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Hernando Today

Holidays, A World Away

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By Tony Marrero

Hernando Today

Published: November 27, 2008

Spring Hill - A member of the Freeman family will be missing at the Thanksgiving table today, while another Freeman will share her first holiday feast.

The Freemans are one of nearly 80 families in Hernando County celebrating today without a loved one. Chief Warrant Officer Ray Freeman is stationed in Bilad, Iraq with 84 members of the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion 244th Aviation Regiment based in Brooksville.

Freeman, a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, is a little more than halfway through a deployment, transporting troops and supplies.

A few members are back home for the holiday but Ray, 38, isn't among them. He was able to take a 20-day emergency leave last month to be there for the birth of his daughter Cate. But then it was back to the desert until April.

A year without her husband is tough, Laura Freeman said Wednesday as Cate grunted on her chest and her 7-year-old sister Carson did dishes in the kitchen.

But the preacher's daughter says she has plenty to be thankful for when she sits down at the table with her parents and daughters to say grace.

"I've been blessed beyond measure with a great husband who's served his country for 20 years and I can stay home and raise my kids," said Freeman, 37.

The Freemans talk daily on a Web phone. They're able to see each other in real time as they catch up on the day's events. The soldiers pay $160 for the Internet connection that features the Web phone and camera.

"It's worth it," Laura said.

Ray typically flies at night, she said, and calls around 4 a.m., Baghdad time. It's 11 p.m. here, so both Laura and Ray are getting ready for bed.

"He'll tell me he had a rough night, or a long night, or he'll tell me he has a big mission the next day," Laura says.

Laura will point the camera at Cate so Ray can gauge her progress. "She's gotten bigger," he'll say. On Wednesday, Carson was eager to show Dad the gaping space where a front baby tooth had been.

Ray and his fellow crew members transport a lot of supplies, but also drop Special Forces teams into positions. News of helicopter crashes travels fast, and to ease worried minds, Ray likes to tell his family: "If you hear something, it wasn't us," she said.

There have been a couple of scares. Last month, Laura heard that a helicopter went down in Iraq. Then she heard there were two aircraft, and both were Blackhawks. Then she heard the crash happened at about the time Ray said he'd be lifting off.

He called at his normal time that night, having heard the news himself only a few minutes before sitting down to the computer, Laura said.

The Brooksville guard's Family Readiness Unit is another blessing, Freeman said.

The group meets twice a month to ensure the families of deployed service personnel have what they need as they wait out the mission and have plenty of opportunities to socialize.

"They don't necessarily say their front door is rotted," said Cindy Downey, the facilities manager at the Florida National Guard Aviation Support Facility off Spring Hill Drive. Downey also leads the facility's Family Readiness Group. "By talking to them you find out what they need."

Some are gathering today for Thanksgiving at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Spring Hill. An upcoming baby-sitting day will give parents a chance to do holiday shopping, and the unit will also have a float in Brooksville's Christmas parade slated for Dec. 13.

The support is crucial, especially for spouses like Freeman who have few family members close by. There are plenty of friends to offer support, including one who came to clean the house despite having one arm in a sling.

Still, "People ask me how I do it," she said. "You just do it. You realize how strong you are in a situation like this."

She admits there is a pang of sadness that Ray is missing the first year of his daughter's life.

"I just can't wait for her dad to get to know her," she said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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