools to help relieve stress. JSMART has a booklet especially for deployed moms, "Moms Over Miles," filled with activities for mothers and children even while apart, and creative ways to stay in touch.
One such method is through the "United Through Reading" program. You can be videotaped reading a book to your child; then you can send the DVD and the book to your child.
If you are feeling a little down about being away from your family this Mother's Day, consider that this too shall pass. Keep a positive attitude, find ways to keep in contact with family, and surround yourself with good friends and activities you enjoy while at Guantanamo.
"It's important to hang out with good people and be able to share stories about your family," Wickell said.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2008 09:04 |
| Story ID: | 19428 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 279 |
| Downloads: | 257 |
This work, Mother's Day in Combat Boots, by PO2 Cheryl Dilgard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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