A mother's story: My son is in Iraq.

People always ask me how my family feel about me being out here so I asked them how they felt and my Mom was the first to respond. I was hard for me reading it but, I wanted to share it with you all and with you all...

Having a son in Iraq is scary, as your mother I never stop worrying
about you, although I don't worry so much that I can't handle my day to
day routine.

I have a need to hear from your everyday, when I hear from you it tells
me that you are safe and have made it one more day, which is the only
way to taking Iraq from day to day, hour to hour.

I find myself constantly in praying for you and our other brave sons and
daughters who are serving. It matters not what company they may be
serving, private or governmental.

I question why you had to go because you didn't have to. I am hopeful
that this will be a great learning opportunity and that you will advance
you professional career and that you will also bring something back from
your experience that will lend to your personal aspirations.

Things have changed for me and our family in many ways. We think of you
being in harms way when we didn't before. I didn't pray as much as I do for
you, it use to be once a day Monday through Friday and twice on Sunday
now it's all thought the day.

I miss knowing that I could call you when I wanted to, now I find myself
waiting for a call from you. I now more about your finances and banking
something that I never knew but because I am the caretaker of your
affairs I have had to become more familiar with such things.

I miss you more and I have a picture of you on the glass den table that
way I feel closer to you when I can see you and it's nice that the first
thing your nephew D. Hustle Jr. does is pick that picture up and I get to tell him that your uncle Tommie/Uncle Furious and he tries to repeat what I have said and
he is always pointed with that little finger of his at the picture.

I am always talking about you and then I have to remember that I have
another son and I feel obligated to say something about him too.

I tell everyone that will listen that my eldest son is in Iraq but not
in the military. People are inquisitive and they ask lots of questions
then they offer to pray for us, some gives me the old aaah, then the
look at me like it's a death sentence, that's when I have to reassure
them that it's okay as far as okay goes. I have told so many people
that when they greet me the first question is how's your son in Iraq. My
church family knows that you are in Iraq and you are lifted in pray
during our Sunday morning worship services.

All in all I try to keep a good spirit and I try to keep the others up
especially your Dad. Your Brother was mad about you going to Iraq and I
told him that he had better not let you know how he felt because this
was your life and you had a right to make your own decisions about what
you wanted to do and what an opportunity.

I must tell you that I was so nervous when you left and I cried every
time someone mentioned your name or said Iraq or the word War...I would
look in your Dad's eyes and I would see sadness. In fact your Dad would
say don't be writing him so much he's going to miss home and he's going
to be home sick etc.

I told your Dad to get lost on that. I would not listen to his rubbish. I
am so glad for the cell phone, I am also happy about text messages you send but I
am not good at using it other that to write OK {:>). Oh yes I am glad
about my laptop and if my son hadn't gone to Iraq I would still be
computerless but now don't get me wrong...I didn't need my son to put
himself at risk for a computer...I am just saying I am glad I got it.

All in all I am proud of you and I have always been proud of you, you
have always had a need to get close to the edge but you haven't fallen
yet. The first time you got to close the edge and were about to fall
your Dad saved the day. You were a little boy when we lived in
Birmingham you crawled over the railing and was about to jump two
stories down.

Dad isn't there to save the day so I am counting on you to take
precaution.

Love Mom