Home For Break

SPRING HILL - Visitors to the Nugent household pass beneath both the American and U.S. Army's flag.
It's the first sign of where this family's allegiance lies.
Among the refrigerator magnets is a West Point soldier in uniform.
Hanging from the eaves by the pool is a star made with blue/gray yarn that simply states "Army."
Starting to get the picture?
Sheriff Richard Nugent's three sons are all in various stages on their path into the military. For the first time in months the family is all home together, so a Hernando Today reporter dropped by to catch up on what's new.
Oldest son Ryan, 27, who most resembles Dad of all three sons, now answers to "captain." A West Point graduate, he spent 15 months patrolling dusty Afghanistan and is now on six week leave.
He's taken advantage of the time off to visit friends and sightsee around the country. His travels have taken him to Walter Reed hospital in D.C. to visit wounded veterans and the Kentucky Derby.
Flying into arid Las Vegas triggered some flashbacks of his tour of duty, but a few trips to the blackjack table cleared that up.
"Everything was all right after that," he said with a laugh.
Middle son Kyle, 21, is studying criminology at the University of Tampa, but, unlike his brothers, he's not keeping his boots on the ground. He shadows Black Hawk helicopter pilots at the National Guard unit stationed in Brooksville.
Youngest son Casey, 20, is now a junior at West Point, where he's studying Russian. He's yet to decide how he'll apply those skills, but his options include a consular position in Moscow.
With the kids out of the house, the sheriff and his wife, Wendy, are learning how to cope with the empty nest.
"She has more time to pay attention to me now, but that's not necessarily a good thing," the sheriff joked. "The honey-do list has gotten long."
Both of them keep a busy calendar, so the quiet house doesn't trouble them too much.
Wendy Nugent frets about her sons' safety, especially Ryan when he was overseas. But, in a way, it's simply an extension of the worry she felt on the long nights her husband was on patrol.
"They love what they do and I can't take that away from them," she said.