Modern connectivity has allowed for some wonderful transoceanic moments over the past decade, and last Friday brought another when a Delaware National Guard sergeant deployed to Afghanistan was able to watch the New Castle departure ceremony for her son and his unit by way of the Apple video-link program Facetime.
Sgt. Edna Fortune of the deployed 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, top, watches the departure ceremony for Company A, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation and her son, Spc. Alexander McClure, which took place in New Castle Nov. 22. // Screenshot composite by Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Nye.
Sgt. Edna Fortune is six months into a scheduled nine-month deployment to Afghanistan with the 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. Her son, Spc. Alexander McClure, is soon off to Fort Hood, Texas, with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation, for four to six weeks of pre-deployment training before his unit leaves to begin its own nine-month hitch in Afghanistan.
After the ceremony, Fortune was able to talk directly with her son. "She gave him some advice on what to expect in theater ... and wished him well," said Chief Warrant Officer Joe Nye of the 198th, who passed us this tip.
(Apparently, the phone's battery held out ... you'll note the remaining power was at 21 percent as she watched.)
It's doubtful the mother and son will cross paths, according to Nye - although, he added, "You never know."
This reminds me of a story I did around 1987 on a mother and son who were both Army soldiers and ended up in the same Germany-based unit (in a great twist, he outranked his mom). In an organization the size of the U.S. Army, that's exceeding rare.
Not so much in the Delaware National Guard. In fact, the 325-member Delaware portion of the 198th is practically teeming with family members who are deployed together. They are:
Chief Warrant Officer Chris Krawczyk and his son, Sgt. Steven Krawczyk;
Sgt. 1st Class Albert Rodriguez and his son, Sgt. Christopher Rodriguez;
Sgt. Holly Simmons and her husband, Sgt. Rodd Simmons.
