Family moments make video visit special

By Ms Kari Hawkins (Redstone)March 7, 2012

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1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Michael Johnson receives a greeting of love from his family via teleconference. His family includes, from left, niece Jamia Johnson holding niece Kalisscia Johnson, and mom Mary Johnson holding niece Danaya Townsend. Also with the family is Loga... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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Mary Johnson and her family "skype" with her son, Spc. Michael Johnson, quite often, using personal computer video capabilities to see and talk to each other over the Internet while he is deployed to Afghanistan.

But a video teleconference set up for about 25 families of the National Guard's Company C of the 115th Signal Battalion at Lockheed Martin on Saturday gave her son a chance to talk with one young boy who had a special message for the Soldier.

Logan Nichols waited patiently as Johnson and three of her granddaughters told 27-year-old Michael -- lovingly nicknamed "Baby J" -- that they missed him and loved him. They talked about the care packages filled with honey buns, fudge rounds and Swiss rolls Johnson sends to her son and his buddies every few weeks. They reminded Michael that they would be skyping him later that day at niece Kalisscia's 5th birthday party.

And then it was Logan's turn to shyly say the words he had been waiting to say: "Thank you for the skateboard."

"No problem at all. Glad we could do it," Michael replied.

Hanging over Logan's shoulder was a brand new skateboard and helmet, a gift from a Soldier who wanted to share his blessings with his military family.

"Michael saw on Facebook (at the group page for the 115th) that Logan wanted a skateboard. He had a skateboard in his closet with a monkey on the bottom of it and he wanted to give it to Logan," Johnson explained later. "But it was too long for Logan. So, Michael asked me to find a shorter skateboard with a monkey on the bottom and get it for Logan. We brought it today to give it to him."

Johnson is proud of her son's generous nature.

"He was brought up like that," she said. "If there is anything that you can do for someone else then the blessings will come back to you."

There were plenty of those sentimental moments during the video teleconference.

The Harrah family, including mom Elaine and nearly 1-year-old Evie, 2-year-old Liam and 4-year-old Clarity, told their Soldier, Spc. Dan Harrah, that they had a slumber party the night before at the home of another Soldier family. They also showed him the pink cast Clarity now has on her left arm after falling on a playground.

Darlene Upton had a special message for Soldier, Staff Sgt. David Upton, and all who were gathered. "Everyone," she said, "this is my Soldier that I love and that I'm proud of." The group responded with a round of applause.

Monica West joked around with her Soldier father, 1st Sgt. Jim West, known as "Papa Bear" and told him to "Hurry home so we can drink Yoo-Hoos and hang out on the back porch." He assured he would "be home in no time."

Shelia Shook, a nurse educator at Fox Army Health Center, noticed that her son, Spc. Trevor Shook "had a short haircut going on. And that's dip in your chin, too, isn't it?'

When it was Wanda Snipes' chance to tell her Soldier husband that she loved him, 1st Sgt. Brad Snipes said he loved her, too. And then he had some words for the entire group of loved ones. "These Soldiers do not share," he joked with them. "When you send care packages, you've got to put notes on those boxes that say they need to share with the first sergeant."

The Company C of the 115th left for Afghanistan in early December, following several weeks of training in Washington state. The unit's 100 Soldiers are headquartered in Huntsville and Moulton, and include Soldiers from all over Alabama, including Gadsden, Arab and Mobile, and from as far away as Pensacola and Orlando, Fla. During their yearlong deployment, the unit is charged with sustaining and managing communication capabilities for military stationed at Kandahar Air Base.

"They are more secure than in other places in Afghanistan, and this deployment is safer than the one my husband did to Iraq in 2004," said Christy Manders, wife of Capt. John "Damon" Manders, commander of Company C of the 115th.

"But they have heightened security because of the risks there right now. They are having to be more diligent."

Manders and her daughter, Sarah, 14, and Lily, 10, often talk to their Soldier via the computer from home. Many of the other Soldier families have that capability, too. But the families still wanted to participate together in the skype hosted by Lockheed Martin and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle because it gave them a chance to come together as a group. Several organizations, including Still Serving Veterans, Madison County Blue Star Mothers and Army Community Service, were on hand to provide information to Soldier families. Domino's donated pizza for the event, clowns from the Cahaba Shrine made balloon animals for the children, and the Army Materiel Command Band's Dixieland Jazz Band entertained during and after the teleconference.

"I was really excited about this. It meant a lot to me that the mayor would take the time to do this and that other community organizations would help," Manders said. "It's good for the young Soldiers' families who might not know about all the support that is available to them."

During the program, Battle presented an honorary colonel proclamation to Venetta Bonds from Gov. Robert Bentley in recognition of the work she has done to support the unit. He also helped present a 42nd birthday cake surprise to commander Manders, who was serenaded with a bluegrass rendition of "Happy Birthday to You!" by AMC's Dixieland Jazz Band.

"This is our way of saying 'Hey, we love you. We're with you. We want to help you,'" Battle told the families and Soldiers during the teleconference. "Everybody is working together in this. We're here today for you."

Besides talking to their families, the Soldiers of Company C of the 115th also conducted a promotion ceremony for two of their Soldiers during the teleconference.

Organizer Dave Carney, a retired National Guard sergeant, said the video teleconferencing event was scheduled for March in hopes it would be a morale booster for both the deployed Soldiers and their families.

"Studies have shown that the emotional level of these families can plummet at the third or fourth month of separation," he said. "This is our way of trying to help these families get through these difficult months until their Soldiers return."