Photo By Pfc. Evan Loyd | Major Laura Calese, senior lawyer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored...... read more read more
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By Pfc. Evan Loyd
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER – Maj. Laura Calese never realized when she and her husband deployed to Iraq, that she would receive an outpouring of support from her home town of Palmer Lake, Colo.
"The support seemed to come from everyone," said Calese, senior lawyer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. "It was totally unsolicited and a surprise."
She knows about the difficulties of being left behind while someone you care about serves overseas – her husband, Lt. Col. Gary Calese, battalion executive officer for the 40th Engineers Battalion, deployed in 2006 while she took care of the homefront.
This deployment is different; both parents were called away to serve their country at the same time.
Calese is the mother of four daughters, ranging in age from one to 10 years old. Each day, her thoughts are on her daughters' well being. To say that she has a lot to think about is an understatement. Her parents are caring for the children in Colorado while the Caleses are in Iraq.
"It is an Army retiree community and my dad is retired Army. That military network helped out," she said. But it wasn't just the military community which came to her support.
The people from the local church helped her mother, offering to watch the children and provide toys. The local school went out of their way to show the children support when Calese enrolled them. The teachers worked hard to make the transition from Baumholder, Germany, to a new school thousands of miles away easy.
"Even the dental office, which I had never been to, surprised me with support. The ladies reached out to my ten-year old, offering hugs and phone numbers to call any time she missed her mom," said Calese.
Calese is able to phone her children twice a week with 15-minute phone calls through a morale program. She calls it her time to recharge her batteries.
Serving with her husband involves some difficulties; she said she has to maintain her formal Army position even with her husband.
Fortunately, the support of not only her family but her community is sustains Calese. She knows people are caring for her children, and caring for them well.
"I would not do what I am doing here without the support back home. It's really amazing how many people helped out without being asked," said Calese. "I really saw the good in people."
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2008 06:13 |
| Story ID: | 21252 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 549 |
| Downloads: | 332 |
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