HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-24, Page 20Preparing for Christmas comes
with its own set of challenges, unique
to each household.
The generally-accepted time for
peace on earth is a time for family
and friends to be together. So when
someone is forced into absence, it can
be difficult for everyone.
Christmas is also a time to
appreciate what we’re lucky enough
to have and hold close to our hearts.
The latter is how Jeff and Susan
Mullin of Blyth have chosen to
approach their first Christmas
without their son, Tom, at their side.
He is currently stationed in
Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Tom, 26, was deployed on Sept. 26
and should be back in the country
sometime between late March and
early April.
He is just coming off of a three-
week leave in Australia, where he
says he went because it was warm
and that he may never get the chance
to go there again.
He was scheduled to return back in
Kandahar on Dec. 23.
Jeff and Susan say they’re used to
the Canadian military’s rules, when it
comes to the information Tom is
allowed to disclose to them, and it
has helped build a tremendous
amount of trust between them and
their son.
“Generally we hear from him every
two or three weeks, but the military
says it could be up to six weeks
between contact,” Jeff says. “Because
of the time difference and the
mission, we don’t know when he’s
going to call, but there’s always a
message if he misses us. It’s always,
‘Hey, just thought I’d call.’and then
we know he’s alright, because that’s
just Tom.”
Tom is not allowed to disclose very
much, including his current location,
which Jeff and Susan have gotten
used to in the past few months.
If Tom happens to miss his parents,
he’ll take the time to call one of his
friends in the area, who he knows
will relay information back to his
parents.
Once he has left a camp, Susan
says, he is allowed to tell his parents.
“For his first two weeks there, they
lived in an abandoned school, then he
spent a few weeks living in a cave,”
she says. “But we only hear about
somewhere he’s been after he’s
already gone.”
Jeff says that despite the
uncertainty, he understands why
many details can’t be disclosed and
that the military does a very good job
of preparing the parents for having a
child deployed overseas.
A lot of worries have also been
diminished because of the amount of
training soldiers endure before being
deployed. Jeff says he’s confident
Tom is prepared for anything he may
see during his time in Afghanistan.
To date, Tom has trained in Florida,
Texas and Alberta twice. Soldiers are
required to complete at least one year
of training before being deployed.
In Texas, Susan says, Tom trained
with the U.S. Army in a mock Afghan
village that was nearly identical, he
says, to what he saw when he got to
Kandahar.
The Mullins view the danger Tom
faces in Afghanistan as no more
significant than what he would face
in Ontario on a daily basis. Susan
cites the amount of drunk-driving
accidents, the dangers of driving on
the 401 and the crime in the GTA as
circumstances that are potentially
more dangerous than what Tom could
be involved in.
Jeff and Susan say that as long asthe maximum block withoutcommunication (six weeks) doesn’tpass, they tend not to worry.Jeff says he views the military asTom’s job, he supports his son’s
choice and it fills him with an
incredible sense of pride to know the
work his son is doing on behalf of
Canada in Afghanistan.
Jeff wears a Canadian military hat
to work every day.
“We have to have a Canadian
military,” Jeff says. “War is hell no
matter where it is and it’s unfortunate
that we have to put our young men in
these positions, but I’m proud that
Tom’s doing it and that he’s
involved.”
Jeff, in fact, currently has a cousin
who is serving as a nurse in the
emergency room at the Kandahar
base, the same base Tom operates out
of. The two are hoping to meet
around Christmas, but with the nature
of the mission, there is no guarantee
they will both be in the same place at
the same time.
The Mullins have received a
tremendous amount of support from
the community, Jeff says. As soon as
people know he and Susan have a son
serving, members of the community
often voice their support and thanks.
Jeff does, however, find himself
angered at times with the media
coverage and political issues that
become entangled with the
Afghanistan mission.
“There’s so much analysis and
speculation that it can make you
sick,” he says.
Jeff says the media coverage of the
actual mission has been fair, but that
politicians who suggest an immediate
withdrawal or media speculators who
have no military experience anger
those who are directly affected by the
conflict, like the Mullins.
“Having someone over there makes
you much more aware,” Jeff says.
“Canada has made a commitment to
be in Afghanistan. It’s a NATO-
sanctioned mission involving troops
from all over the world and we need
to follow through with our
commitment. We can’t overreact and
suggest pulling out because we get a
bloody nose, we need to follow
through on our commitment. Canada
has been doing this for a number of
years.”
Susan says nothing has changed in
her preparation for Christmas, but
that it will be difficult to spend it
without Tom. She says she can’t even
venture a guess at what it might be
like for Tom to spend Christmas in
Afghanistan.
The Mullins have four other
children, 24-year-old Dan, 21-year-
old Leanne, 20-year-old Katie and
17-year-old Jessie.
Tom, who went to F.E. Madill
Secondary School in Wingham, was
always mechanically-inclined, Jeff
says and always played with toy
soldiers from a very early age.
Tom knew he wanted to join the
armed forces at a young age. Susansays he was always a good studentand had the potential to be a greatone. Jeff says Tom’s mechanicalaptitude has helped him, and while he
started clumsily, he got the hang out
it in no time, graduating basic
training at the top of his class.
“We expected that he’d do well
though. He was keen and he had
researched everything he needed to
know extensively,” Jeff says.
When Tom returns in the spring,
Jeff says, he will be debriefed at the
base for two weeks, then given some
accumulative leave time, which the
Mullins hope he will use to return to
Blyth.
For Christmas, the Mullins wish
their son the best and a safe return to
all the Canadian soldiers in
Afghanistan. “To all the soldiers over
there, Merry Christmas and God
bless,” Jeff says. “Thank you for
doing an extremely hard job in a very
stand-up fashion.”
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008.Son in Afghanistan in family’s heart this Christmas
Proud parents
Jeff and Susan Mullin of Blyth are preparing to spend
Christmas without their son Tom (pictured in frame on
piano) who is currently stationed in Kandahar until late
March or early April. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
TOM MULLEN
Christmas in Afghanistan
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold I
bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11
May you be blessed with peace and
understanding throughout this holy season.
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By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen