“I am a mother who was so excited that her son was coming home February of 2007 after a year in Afghanistan, only to have Defense Secretary Gates order the 10th Mountain, 3rd Batallion to stay an additional 4 months. It was like being kicked in the stomach to get the e-mail from my FRG leader that our men would not be coming home after all. Our men were already starting home. In fact one plane had landed and the men were told to get back on the plane and go back. My son didn’t even know he was being extended until I e-mailed him…what a rotten thing to wake up to… an e-mail from your mom telling you that you’re not coming home, but staying an additional 120 days. It was a very hard time, but the 10th Mountain are family. The night that I got the e-mail that Hunter wasn’t coming home, 3 FRG leaders called just to see how my husband and I were holding up. They called for the next two nights to check on us. My son told me later that everyone was down in the dumps, but rallied after a while because they were sent to do a job, and that was the simple truth. My son, and many like him, received the Bronze Star for doing the job they were sent to do. I am and always will be very proud of the US service people, and extremely proud that my son served his country both in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am extremely grateful as well that my son made it home…”I must have been wrapped in the arms of an angel to have gotten out of some of the situations I got into…” he said to an Army buddy when he thought I wasn’t within hearing.”

-Anne Conrad, Scottsville, VA (mother of Staff Sgt. Carter H. Conrad, Jr. now stationed at Fort Jackson, SC attending Drill Sergeant School).