European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse War in the Gulf. With parents deployed children learn to Cope self reliant by Gary Pomeroy staff writer a. Their parents Are in the persian. Gulf As Are the parents old thousands of other children of . A military families in Europe. Unlike most however Irvin Johnson or and Dana Karl a seniors at the american High school in Frankfurt Germany a Are managing the. Separation on their own. \ a staff sgt Irvin . Left for the persian Gulf with the 44th signal in irom Darmstadt on Jan 9. Sgt. Coleen Sadewater. Dana s Mother and her Stepfather sgt Randy Sadewater departed. For the Region irom Frankfurt in Early january More than 16.000 single parents and. 1.200 military couples with children Are Quot Quot a serving in operation desert storm a a Quot according to the defense department. Many. Of the Kamilos Ore staying temporarily with relatives or friends but. Some a such As Dana and Irvin Are. Willingly ending for themselves both were. Uttered the option of returning to the United states but convinced their parents to let Thorn stay in Germany a a a Dana recalled the initial Impact of being Lett alone. A Quot it at hits you at once a a she said. Quot All of a. Sudden you go from being a teen Ager and a a All you have to worry about is getting Good. Grades and staying in school and the next thing you know you have no parents really close by Quot. A you want to go Home and say �?~oh.-look., what i did of a lest and they re not there. Anymore. It s like moving away irom Home. Early. Or sooner than you expected it to a. Happen a a a a Irvin , rather s absence hits him hardest when he s alone in the family quarters. Quot sometimes t. Hate when i have to. Go. In. His room and. Get something Quot he said. Quot it a. Just like brings him Back. I usually keep the a door closed that helps a lot Quot a a a a a a a a the 17-year-old said he and his the Days before the departure to Patch differences Between them. Y a. A a a never too close to each said. But after word of the deployment a came Quot we started being a real father and. A son. We talked a lot and discussed things Quot a. Then it was like he was a Good Friend. Things. Are better Quot a a a a. A y Irvin maintains a Busy schedule including. An evening Job at the Bowling Center at. Cambrai Funtsch Cavern in Darmstadt. A /. Friends in the housing area where he lives look in on him he said. Irvine a parents Are a a divorced but his Mother Calls frequently. Irom the states Quot. Otherwise Quot i usually stay in the House. And listen to music. The peace and quiet help a by. U a a a i. In addition to responsibilities have to keep households in order. For Irvin who has always been -.y. Expected to pitch in with the housework this is not new. That part of living alone was too much of an adjustment for me Quot he. Said Dana had not Quot done stuff around the Quot House to the extent Quot she must now. She. 7�?Tm worried about him. I think about it a lot More because i think he might be out there in the War and what happens if something happens to him a Irvin Johnson or. Frankfurt High school finds one task especially burdensome Quot Quot the dishes Quot she said dropping her voice for emphasis Quot Quot a. A a Quot a Quot a Quot a a Quot my dad always did the dishes. A sometimes t have to admit they la Sibin the a Kitchen for a couple of Days before i go in. There and say i can t stand this anymore Quot at times Dana wishes that one of her parents could have remained in Germany. Quot i would have liked to have had her her a Mother stay. This is senior year the prom and All that stuff. And there s been so Many times in the past when she a had to. A. A a 5&5 l Emmet Lewis or. 2 sometime/1 think its not fair. signed the paper going to do this fac it a Al Karl Frankfurt High school. Miss out before birthdays?.td things there s not a lot you can it it a you can sit a and cry for a Little by j Quot a. A a sometimes 1, s to fair Quot she. Said. Quot but they signed to paper saying a they were going to do this teat s their y Job Quot a. A / a a Dana Speaks wife of. Her Parent company commander and a a Quot a attends spouse support meetings with wives from her parents in Quot y. Quot a whole Bunch of us will around and Quot talk Quot she said. Some of Moung married Quot a women Are in theuil find a it easier to. Talk to her than to army a wives who have been Mamed tor.20 years a a a the 18-year-old also enjoys playing with the Young children whose lathers Are in the Gulf. A Iii play with the kids for a Little bit and it a its the wives get the kids. A lot of a times they Don t have to get y a away and it gives me a Little time to be a a Little kid for a while Quot a a a a. Talking with the children also helps her Cope she helps to fell the children a a that in a feeling it too Quot she said. Quot and they think of look Here s this great big grownup person and i m going a yeah i m feeling a the same thing and the Little Guys Are going. Well maybe it s not so bad Quot a Quot Quot \ a adjusting to life on her own was not. Easy. At first her., normally average Quot grades dropped. But in recent weeks the grades a. And self Confidence have risen. Quot i think i m a Little bit More ready to head out and go to school now i was hesitant. A because it s so secure in my family Quot she / said Quot i guess having them actually leave me instead of me leave them kind of forced me into the situation but it makes me a. A she advises others in her situation not to a tear seeking support and Quot hot to lock a a. Themselves in it Only makes if worse Quot Irvin whose grades also dipped after his. A father left for the Middle East is doing better in school now. He is heeding his father s. Advice he said. Y Quot sometimes t to feel like doing -. Y a. Anything in school. But. Like my dad says nothing should Stop you from your a things he said to me in the. Past keep me going. A ,.-y a a a Quot i m worried about him. I think about it a lot More because i think he might be out. There in the War and what happens i something happens to him just keep. A a moving and try to keep my head up. A y because you know he s going to be Fine Quot a. a. I Quot a a a a Quot a dragon dance for dads and Morns in teacher Martin Reinert leads his class in a chinese new year Benefit Aragon dance in Schweinfurt Germany. Story and photo by John Millar Wurzburg Bureau to Quot Eacher Martin re inert s mgt Schweinfurt Germany could have used a dragons Leiy breath to warm the tin a recent snowstorm. But carrying a chinese dragon around the Ledward Barracks Post Exchange in a desert a storm fund raising Effort to work up . The red White and Blue dragon,.held aloft in the Strong wind by the Young students snaked its Way through. Shoppers at the Exchange mall while other class member waved american flags and held out cans Quot we wanted to support the soldiers in saudi Arabia Clayton Nylander. Quot we wanted to a a a Money to buy things and Send those things to them in a a saudi Arabia they need chopsticks and maybe Sony. Gum Quot ,. A. 1 a a Quot the kids and i sort of brainstormed this Jhog said. Quot they All wanted a Way to support their dads there because there Are so Many fathers from the so a that Are affected by this and actually from the whom Community Quot a. Quot Reinert said the youngsters were making a tracwo&Quot--1 chinese dragon for chinese new year when they or la up with the idea to. Dance for donations and buy care a. Package items for. Their troops in the Gulf in keeping with the school s Constitution month Observance and to give their monster a patriotic flair the students painted the who Ite cloth body of the dragon with red and Blue stars and stripes. A ,. A. The dragon with its 23-student escort made the a. Rounds at the main Exchange on feb .14, a Day before chinese new year. With the help of Reinert afro other a adults the students battled near blizzard conditions and winds that wanted to carry the 20-foot creature away Quot Sandy Stephenson president of the Schweinfurt. Parent teacher student association that helped. Sponsor the dragon dance said the second graders collected More than $280 Lor care package items. Quot a a. Blizzard on the Day a not bad Quot. She said. A quote. Y. A a. Second grader Kassie Schie Bem said the troops a a maybe need some paper to write the 7-year-old said soldiers would be Happy to get their boxes because they i know that we care about Clayton whose father is serving in saudi Arabia said carrying to it dragon s Tail was t a simple task Quot it was pretty hard because the wind swings it around Quot. A but the 7.-year-old said he Dick t mid putting up the Quot a Effort for his dad Quot because i love him and i miss him very much and because he a fighting for our a amps l Tommell Lawn or. After learning desert shield had become desert storm Michele Riddle a faced the fact that her husband. Was t going to come Home in a couple of Days and say v was out in the Field Honey. Back to High school Young Mother resumes studies while husband is in saudi Arabia by Gary Pomeroy staff writer m Ichele Riddle was up in the air when her husband received orders for saudi Arabia. A literally spec James Riddle Learned on nov \2 that his unit the 109th military police co at Gibbs Cavern m. Frankfurt. Germany would be leaving for the Gulf Michele. 19, and the couple s 5-Monhod son Jacob Lee Riddle were on the Way from fort Hua Chuca Ariz to what they thought would be a permanent family reunion Quot i was on the plane Over the a Ruddle of when he was notified she Sard the reunion lasted until his departure on Doc 17. Quot that really did t give us much Tirpe to be together Quot she said. After her husband s departure Michele decoded to finish her senior year of High school two Wool s ago she began classes at the american High a Nooi a Frankfurt. Quot Quot the first couple of Days after he left i c on t Deleye that was she said. Alter learning that desert shield Nab Bee a me deed storm. Quot faced the fact that Tbs was re was t going to come Home in a couple of Days and say i was out in the Field Honey 1 Quot i thought Abou the situation for a Long Lime and i a just sat there staring at the couple of Days and then i turned it of and t Haven t turned it track on. Since Quot. Now her world revolves around spouse support groups Chung for Jacob Lee and Homework. The unit has a support group that models monthly and Quot a few of us gel together on our she said Quot but usually i just stick to myself Quot her Day Jacob Lee wakes up around 5 Mam on the Way to school she drops the baby of at the child Caro cooler Quot alter school it s the same routine in reverse my Day ends usually about one o clock m the morning when finish with my Homework ego to bed. Being alone has taught Michele not to be totally depended on her husband. I be Learned How to put toys together and do the things like using the screwdriver Quot she said buit s the Cra venous of school that Malo the time go by if owes me something to do during the night so i Cor t s t Mere arid Quot Are at my baby s Luce Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday february 27, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15
