Blue Star Mothers
With son in Iraq, Sept. 11 means a little more
By Paul Sloth
Journal Times
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:50 PM CDT
CALEDONIA — It’s an anniversary that Diana Rettig would rather not have to remember.She remembers how numb she felt the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
At the time, Rettig had a five-year-old daughter in preschool and two sons, one in high school. She didn’t realize the kind of effect the date would have on her oldest son, Jacob.
Seven years later, Rettig, 45, who lives with her family in Caledonia, uses a Web camera to communicate with Jacob, now 22, in Iraq, where he is stationed with the United States Army.
As the nation remembers the tragic events of Sept. 11, mothers like Rettig are reminded of the sacrifices their sons and daughters make as they serve in places like Iraq.
Jacob, an Army pilot, is serving his first tour of duty in Iraq. He was too young to enlist on Sept. 11, 2001, but the events on that day compelled him to serve, like it did many others.
That’s what mothers like Rettig remember on this day, seven years after the terrorist attacks.
“It’s an anniversary of the freedom that he chose to defend. When your son or daughter goes into the military, no matter what branch, you go in as a family,” Rettig said. “They give up things that people take for granted. You’re proud because you have that freedom.”
Read the entire artical here:
For more information on Blue Star Mothers please visit thier website at: http://www.bluestarmothers.org/mc/page.do