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Mother, Son Bond in Afghanistan
(August 12, 2009) |
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Army Maj. Una Alderman, chief nurse officer for the 452nd Army Reserve, from Wisconsin, tends to a patient at the hospital on Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2009. She is stationed in the same area of operations as her son, Army Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a military policeman with the 25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team.
U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Andrya Hill |
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Aug. 10, 2009
Deployed soldiers always have kissed their families goodbye
and headed off to war with the expectation of learning to handle the constant
heartache of missing their loved ones. However, in a rare exception, a mother
and her son have found themselves assigned here together.
Army Maj. Una Alderman, chief nurse officer for the 452nd Combat Support
Hospital, received deployment orders after her son already was serving in
Afghanistan.
“His [mailing] address said Salerno, and then I found out that was where I was
going,” the major said. “I just couldn't believe it.”
Her son, Army Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a military policeman with the 25th
Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Alaska, was equally
surprised.
“When I came here with 4-25 in March, she was on orders waiting to deploy, but
we didn't know where,” he said. “When I found out she was coming here, to
Salerno, I just thought ‘Wow.' It was a huge surprise to both of us.”
Sergeant Alderman works on Combat Outpost Sabari, just a few miles from here,
and travels in convoys between the two locations each month. |
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“Having her here really gives me something to look
forward to when I come to Salerno,” he said.
Being deployed together gives mother and son the chance to visit
more frequently than they do when they're in the United States.
“It is nice, because I live in Wisconsin, and Seth lives in Alaska,”
Major Alderman said. “We'll be able to see each other on a more
regular basis here, instead of every year and a half.”
Both soldiers said they have tremendous support from their
colleagues, and other soldiers are excited about their opportunity.
“There is a lot of joking around from my soldiers,
but there is also a level of respect,” Sergeant Alderman said. “They
think, ‘Who else's mom is over here, really?'”
Combat brings a level of daily danger, and with the major working in
the hospital and her son working on the ground, each recognizes the
risks.
“I am a mom, he is my son, so I do worry,” Major Alderman said,
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Army Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a military police squad leader in the 25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, waits for his squad prior to a mission out of Combat Outpost Sabari in Afghanistan's Khost province.
U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Steven Abadia |
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adding that despite her motherly worry, she is
able to focus on her mission with help from others. |
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“I have a lot of support from the colleagues that I work with,
and we will do the job regardless,” she said.
Sergeant Alderman is halfway his year-long deployment, and his mother has just
begun hers. They said they appreciate the time they will get to spend together,
and are looking forward to a new level of camaraderie -- as fellow soldiers as
well as mother and son.
“I am really proud to be in the Army,” Major Alderman said. “The people I am
here with are just outstanding soldiers, so I think it is going to be a very
good year, a very meaningful year.
“Besides my children,” she continued, this is probably one of the most
meaningful things I'll ever do in my life, and adding that Seth is here, at
least until February or March, it makes it that much better.” | |
Article by Army Pfc. Andrya Hill
25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team public affairs office
Special to
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
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