Mother’s Day: From A Soldier’s Mother’s Point Of View

When Denise Young celebrates Mother’s Day this Sunday, two memories will come to mind, one bitter, one sweet.

“I remember the Mother’s Day my son was shipping off for Afghanistan,” Young said. “It was a rough day. My son made me promise I would not cry. As long as he was in sight, I could not cry. I watched him get on the bus and pull away. As soon as I was in the confines of my van, the waterworks just flowed – as you could imagine. You’re sending your kid off to a war and don’t know when you’re going to see him again — or if you’re going to see him again.”

Of course, it’s tough any time a loved one has to see a soldier leave for war. “But when you get that call that ‘I’m leaving on Mother’s Day,’ your heart just stops,” Young said. “I know I’m not the only one who got that call that year or in the years before and since.”

The other memory that will be on Young’s mind this Sunday is when her soldier, U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Young, with the 118th, 503rd, returned home from Afghanistan – just in time for Mother’s Day.

“You saw the plane coming down and all it takes is one person to say, ‘There’s their plane!’ Everybody rushes out to watch that plane land. You see that white puff of smoke as the tires hit the airstrip and you know that, finally, your kid is safe. And you just want him off that plane. Even though they’ve gone from base to base to get home, they still have to stay on the plane until customs clears them. And you’re like, ‘I’ve got to hold him! I have to know for sure he’s home.’ “

Young was not alone. There was a group of loved ones waiting for the soldiers to deboard the plane.

“We had a banner saying ‘welcome home.’ Others had shirts with their loved one’s face on it,” Young said. “It was an awesome experience to be there with everybody he had served with and their families.It’s tough to send a soldier out, but it’s an incredible feeling to watch your soldier come back.”

What helped Young was knowing she was not alone. She’s a member of the North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana.

North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana is part of a National Organization: Blue Star Mothers of America Inc.

The Blue Star service banner was designed and patented in 1917 by WWI Army Captain Robert L. Queissner of the 5 Ohio Infantry who had two sons serving on the front line. It quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in service. It is a blue five-point star on a field of white surrounded by a red border, one star for each serving member. Thus began a tradition for families to signify the love, pride and hope for a child serving in war by hanging the banner in household windows.

“The North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana is a military mothers support group,” Young said. “We try to reach out to as many military families as we can so that they don’t have to go through a deployment by themselves. Deployment is hard on families, especially if you don’t have someone to share that experience with who has actually been there, done that. Been through it. You can share each other’s frustrations and say, ‘This is how I got through it. If I got through it, I’m going to help you get through it.’ We make sure they know they’re not alone.”

It’d difficult, though, for some people to reach out, to admit they can’t handle something all by themselves “or they’ve pulled in so tight they’re afraid to let loose.”

Young shares her stories because, like the other members of the group, she wants people to know, “We’re here for you. We can reach out, but they have to reach back.”

North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana meets on the third Tuesday of every month in the United Way building, 210 W. Walnut St. For more information, visit the North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana’s website, ncindianabluestars.org, or send an email to ncindianabluestars@comcast.net.

Author:
Lisa Fipps