I am the mother-in-law of a wonderful soldier, Darrin Whaley, who was just deployed to Iraq with Indiana’s 76th Brigade 1/293rd Alpha Company. He had already served his country as an Army Ranger in both “Desert Shield” and “Desert Storm” and was out of the service working as a Sergeant with the Indiana’s Sheriff’s Department when, for reasons only he can really understand, he re-upped at age 39. As his mother-in-law I have had a hard time accepting his decision as I worry about his wife and two children (ages 13 and 7) and the hardship it has caused them. I know his decision was not an easy one for him to make as he loves his family dearly. We worry about his well-being. We worry about how a 13 year old son who at this impressionable and hard age will be affected. His 7 year old daughter doesn’t really understand what Dad is doing but knows that he is gone for a long time and misses him terribly. His wife, my daughter, who was not with him when he was in the service before is learning what it takes to be a military wife and all the strength that it requires. We pray for his and all of the other wonderful American soldier’s safe return.
-Judith Dale, Frewsburg, NY