Caledonia Argus

Parents grateful for sonís safe return from Afghanistan

Posted: 5/7/02

by Jane Palen
Managing Editor

Itís always hard for parents to say goodbye when their first child leaves home. For Kathy and Steve Nelson of Caledonia, the separation has been especially difficult because their son, Mike, a Marine with the 26th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) has spend the last two years in some of the worldís most dangerous places. His most recent assignment was to be part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and he returned to the U.S. April 19 after two months in Afghanistan. His parents and brothers, Dan and Matt, along with hundreds of others with loved ones on the ship, were on hand to greet the Marines on their return. The event was also covered by the television show, Good Morning America.

Mikeís decision to join the Marines came as a bit of surprise to his parents.

ìI just wanted him to go to college,î said Kathy.

But Mike had other plans, and shortly after graduating from MOS in July of 1999, he was headed for Kosovo. Fortunately, they didnít see action in Kosovo.

Following Kosovo, the 26th MEU went to Turkey to help on clean up efforts after a devastating earthquake.

But Kathy said that on September 11, 2001, she knew that Mike and the rest of the 26th would be involved in the effort to battle terrorism.

After September 11, the 26th MEU participated in Bright Star training exercises in the Mediterranean, which had been scheduled even before the attack. On November 11, Mikeís ship, the USS Bataan, was deployed to Afghanistan. They passed through the Suez Canal and entered Pakistan, then flew into Afghanistan. Under most circumstances, the Marines travel only about 200 miles inland. For this mission, the unit traveled 750 miles inland.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Marines established and maintained forward operating bases and intermediate staging bases. They did some patrolling and guarding of prisoners, and were also involved in giving humanitarian aid. Marines from the 26th MEU raised the flag at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Getting information from Mike was difficult during the seven months he was on the mission, said his parents.

ìThere were two one-month periods when I heard nothing,î said Kathy. When she did get e-mails, they were very short, and didnít contain a lot of information. With little information from Mike, worries were magnified at home.

ìWe would hear about a Marine getting hurt, and wonder if it was him,î said Kathy.

The Nelsons learned a sobering fact from Mike in one of his letters home. All the Marines were required to carry their own body bags. Kathy said Mike remained stoic throughout, and his parents did their best to remain stoic as well.

ìI donít want anything to happen to my son, and I donít want anything to happen to anyone elseís son, but someone has to defend our country,î said Kathy.

Kathyí depended on the internet for news during Mikeís deployment in Afghanistan. She began each day reading half a dozen newspapers online. She subscribed to The Globe, the newspaper of the 26th MEU. She scoured all the area papers for news of the mission. And if there were awards for keeping a complete scrapbook, Kathy would win. An oversized scrapbook is filled with all the news she could gather, and a photo album holds the dozens of pictures Mike has sent.

ìI hope he and his family enjoy it some day,î said Kathy.

In addition, she has hundreds of sheets that she has printed off the web site with news from Mikeís unit. She wrote e-mails to Mike daily, and sent them every three days. A few times, they were able to communicate via instant messenger. And she was able to boost Mikeís popularity by baking hundreds, if not thousands, of cookies which she sent to the ship. She became so well known for her cookies hat she even received mail from other Marines claiming to be her long lost sons, and asking for cookies.

But in spite of keeping busy by gathering all the news and baking cookies, there was still plenty of time for worry. Kathy and Steve decided that there was something they could do as a family, and they agreed that they would pray the rosary every night and ask for Mikeís safety and the safety of his fellow Marines.

Meeting the ship

The entire Nelson family traveled to North Carolina to meet the USS Bataan on its return to American soil on April 18. They attempted to drive to the pier in order to be closer when the Marines landed on the beach in their LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushioned). But for security reasons, they were not able to do that and parked instead about a mile and a half away and walked to the beach.

A crew from Good Morning America was filming the return of the ship, and newscasters interviewed several of the people who were waiting for their loved ones to return. Kathy said that although she tried to stay out of the picture, she ended up being on camera during two of them.

When Mike got off the the LCAC and headed further inland in a jeep, he hung an orange flag out the door so his family would know what vehicle he was in. It was an exciting moment for all of them as they were reunited with the son and brother that they had missed for almost two years. Kathy said Mike was surprised at how tall his brothers had grown, and his dad was surprised at how grown up Mike was.

The Nelsons had a week long stay in Jacksonville, where Camp Le Jeune is located, and were able to hear about Mikeís experiences and tour the base.

Mike has a busy summer ahead of him. Later this month, he will return home for his brother Mattís graduation. On July 5, he will be married in Texas. His fiancee is the sister of another Marine who fixed the couple up two years ago for a Marine Ball. When his time is up in the Marines, he plans to attend college, said Kathy.

ìWe are so proud of Mike and all the other young men and women who defend our country, and we are so glad we got him back healthy and in one piece!î said Kathy. ìOur prayers were answered.î

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