Coming home for the holidays

Remembering service members around the world this Christmas

Grand Island Dispatch, December 22, 2006
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 23, 2006

Standing in front of an American Flag brought back from Iraq, still stained with sand from the desert, U.S. Army Pvt. Maria Amato with fellow visiting soldier Roberto Perez in the center, gathers with her family beside the Christmas tree while home on and military leave earlier this month. Gathered around them, the Amato family (standing from left to right starting in the back row) is Rosemarie, Pascal, Rebecca, Tony, Marie, Carrie, Gabrielle with her doll, Jeffery, and Joseph, holding the Christmas nutcracker soldier.

When we think of coming home for the holidays, the mere thought can conjure up delightful scenes with family and friends or sharing a big Christmas dinner.

One such image is artist Norman Rockwell’s “Saturday Evening Post” classic “The Homecoming,” depicting a family’s joyous reunion when a soldier returns home safely from war.

In reality, the fear of war and the desire for home is more real than ever in December 2006, as countless men and women of America’s armed forces are deployed around the world this holiday season, many in harm’s way in war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq.

Some soldiers were able to come home earlier this month; others are still deployed and some are finally home after helping to preserve America’s freedom.

Celebrating Christmas Early

Christmas came early for Grand Island resident Pvt. Maria Amato. The 19-year-old soldier celebrated the holiday on Grand Island while on military leave from Iraq. The 2005 Grand Island High School graduate’s grandparents, Tony and Marie Amato, live on Grand Island, and her parents live in Buffalo.

Pvt. Amato received a heartfelt and enthusiastic welcome when she arrived at the Buffalo airport and spent precious time with family members in early December, enjoying family dinners and other Christmas traditions, as her loved ones gathered around her.

Speaking for the entire family, her grandmother and grandfather summed up their feelings saying, “We are all very proud of Maria and her service to the Army and our nation. It was wonderful to have her home, even just for a little while, before Christmas,” they said.

Amato now is back on duty, serving with the U.S. Army 362nd Multi-role Bridge Company in Iraq, where her job is building and inspecting bridges. Amato earned many honors last October during her initial Army recruit training and 21B Combat Engineer School, including Honor Graduate. She is also studying Islam to understand the Iraqi culture.

A Military Background

The soldier comes from a strong military background. Her father served in the U.S. Air Force and her uncle Dave in the U.S. Coast Guard. Additionally, her grandmother lived in occupied Europe during World War II, was liberated by American and Canadian forces and can relate to some of the experiences the private is now going through in Iraq.

While home, she told family and friends about some of her experiences in the war-torn country.

“This war is not like the one you see on TV. I talked to an Iraqi while I was on a mission, and you can tell they truly appreciate us. The women there are allowed to sit in the front seat of vehicles now and don’t have to cover their faces. The children smile and wave as we drive by in convoys,” she said.

“We’re also rebuilding schools, orphanages and power plants. I feel good there because there are a lot of positive things happening,” Amato explained.

She also serves as a gunner during convoys and is part of an Army unit on a Marine base. “The Army told us that we weren’t allowed to go on certain missions, but when they needed us, they found facilities for us,” she said. “The news makes it look like we’re killing everybody. Not true, we’re doing more good than bad. We’re fixing their city.”

She said soldiers really go the extra mile by signing up to give blood in advance of casualties. “The trauma center needs blood every time a soldier is flown in by a Medivac helicopter. They check the list of names, match the blood types and the soldier is called in for the transfer of blood. Everyone goes the extra mile,” she said.

It was also more than apparent that she would miss dinner on Christmas Day with her family. “We all find ways of entertainment, the food is decent and they’ll do their best with the holiday dinner, but I’ll miss everyone,” she said.

Many Missed Holidays

Dave Conboy of Grand Island is a colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq for about 16 months. As a commander of the 7th Brigade, in the 98th Division, he helps to oversee various missions that his unit is completing throughout the states and helps them get prepared if they are called to do other service overseas.

Conboy is still potentially on call for duty, still actively drilling with his unit and preparing to complete missions, both stateside and overseas, if called.

During the course of his Iraq service he missed plenty of holidays with his family. “I missed two Easters, Thanksgiving, a Christmas, numerous birthdays, anniversaries and other things,” he said. “But, you know it’s much different than it was in the past. At least now with the e-mail and periodic phone calls, I really felt that I was still staying in touch with the family members, and they were able to send their greetings, and I could do the same. So I did feel very fortunate,” he explained. “Although I was away, I really did feel connected with the family back home.”

He said spending the holidays away from home is tough. “It’s a bittersweet time. You still are able to celebrate the holidays and you’re with people you care very much for – fellow soldiers and other servicemen – but you miss your family and you miss the peace and the freedoms that we so much enjoy here stateside,” he said. “But you also think of the opportunity that we have to influence other areas and hopefully bring peace and prosperity to other parts of the world. Over there, the outpouring of support for the servicemen and women was great from the community and made us thankful for that.”

Majority of 914th Home

Col. James B. Roberts, commander of the 914th Airlift Wing, said there is good news this year for his unit. “After three years of continual deployments with over 1,000 personnel positions, we are proud to have the majority of our 914th members home for Christmas and the New Year. It is indeed a good time to reflect on the sacrifices made and that which will be expected of those in uniform who continually guard our freedom,”

Neil Nolf, the 914th’s public affairs officer, said hometown support has made a difference. “We appreciate the outstanding community support we have received for the base, our troops and their families through very trying times over the past three years,” Nolf said. “With our community and nation behind us, our personnel will continue to succeed in accomplishing their missions around the globe.”

Tech. Sgt. Kevin Nichols of the 914th Air Wing also reminds us of those still deployed who may have to settle for an MRE, or Meals Ready to Eat, this week. “There are still deployed airmen and other service members that will miss the traditional holiday meal,” he said. “Some flight crews and ground troops on the move throughout the area of operations will only have a boxed lunch or MRE until they’re able to return to base or better yet – home,” he said.

Nichols also recalled his personal experiences while deployed to Southwest Asia in 2004-05 throughout the holidays, where commanders went to great lengths to provide the troops with a special meal.

“The Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were awesome. That’s the one meal where the military goes all out serving a traditional holiday dinner with turkey, ham and all the trimmings,” Nichols said. “I guess this special meal is a way to say thank you for our service while stationed thousands of miles away from family during the holiday season,” he said.

At many bases, the commanders even serve the meal to the troops in the dining hall. “Even though you miss home, to have your commanding officer personally serve you a great Christmas dinner and say thanks is an experience that I will never forget,” he concluded.

When asked earlier this month what she wanted for Christmas most of all, Amato said: “Making it home for Christmas.”

Other than dreaming of a white Christmas, I’m sure we can imagine what her family and friends wish for. Probably the same things most Americans wish this holiday season who have loved ones far from home. Coming home for the holidays.

Dispatch editor Karen Keefe also contributed to the article.