By Spc. Stefanie M. Strong
1120th Ordinance Company Public Affairs Office
CAMP CROPPER, Iraq – It can be argued that there are few careers more demanding in more ways than the United States Armed Forces. Few careers, that is, except the lifelong, life- altering career of motherhood. When combined, the two present a face of strength, compassion, courage, love, intelligence and sacrifice that is a force to be reckoned with.
Since the beginning, women have played a vital role in war and conflict. In the United States of America, women have been serving in the military since the Revolutionary War. Over the centuries, women's roles in combat have evolved extensively. The current generation of female warriors find themselves shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts in roles previously unheard of for women. Nowadays, countless mothers tuck their babies in bed, one more time, before heading off to fight.
There is no way for one to fully understand the sacrifices of a military mother, unless you are one. The mothers in the 1120th Ordnance Company know what it's like to go from full-time mom, part -time soldier, to full time war-fighter.
Meet Sgt Christina Holland, mother of two; Sgt Danielle Wells, mother of one; and Spec. Hope Bush, mother of one. These three mothers are deployed to Iraq with the 45th Infantry Brigade, 1120th Ordinance of the Oklahoma Army National Guard. The 1120th's part of the overall mission is detainee operations, with great emphasis on the care, custody and control of detained personnel from all over the theater of operations.
One of the hardest things to do, for any parent, is to have to explain to their children why Mom or Dad is off to a distant place to fight a war. Some parents, like Christina, are fortunate enough to be able to explain this fact to teenagers. Her son is 18 years old and her daughter is 16. Christina explained why it was awkward to tell her kids, "They're used to me being there. Never, ever have I been away from them that long." In the same breath, she admits that she is very lucky that she didn't have to attempt to explain it to a young child.
Hope, on the other hand, had to break the news to her then four-year-old daughter. Since basic training, Hope has had time to teach her daughter what it means when Mommy has to go "work for the Army". She says that she just has a hard time explaining why she has been gone so long. In one heart-wrenching phone call, her daughter asked her a very big question for a very little girl.
"Are you gonna go to heaven?" "No baby," she replied, "I'm coming home".
Experts say that the best way to help parents and children get through deployments is communication. There are many ways for the mommies here to contact their babies back home, which these moms take full advantage of.
Danielle says that at first, she called home about once a week, thinking it would be easier on all involved. Now, she calls two to three times a week and writes her daughter often, "Even just to say I love you," she says.
American homes often have walls stacked with pictures of memories past. American barracks in Iraq are no different. Most soldiers have mementos from home, usually pictures, to remind them of the life they left behind. Danielle, for example, has covered her wall in pictures of her daughter. "I keep every letter she writes me and every picture she draws." She laughs, "every time I get a new picture, I print it out and put it on the wall!"
Some soldiers, however, have very different reminders. Hope's daughter helped her pack for this deployment. When we arrived at Fort Bliss, Texas, Hope unpacked to find her daughter's present. "She has these little dolls with plastic dresses that go on them. I opened up my shower bag, and found all of these little dolls in there." For that moment, Hope seemed to have forgotten everything about Iraq, and thought solely of her precious baby back home.
Christina's prize possession here in Iraq is a pillow with her family's picture on it. It has helped her make it through some pretty tough times. Hugging the pillow takes her back to their loving home, when she misses her family the most. She says, "That's my little life saver."
During this deployment, the amount of support and love from friends and strangers alike has been staggering. However, there are still critics not only of the war itself, but of mothers who leave their children behind to fight it. They ask, "How could you just leave your children behind?" Danielle doesn't hesitate, and answers the question firmly.
"It's not that I chose to leave [her daughter]. It's just something I had to do."
Danielle says, "Nobody twisted my arm to sign on the dotted line."
Military women feel the same sense of duty as their male counterparts and clearly demonstrate that it is possible to be a good mother and a good Soldier. These three women are examples of countless others who are also patriots and devout mothers. They have left their families behind to serve their country knowing that one day they will be reunited with the children they love.