Holland —
The wind-down of the war in Iraq is adding special meaning to this Christmas for families across the country.
Locally, the Mogck family is reuniting with daughter Susan, freshly back from Iraq.
And for Holland resident Carol Miller, it means making a home in Kansas for son Eric Miller, until his next deployment.
President Barack Obama declared the end of war in Iraq in mid-October and promised all troops would be home by the end of the year. At the time, the U.S. military presence there was just below 40,000.
And the ones coming home are the fortunate: More than 4,400 American service men and women have been killed since the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in March 2003.
Here are the stories of two local families, thankful to have their loved ones home for the holiday:
New Home in Kansas
Carol Miller describes her son Eric Miller as a loving, caring person who would fight to defend anybody.
He left high school at 17, got his GED and joined the Army.
It was tough for Carol Miller, who is very close with her son, to see him ship off to Iraq last fall, so the two started brainstorming before he left.
“He told me he would love nothing more than to come back from this tour of duty in Iraq and have a home life,” she said, “so the night he came home, he came home.”
She managed that by leaving Holland and finding a place just off base, at Fort Riley in Kansas, so when her son walked off the bus in November, marking the end of his tour in Iraq, he really came home to her home.
The day is vivid in Carol Miller’s memory.
Her son was due in at 8 p.m., but didn’t make it in until 3:30 in the morning, a common occurrence with the Army, she said.
“We didn’t have a choice but to wait. You’re tired, you’re bored and yet there’s still an excitement in the room. The minute you hear the buses out front, everything is revived and everything’s alive and the joy is just overwhelming.”
Carol Miller plans to stay in Kansas until her son’s next deployment, for which he has not yet gotten orders.
While she’s delighted to have her son back on U.S. soil, she has mixed feelings on the war in Iraq coming to a close.
“From a mother’s point of view, it’s about time,” she said. “From a U.S. citizen’s point of view, we’re always going to be at war with somebody. Somebody’s always going to angry with us.”
Ready to Reunite
When Dan and Barbara Mogck’s daughter Susan Mogck, a lieutenant in the Navy, told them she had volunteered to serve in Iraq, it came as a bit of a surprise.
“I was shocked, thinking it would pass. I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t. But, knowing Susan, I’m not surprised,” Barbara Mogck said.
“She wanted to test herself against the best,” Dan Mogck said.
Even though she wasn’t in combat, Susan Mogck was integral in operations as an aide for the deputy for joint operations for United States Forces-Iraq, running his calendar and all his appointments, as well as coordinating all transportation and personal security details while traveling.
Susan Mogck said there is still uncertainty out the future of Iraq and what’s going to unfold within the coming months.
“At this point, I'm not convinced that there is more that we can do besides taking off the training wheels and letting them fend for themselves,” she said of the Iraqi people.
Her mother started a scrapbook last December, collecting and clipping emails, newspaper articles and small mementos that reminded her of her daughter.
“We’re so proud,” her father said. “It’s going to be wonderful. We can’t wait.
“This is something special,” he said prior to Susan’s Christmas Eve homecoming.
Two of her brothers, Isaac and Jake, are excited to be reunited with their sister after swapping Facebook messages and email for the past few months.
Jake had plans to carry a boom box and play “I’m Coming Home” by Diddy Dirty Money as she got off the plane.
While their daughter is home, the eight-member Mogck family plans to do some hiking and running out at Holland State Park.
And she said there will be a lot of sitting around, talking with morning coffee, good meals and lots of laughter.
Locally, the Mogck family is reuniting with daughter Susan, freshly back from Iraq.
And for Holland resident Carol Miller, it means making a home in Kansas for son Eric Miller, until his next deployment.
President Barack Obama declared the end of war in Iraq in mid-October and promised all troops would be home by the end of the year. At the time, the U.S. military presence there was just below 40,000.
And the ones coming home are the fortunate: More than 4,400 American service men and women have been killed since the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in March 2003.
Here are the stories of two local families, thankful to have their loved ones home for the holiday:
New Home in Kansas
Carol Miller describes her son Eric Miller as a loving, caring person who would fight to defend anybody.
He left high school at 17, got his GED and joined the Army.
It was tough for Carol Miller, who is very close with her son, to see him ship off to Iraq last fall, so the two started brainstorming before he left.
“He told me he would love nothing more than to come back from this tour of duty in Iraq and have a home life,” she said, “so the night he came home, he came home.”
She managed that by leaving Holland and finding a place just off base, at Fort Riley in Kansas, so when her son walked off the bus in November, marking the end of his tour in Iraq, he really came home to her home.
The day is vivid in Carol Miller’s memory.
Her son was due in at 8 p.m., but didn’t make it in until 3:30 in the morning, a common occurrence with the Army, she said.
“We didn’t have a choice but to wait. You’re tired, you’re bored and yet there’s still an excitement in the room. The minute you hear the buses out front, everything is revived and everything’s alive and the joy is just overwhelming.”
Carol Miller plans to stay in Kansas until her son’s next deployment, for which he has not yet gotten orders.
While she’s delighted to have her son back on U.S. soil, she has mixed feelings on the war in Iraq coming to a close.
“From a mother’s point of view, it’s about time,” she said. “From a U.S. citizen’s point of view, we’re always going to be at war with somebody. Somebody’s always going to angry with us.”
Ready to Reunite
When Dan and Barbara Mogck’s daughter Susan Mogck, a lieutenant in the Navy, told them she had volunteered to serve in Iraq, it came as a bit of a surprise.
“I was shocked, thinking it would pass. I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t. But, knowing Susan, I’m not surprised,” Barbara Mogck said.
“She wanted to test herself against the best,” Dan Mogck said.
Even though she wasn’t in combat, Susan Mogck was integral in operations as an aide for the deputy for joint operations for United States Forces-Iraq, running his calendar and all his appointments, as well as coordinating all transportation and personal security details while traveling.
Susan Mogck said there is still uncertainty out the future of Iraq and what’s going to unfold within the coming months.
“At this point, I'm not convinced that there is more that we can do besides taking off the training wheels and letting them fend for themselves,” she said of the Iraqi people.
Her mother started a scrapbook last December, collecting and clipping emails, newspaper articles and small mementos that reminded her of her daughter.
“We’re so proud,” her father said. “It’s going to be wonderful. We can’t wait.
“This is something special,” he said prior to Susan’s Christmas Eve homecoming.
Two of her brothers, Isaac and Jake, are excited to be reunited with their sister after swapping Facebook messages and email for the past few months.
Jake had plans to carry a boom box and play “I’m Coming Home” by Diddy Dirty Money as she got off the plane.
While their daughter is home, the eight-member Mogck family plans to do some hiking and running out at Holland State Park.
And she said there will be a lot of sitting around, talking with morning coffee, good meals and lots of laughter.
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