War hits home for military families

For almost a decade families have been separated from their loved ones in the military service due to the continuing conflict in the Middle East. Never knowing how long it will be until they can see or talk to them is a struggle for many, but two Georgia College students, Diane Elliott Heath and Desiree Maynard, have learned to have a positive outlook on the situation at hand.

On Sunday, Feb. 20, senior mass communication major Diane, along with her husband Stu, dropped her younger brother Chris Elliot off in Jacksonville, NC, where he is stationed at Camp Lejuene, knowing she was not going to see him again for the next few months.

Chris Elliott, a 19-year-old who is in the Marines infantry, enlisted in 2009 after he graduated from high school.  After training for the past year and a half, on March 1 he will be deployed overseas for the first time since his enlistment. During the time Chris has been in Jacksonville, Diane has been able to converse with her brother via email and phone frequently, however during boot camp the two were unable to communicate as often.

Now that he is going on deployment, it is unknown how frequently her and the family will be able to communicate with him, therefore they plan on sending letters. Diane says the fact that he has been away training has somewhat prepared her and her family for his extended leave out of the US and they are keeping a positive attitude about it.

 

“We are sort of getting used to it, it’s making us nervous everyday I guess because when he first went in it wasn’t,” Diane said. “You have so much time to get used to the idea of them actually being in danger I guess. We are just trying to slowly deal with it and I try not to think too much about the bad side of it, just support him and the fact that he’s working so hard.”

This is not the only time that Diane will see a loved one being deployed. Her other two brothers Rob Elliott and Trea Eliott have also enlisted in the US marines. Trea will graduate this year from high school and will leave for boot camp two weeks after his graduation, while Rob, who is studying at University of Georgia, will also leave for boot camp sometime after his graduation.

Diane has always had an undecided perspective on the war and says that having all three of her brother enlisted at one time makes her nervous.

“I wish it (the war) weren’t because my other two brothers just enlisted as well. That’s all three of my brothers that are going to be gone probably within the next year and a half. That definitely makes me really nervous and scared for all of them. Our family just tries to keep a really positive attitude and (know) that the Lord’s going keep him safe if that’s what needs to happen,” Diane said.

Another story of seperation is that of senior mass communication major, Desiree. Her husband, Michael, enlisted in the US Navy Jan. 7, 2007, and recently went on deployment overseas this past January. He serves as Boatswain Mate Second Class on the USS Enterprise and is stationed in Norfolk, Va.

Both Desiree and Michael’s mothers help set the two up while he was away on deployment. Desiree’s mother persuaded her to email Michael and the two started emailing back and forth, before they actually met in person. During his time home for the Christmas of 2007 the two started to date even though they knew they would be 12 hours apart. Five months later the two were engaged and got married two years after that on May 15, 2010. During their time together they have been apart from each other for periods of time. Michael says one of the hardest parts about being in the Navy is not knowing exactly when he will be able to see her again.

“The longest I’ve ever been without seeing her is about 45 days,” Michael said. “It’s sad to say, but I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to spend that many days with her consecutively.  I can’t say when I will get to see her again”

Michael went on to say that since the two have been married his priorities have changed drastically from his main concerns as a bachelor in the Navy.

“When I started dating Desiree, all of a sudden my biggest priority was getting home safely.  Marrying Desiree just enhanced that feeling and raised that priority.  As her husband, I have an obligation to provide for her, but I have a bigger obligation to stay alive for her.  And to be quite honest, the excitement of seeing the other countries is no longer there.  All I think about is seeing her again,” Micheal said.

During the times of both his past and present deployments, Desiree has been able to communicate with Micheal on the phone and through email frequently. The two have even been able to use Skype when Michael gets the permission and wireless access to do so. Throughout these times away from her husband Desiree has always kept a positive outlook about her husband being overseas, even with the knowledge that he will not return until sometime this summer. She expressed that keeping busy with schoolwork has really helped her to deal with being separated from her husband.

“I just kind of think it’s a part of life right now,” Desiree said. “When Michael and I talked about everything, we are going to miss this and that, (but) in the grander scheme of life once I graduate and we get past this point in our lives it really (will be) just a grain of sand almost compared to the next 50 years we are going to be together.  Its small and it can be rough but its not going to be that bad, we are going to move past it and have many great times together.”