Charlotte Observer July 15, 2003
Military families wait, worry
War is over, but time in Iraq marches on
By Peter Smolowitz
On May 3, Willie Mark wrote his family, telling them he could be leaving Iraq on May 25. On May 26, the 20-year-old Marine lance corporal's letter said he was starting a 65-day countdown. And June 20, Willie wrote again of his plans to return to Charlotte.
"Soon I'll be home for a month straight," he said. "Sounds almost too good to be true."
Now the latest update calls for a reunion in September or October. Willie's father, John Mark, doesn't want to dash his son's hopes, but he stopped trying to plan the family's annual summer vacation. He doesn't expect to see his son until February -- one year after he left.
"I hear from the news that our troops are going to be there for a long while," John Mark said. "I don't tell Willie because he's really looking forward to coming home."
Nearly 11 weeks after President Bush told the nation that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Pentagon planners trying to restore stability now say they need more time, more money and maybe even more troops.
Hopes of relieving American and British forces in Iraq were dealt a setback Monday when India's foreign minister said his country would send its soldiers only under a United Nations mandate.
The news has forced thousands of families in Charlotte and across the country to delay homecoming celebrations for soldiers and Marines. As the military continues deployments, the troops miss college classes, family traditions are broken and loved ones avoid sharing bad news that could only add to homesickness.
The Army said Monday that about 9,000 soldiers from Georgia's 3rd Infantry Division have had their deployments extended indefinitely. Maj. Gen. Buford Blount III, the division's commander, said last week he hoped the troops could return by September.
"Now, that timeframe has basically gone away, and there is no timeframe," said Fort Stewart spokesman Richard Olson.
Since Bush said combat ended, 32 Americans have died in hostile action. Bush asked for patience last week, saying the United States "will have to remain tough."
By the war's early stages, nearly 50,000 troops from Carolinas bases and National Guard and reserve units had been sent overseas. More than half have yet to return, including about 16,000 soldiers from Fayetteville's Fort Bragg and 13,000 Marines from Jacksonville's Camp Lejeune.
It's not uncommon for military deployments to last longer than expected, depending on how the mission unfolds. But analysts are surprised the Pentagon initially indicated the troops would be home soon after Baghdad fell and the war ended.
"I don't expect to see too many people home by Labor Day," said Patrick Garrett, an associate analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, a Washington nonprofit group focused on defense issues. "Unfortunately, they put themselves in this position where they have to keep disappointing families."
Adding to the difficulty is that some troops had only recently returned from Afghanistan or Kuwait before leaving again. And in Iraq, many have been unable to receive mail regularly, while getting to call or e-mail relatives less than once a month.
"Makes you sure feel good when you talk to him," said Ray Summers of Catawba County, whose grandson, Doug Summers, hauls supplies from Kuwait to the Baghdad airport. "But five minutes later you say, `Something could have happened since we hung up.' "
Summers said his grandson had to withdraw in January from Lenoir's Caldwell Community College -- just two weeks after enrolling.
The Army specialist with the reserve's 991st Transportation Co. turns 20 next week, so Ray Summers has sent birthday cards for a week, hoping one arrives.
"One thing having a grandson over there will do," Ray Summers said, "it will get you in a far, far stronger relationship with God than you ever dreamed of."
Frances Adkins' son, Rick Grigg Jr., e-mailed Monday to say he won't return to her Cleveland County home in August as planned.
"He said, Mom, `Don't be hurt,' " she said.
Since Grigg left, his grandmother's Alzheimer's disease worsened, so she no longer remembers anyone. Grigg missed the funerals of two friends, deaths his mother didn't mention to avoid upsetting her son. For the first time, the 23-year-old with a May 13 birthday didn't celebrate with her on Mother's Day. And now Adkins expects her son to miss the September birth of his nephew.
"It's not ended," Adkins said. "He (Bush) might have declared it over, but I know my son is still over there." -- BLOOMBERG NEWS AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE.
Copyright © 2003, Charlotte Observer
